Is snoring affecting your life?

 Do any of the following apply to you or someone you know:

 • Tired or drowsiness during the day?

 • Poor concentration?

 • Have to sleep in a separate room due to your partner snoring?

 • Difficulty sleeping due to loud snoring?

 • Irritable when waking in the morning?

 • Falling asleep easily during the day?

Snoring is defined as a coarse sound made by vibrations of the soft palate and other tissue in the mouth, nose & throat. It is caused by turbulence inside the airway during breathing. The turbulence is caused by a part blockage that may be located anywhere from the tip of the nose to the vocal chords. The restriction may occur only during sleep, or it could be happening all the time but be worse when we are asleep. This is because our muscle tone is reduced during sleep and there may be insufficient muscle tone to prevent the airway tissue vibrating. During waking hours muscle tone keeps the airway in good shape, hence we don't snore when awake.

Snoring is something that cannot be stopped when you choose, neither is it something that can be 'cured'. It can however, be successfully controlled. Snoring is caused by a physical abnormality that needs to be identified before a control can be found. This is not as difficult as it seems and the good news is there is a control for everybody, once the cause has been discovered.

Here at Central Dental we offer a solution to solve snoring problems simply and efficiently however more severe snoring problems may lead to a condition called sleep apnoea.

SLEEP APNOEA
Obstructive Sleep Apnoea (OSA) is defined as the stopping of airflow during sleep preventing air from entering the lungs caused by an obstruction. These periods of ‘stopping breathing’ only become significantly traumatic if breathing stops for more than 10 seconds each time and occur more than 10 times every hour. OSA only will happen during sleep, as it is a lack of muscle tone in your upper airway that causes the airway to collapse. During the day we have enough muscle tone to keep the airway open allowing for normal breathing. When you experience apnoea during your sleep, your brain will automatically wake you up. This normally occurs with a loud snort or snore and enables you to start breathing again. People with OSA will experience these wakening moments many times during the night and consequently feel very sleepy during the day: they have an airway that is more likely to collapse than normal.

HOW IS SNORING AND SLEEP APNOEA HELPED THROUGH DENTAL TREATMENT?

By taking impressions of your teeth, an appliance is made that fits your mouth exactly and used every night to move your jaw into position. By moving the position of your jaw forward, it will allow your mouth to function correctly without the obstructions that cause snoring and sleep apnoea. There are a number of appliances available to help alleviate this problem however your situation and the severity of your condition will be assessed before a solution is provided.

For more information, simply talk to a Central Dental team member today on 3343 2100.