Sleep Apnea Treatment (Snoring)
Have you ever been told that your snoring bothers others or that you seem to be choking during the night? If your significant other has to sleep in a separate room or wear earplugs, it is very likely that you suffer from sleep apnea.
Snoring comes from the muscles in your mouth which, while you sleep, relax and restrict the passage of air. A signal is then sent to your brain and given the decrease in oxygen, it causes you to wake up.
Several symptoms come into play when thinking about sleep apnea. Whether it’s headaches, loss of concentration and/or memory, irritability, fatigue during the day, high blood pressure, depression, etc. they can all be linked to sleep apnea.
What are the treatment methods for sleep apnea?
In order to treat your condition, an assessment must first be made by a doctor specializing in sleep apnea. Once the diagnosis has been made, several options are available to you. If your breathing problem is mild or moderate, a mandibular advancement appliance may be considered.
How does this device work?
As its name suggests, the mandibular advancement device propels the mandible (lower jaw) forward and thus clears the airways. Without this device, the soft tissues of the palate obstruct the airways during inspiration at rest. When wearing the mandibular advancement device, pressure is exerted on the mandible so as to move the soft tissues away from the palate during sleep and facilitate the passage of air. The patient can therefore sleep more peacefully and enjoy deeper and more restorative sleep.
The advantage of this device comes from the fact that it is removable. You therefore do not have to be connected to any machinery equipped with breathing tubes (CPAP). It is small and easy to carry. No anesthesia or surgery is necessary to put the device in the mouth. However, a few days should be expected to facilitate adaptation and get comfortable.
The mandibular advancement appliance is composed of two plates adapting to the lower and upper arches of the mouth on which occlusal cushions inclined at 70º and adjustable are placed. The device is equipped with adjustment screws in order to specify the point of balance and comfort of the device. The adjustment of these screws determines the amplitude of the protrusion of the mandible. Greater advancement clears the airways more, but in return, increases the muscular pressure on the jaw. This is why the adjustment must be made by the dentist and revised if necessary.
Some models of mandibular advancement devices are manufactured with fixed degrees of advancement which allow the testing of different sizes in order to determine the optimal level of comfort.
