By Amy Kennard
Whether you snore or you’re the one on the other side of the bed being kept awake by snoring, you know it affects your sleep and your life. And, if you snore, chances are someone else in your family does, too. Statistics show that snoring not only tends to run in families, but that habitual snoring occurs in an estimated 24 percent of women, 40 percent of men and 10 to 12 percent of children.
Just noise or something more?
Nearly everyone snores at one time or another. Occasional light snoring, at the worst, is a minor annoyance. Loud and habitual snoring can disrupt your sleep and could be a sign of a potentially serious sleep disorder known as sleep apnea. More than 18 million Americans suffer from some form of sleep apnea. Disruptive sleep can lead to a host of additional health problems.
Sleep apnea occurs when tissue in the back of the throat collapses and blocks the airway, reducing the amount of oxygen delivered to all of your organs including your heart and brain. People with sleep apnea may snore loudly and stop breathing for short periods of time. When the blood-oxygen level drops low enough, the body momentarily wakes up. It can happen so quickly that you may not be aware you have woken up. This can happen hundreds of times a night and you may wake up in the morning feeling tired and groggy.
Shushing the Snore
The most common device used to treat sleep apnea is a CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure) machine. This device consists of a mask that covers either your nose or nose and mouth. While you sleep, the CPAP increases air pressure in your throat so that your airway doesn’t collapse when you breathe in. Though the CPAP machine has been proven to be very effective in treating sleep apnea, many people find it cumbersome, uncomfortable, and embarrassing to use.
The good news is that there have been great strides in developing more comfortable alternatives to the CPAP machine. Oral appliance therapy (OAT) is an effective treatment option for patients with mild to moderate obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Oral appliances reposition the mandible (lower jaw) during sleep helping prevent the obstruction of the tongue and soft tissues in the back of the throat, thus keeping the airway open during sleep and promoting adequate air intake. Oral appliances may be used alone or in combination with other treatments for sleep-related breathing disorders, such as weight management, surgery or CPAP.
Oral Appliance Therapy
Dr. Mark Houska, of Houska Family Dental Center, provides oral snoring appliance treatment. Dr. Houska advises individuals for whom snoring has become an issue to make an appointment with a board certified sleep medicine physician for a diagnosis and a treatment recommendation. “If oral appliance therapy is an option,” he says, “a dentist who has special training in sleep medicine therapies can provide treatment, custom fitting and subsequent follow up care.”
Custom-made oral appliances are proven to be far more effective than over-the-counter devices, which are neither recommended as a screening tool nor as a therapeutic option. “Dentists with training in oral appliance therapy are familiar with the various designs of appliances and can help determine which is best suited for your specific needs,” he explains.
Oral appliance therapy is often a well-tolerated treatment option for many people. “They’re comfortable, silent and easy to wear,” says Dr. Houska. “In addition, they’re small and convenient, which makes them much easier to carry when traveling.”
If you or someone you know is a snorer, look into getting a diagnosis from a qualified physician, and be sure to ask if oral appliance therapy could be a possible treatment. You and your spouse will sleep better AND live better.
For more information or to schedule a personal consultation, please call Houska Dental Center at 309-662-9042 or visit them online at HouskaDentalCenter.com. They are located at 2433 Maloney Dr. in Bloomington and offer 25 years of exceptional dental care to the Bloomington-Normal area with expertise in general and cosmetic dentistry and oral snoring appliance treatment.
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