Snoring while you sleep is a very common condition that can be temporary. But for others, it’s a regular problem. People with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in Mesa, AZ snore and stop breathing during their sleep. Snoring and OSA both prevent you from having a good night’s rest and can result in excessive daytime drowsiness, headaches, moodiness, irritability, and even depression.
To treat these conditions, you would typically sleep with a machine called a CPAP that sits on your nightstand. Hoses extend from the machine and at the end is a mask that fits over your face. The machine blows air into your nose and mouth, forcefully opening your airway and allowing you to breathe easier.
CPAP machines can be an annoyance to wear, an inconvenience to travel with, and expensive. Luckily there is another alternative worth considering. Our Mesa sleep apnea patients have found that wearing an oral snoring appliance is an effective treatment for snoring, and mild to moderate OSA.
What Is A Snoring Appliance?
A snoring appliance is an acrylic oral device that’s worn while you sleep. It looks much like the mouthguard that athletes wear. The snore guard consists of two pieces, one to fit over your top teeth, and one for the bottom arch.
The two trays are connected together by a strap on each side. The straps are positioned in such a way that causes your bottom jaw to protrude forward, opening your airway. With your throat unobstructed, you can breathe more easily and snoring is significantly reduced.
Benefits of Wearing A Snoring Appliance
Our patients have found that wearing a snoring appliance helps them sleep better, eliminates their morning headaches, and reduces dry mouth symptoms. In fact, most people who suffer from snoring prefer to wear a snoring appliance rather than use a CPAP machine.
Advantages of wearing a snoring appliance vs. CPAP machine include:
- Higher comfort level
- Quieter: no air swooshing sounds
- Less bulky: no hoses to contend with while you’re trying to sleep
- Easily portable and you can take it anywhere you’d like
- Snoring appliances don’t require electricity to work
- Easier to clean and care for
- More affordable
How To Get A Snoring Device
Before getting fitted for a snoring device, our Mesa, AZ dentist will have to make sure you are a good candidate for one. To do this we may need to consult with your primary care physician. If you suffer from more than just snoring, it may be necessary to undergo a formal sleep study to determine the extent of your obstructive sleep apnea. Fortunately, home-based sleep studies are now available!
If we conclude that you would in fact benefit from wearing a snoring appliance, then Dr. Huynh be happy to create a customized one just for you. First, we’ll need to get a replica of your teeth which will either include taking a mold of your mouth or using a 3-D digital scanner to create a virtual model. The impressions of your teeth are sent to a dental laboratory where our technicians will expertly and precisely make your personal sleep appliance. It may take about a week or two for your completed mouthpiece to arrive back at our office.
When the snoring appliance is ready, you’ll return for a fitting appointment where we’ll have you try in the device and make sure it fits properly. If necessary, we’ll make minor adjustments to it. We’ll also go over how to wear it, taking it in and out, and the proper way to keep it clean so that it lasts as long as possible.
With some devices, the straps that connect the two mouthpieces together come in different lengths and tensile strength. With your help, we’ll choose the ones that we think are best fit for you, but once you start using the appliance you may decide to try other options before settling on your perfect fit. Ove time, it’s normal for them to lose tension, so just see us as needed for replacements.
Custom Snoring Appliance in Mesa, AZ
If you’ve been struggling to get a good night’s rest and think that snoring or OSA is the cause, then call Dr. Vinh Huynh, DMD of Eastport Dental in Mesa, AZ today for a consultation.
Sleeping disorders like OSA pose a serious threat to your health and shouldn’t be ignored. Don’t wait another day. We’re happy to help and answer any questions that you may have.
