Oral Appliance Therapy

What if your snoring issue could be solved simply by wearing a custom oral device? What if you could ditch the CPAP machine? This may not be the answer for everyone, but it could be the answer for many. At All Smiles Sleep Solutions, we can evaluate your oral tissue, your nasal cavity and more to determine the cause of your snoring and/or sleep apnea, if it’s a factor. The fix could be as simple as wearing an oral appliance.

Snoring and sleep apnea:

People snore when their airway is either partially or fully cut off. It occurs most often while people sleep because of the change in position from being upright to laying down and from muscles relaxing. When relaxed, tissue is allowed freedom to hang more loosely, partially or sometimes fully, blocking the airway. Blockages that reduce your ability to intake oxygen is what we call obstructive sleep apnea.

A patient with obstructive sleep apnea will temporarily cease breathing. Their body is often still breathing normally, but the airway is blocked not allowing air to come in. When oxygen ceases, the brain then sends a stress signal through an adrenaline rush to the person, rousing them from their sleep, or REM state causing them to take in a deep breath. This deep breath helps them get the oxygen they need but is disruptive to their sleep. If this disturbance happened once, it may not be an issue, but often this cessation of breathing followed by adrenaline and gasping for air occurs over and over again throughout the night. The result is an impact in their sleep, and a lot of stress hormones being released into the body. Extended sleep apnea issues can be draining to the person and dangerous to their health. 

Options in oral appliances: 

When selecting an oral appliance to help you breathe better, the first step is an evaluation. We need to determine what is causing the obstruction, as there are many possibilities. Options include: 

• Mandibular advancement device (MAD): The mandible is the lower jaw bone, and the largest bone in the human skull. This appliance is designed to pull the lower jaw slightly forward while you sleep. This helps reposition some of the tissue in your throat and open the airway. MAD comes in a variety of styles with options. Finding the right one can make a difference. 
• Nasal Dilators: It is recommended to breathe through the nose. For some, this can be difficult due to a deviated septum, congestion, or inflammation from allergies. Nasal dilators are designed to open your nasal airways and help you breathe better through your nose while you sleep. Internal nasal dilators have been found to work better than external ones. 
• Tongue Stabilizing Device: If your tongue is a bit larger, or slips backwards toward the throat while you sleep, this device can help. It is designed to hold the tongue in place. This can help keep your airway open, or free from your tongue closing it.