Snoring and sleep apnea

Snoring mostly affects partners and can easily be remedied or at least improved. Sleep apnea destroys lives. 95% of sufferers remain undiagnosed so we screen routinely for this dangerous condition at our initial interview.

Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) is a serious health condition which results in weight gain, constant tiredness, mental deterioration, and has been shown to have a death rate 30% higher in sufferers. Research is beginning to show links to dementia and Alzheimer’s. And why wouldn’t it if you were being suffocated 1000 times a night?

If you were to watch a sleeping person who had OSA, you would see and hear snoring interrupted by a long pause with no breathing at all. If you look closely, you will see the chest still rising but no air coming in. This is because the airway has been blocked or collapsed. The pause may be 10 seconds, it can last a minute. Eventually, the sleeper restarts with a strong gasp, often so strong they may seem to wake, but more likely they drop back off immediately. Quite often this causes gastric reflux, leaving a sore throat, bad taste and drastically increased dental decay.

Dental appliances can reduce snoring and may often improve mild sleep apnea without traumatic surgery. These appliances change the way your jaws are positioned during sleep and open your airway.  Smile Doctor recommend appliances that permit normal mouth opening, allow speech and drinking yet allow a full lip seal. They are not a magic solution for all cases and we consider medical assessment for suspected or high risk apnea cases to be essential.