Dental TreatmentSnoring

Do you or your partner snore a lot during the night or feel sleepy during the day? Do you suffer from migraines or headaches?  Do you have tinnitus? Do you wake up in the middle of the night gasping for air?

Snoring not only affects the quality of sleep of your other half but could be a symptom of a serious condition. 25% of the population snore and 1 in 10 have Obstructive Sleep Apnoea, which is when you stop breathing for more than 10 seconds multiple times in an hour. Oxygen flow is obstructed, which, as you can imagine, is not healthy!

Snoring in simple terms is defined as the harsh sound produced either from nose or mouth, occurring during sleep due to partial obstruction of airways.

The sound can range from scarcely audible to sufficiently loud, and intensity increases in a deep sleep.

What Causes Snoring?

When we sleep, the muscles in our nasopharynx tend to relax. After the relaxation of muscles, the air we take in produces a fluttering effect on the structures in the nasopharynx. This fluttering is responsible for abnormal sound production or snoring. This is one of the significant causes of snoring.

Apart from this, several risk factors predispose to snoring, such as obesity, small or posteriorly placed mandible, pregnant women, old age, prolonged nasal blockage as in allergic rhinitis, defective airway anatomy, engagement of adjacent structures, or use of sedatives.

Obstructive Sleep Apnoea?

OSA is a severe problem in which the airway is obstructed while sleeping due to the relaxed muscles falling back, leading to oxygen destruction as it is unable to reach the lungs.

The patient suddenly gasps for air and is awakened from the sleep with a feeling of choking. It can be mild (5-15 episodes/hr), moderate(16-30 episodes/hr) or severe(>30 episodes/hr).

Sleep Apnoea can cause weight gain and depression, as well as increase the risk of heart failure and stroke and reduce life expectancy by 10 years! Being overweight, having a small lower jaw, allergies, and having a large tongue are all possible risk factors.

At Conway House Dental Practice, we carry out screening for Sleep Apnoea, including a thorough questionnaire and a comprehensive examination to determine how likely it is that you have this condition. We may decide to refer you to our local Sleep Clinics to undergo a Sleep Study to confirm this diagnosis. If you are found to have this condition, we can help you. Even if you don’t have it and just want to stop snoring, we can help with that too!

Anti-snoring aids: A series of oral devices or mouthpieces are readily available and can be fitted by our dentist that will address your snoring problems by preventing the mandible (lower jaw) from dropping backwards during sleep, thereby preventing the obstruction of your airways, which will stop you from snoring. This oral device is known as a Mandibular Advancement Slit (MAS)

At Conway House Dental Practice, we can make you a customised snore guard to help position your lower jaw forward to help open up your airway. This involves taking impressions of your teeth and bite and sending them off to our excellent laboratory, which makes the best quality snore guards. Wearing this comfortable device at night will help stop the problem and allow you and your partner to have a better night’s sleep! It can also be life-changing for your physical health.

Sometimes we may recommend you see an ENT (Ear Nose and Throat) Specialist or a Maxillofacial Specialist regarding possible tonsil removal or jaw surgery, but this is less common. General measures to reduce your risk of snoring include losing weight, avoiding alcohol and food late at night, managing your allergies, and sleeping on your side.

If you are searching for snoring remedies that work or diagnose for your constant tiredness, you should come to visit us at Conway House Dental Practice. We are a team of dedicated and skilled dentists, and our primary aim is to look after our patients and community. We want you to be at your healthiest and happiest. We promote and encourage people to develop healthy oral practices and offer routine check-ups.

Our expert dentist will talk to you about your condition, and after detailed history and evaluation, we will procure you with the best treatment modality available for your condition.

Call us on 01494526578 for any further information or to simply book in for a comprehensive examination.