Snoring and
Dental Treatment

Do you keep those you sleep with up at
night?
It is estimated that more than
80
million people in North America snore while
sleeping. National Institutes of Health (NIH) found that 30%
of the population under 40 years of age
snores, while 50% over the age
of 60 does. Spouses and children are often
repeatedly disturbed during their sleep cycles by a snoring family member, which
can lead to tensions and animosity.
Sleep apnea and snoring can be frustrating for patients and their
loved ones. Lack of sleep and the associated physical affects can be life
altering or life ending. Recent studies have linked a high percent of patients
with sleep apnea and snoring with an increase in arteriosclerosis of the carotid
arteries of the neck. This can lead to an increased risk of cardiovascular
problems such as heart attack or stroke. Snoring can kill you, according to a
UCLA School of Dentistry study: the struggle for breath can result in soaring
blood pressure which can damage the walls of the carotid arteries and increase
the risk of stroke.
Snoring and sleep apnea can also worsen serious health problems including
hypertension, leading to stroke, heart attacks, heart failure and puts the
patient at an increased risk for sudden death. The National Council on Sleep
Disorders attributes 38,000 cardiovascular deaths per year to consequences of
sleep apnea.
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What causes
snoring?
During sleep, the muscles and soft tissue in the throat and mouth relax
making the breathing airway smaller. This decrease in the airway space increases
the velocity of air flowing through the airway during breathing. As the velocity
of required air increased in the constricted space, soft tissue like the soft
palate and uvula vibrate. These vibrations of the soft tissues in the mouth and
throat result in what is called "noisy breathing" or generally
referred to as snoring. It has also been shown in sleep studies that excess body
weight especially in the throat area, heavy alcohol consumption and other
sedatives increase the severity of snoring.

Relaxed and collapsed airway produces soft tissue
vibrations during breathing which result in snoring.

With a SILENT NITE device the airway remains open
allowing easier breathing and preventing snoring.
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Surgical techniques to remove respiration impairing structures such as uvula,
enlarged tonsils and adenoids have been among the many attempted snoring
remedies. These soft tissue surgical procedures have shown only moderate success
rates (e.g. 20 - 40%). At certain levels of severity, complete blockage of the
airway space by soft tissues and the tongue can occur. If this period of
asphyxiation lasts longer than 10 seconds, this is called Obstructive
Sleep Apnea
The majority of snorers can be treated with dentist prescribed oral
snoring appliances such as the Silent Nite. This also serves as a wonderful
adjunct in those patients who do require surgery to treat their OSA and snoring,
increasing success to 85 - 90% in those patients.
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What are the symptoms
Snoring and Sleep Apnea?
 | Waking up after a full night in bed and feeling tired
|
 | While you sleep, do you jump or jerk |
 | Waking with a headache
|
 | Feeling sleepy during
the day
|
 | Falling asleep during
the day |
 | Waking during the night with
a feeling of gasping for air
|
 | Unable to concentrate during
the day
|
 | Decrease in psychomotor behavior
such as sexual activity
|
 | Snore loudly or erractically |
Self
Test For Sleep Apnea
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How can I prevent
snoring?
Snoring is involuntary but changes in your lifestyle an alleviate occasional
snoring.
 | Avoiding sedatives and antihistamines
|
 | Lose weight to increase the
airway space. |
 | Daily exercise to improve muscle tone |
 | Quit smoking |
 | Get treatment for allergies is you have
them |
 | Sleep on your side instead of your back (
when you sleep on your back, your tongue falls backwards
into your throat, which can narrow your airway and
partially block airflow) |
 | Avoiding alcohol and heavy meals 3-4
hours before bedtime
|
 | Sleeping with a pillow that supports the neck
and does not cause the head to be held at a sharp angle
|
 | Keeping the air moist in your bedroom, as dry
air causes the membranes to more readily collapse.
|
 | Nasal sprays for snorer whose nasal
passages are blocked due to swelling or increased mucous |
 | Oral appliances with a cost range from
$50 to $2,000. |
 | Read about
sleep disorders :"Sleep Disorders for
Dummies". |
 | Avoid caffeine it
is one of the main culprits in sleep disorders.
|
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How can snoring and sleep apnea be
treated?
Snoring and sleep apnea both are sleep disordered
breathing. Simply snoring represents a mild disorder
where breathing becomes very loud but the upper airway is only
partially obstructed during sleep.
Snoring is a common symptom of obstructive
sleep apnea. However, sleep apnea is a serious medical
disorder that occurs because the airway is totally obstructed
during sleep and breathing completely stops for 10 seconds or
more. In one night 20 to 30 involuntary breathing pauses
can occur. If your partner hears loud snoring punctuated
by silences and then a snort or choking sound as you resume
breathing, this pattern could signal sleep apnea.
18 million Americans suffer from undiagnosed
and untreated sleep apnea. This disorder may:
 | Raise your blood pressure |
 | Decrease the flow of oxygen to your brain |
 | Fatigue |
 | Decreased work performance |
 | Impaired daytime functioning |
 | Hart failure |
 | Possibly for stroke |
Depending on the severity of your snoring and sleep apnea several approaches
can be used. Often they are used in combination to eliminate the problem.
Oral appliances such as the Silent Nite, can be
used either alone or following surgery to help increase the airway space.
Continuous positive airway pressure (C-pap) involves the use of
a mask worn over the nose during sleep that blows air into your throat to
maintain an open airway decreasing airway collapse.
Surgical approaches include; trimming of the soft palate and uvula with a
laser called laser assisted uvuloplasty (LAUP).
Radio-frequency devices have been used to shrink tissues in the throat and nose.
Correction of deviated septum and trimming of the bony turbinates of the nose
has been used to increase nasal airflow.
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How does the Silent Nite prevent snoring?
Snoring research has shown that custom fabricated dental appliances worn at
night that move the lower jaw into a forward position, increase the three
dimensional space in the airway tube which reduces air velocity and soft tissue
vibration. By increasing the volumetric capacity of the airway and preventing
soft tissue vibrations, snoring is eliminated. In clinical research studies,
these dentist fabricated oral appliances have exhibited initial snoring
prevention success rates of between 70 to 100%.
The Silent Nite~
appliance positions the lower jaw into a forward position by means of special
connectors that are attached to the upper and lower forms. These forms are
custom laminated with heat and pressure to the dentist’s model of your mouths
providing an excellent and comfortable fit with minimal size to the appliance.
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Breathing is EASIER with the
Silent Nite appliance
The Silent Nite
does not interfere with breathing through the mouth. Even when nasal passages
are congested the device prevents snoring and allows uninhibited oral breathing.
The connectors allow the patient to move the jaw side to side and open and close
the mouth minimizing potential stiffness in the joints of the jaw in the
morning. Silent Nite appliances help promote deeper, more restful sleep by
preventing snoring. You wake feeling better rested and more energetic.

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How can I determine if
the Silent Nite appliance will benefit me?
A simple test is to put your teeth together, close your lips and inhale
through your nose. You should then open your mouth and move your lower teeth
slightly in front of your upper teeth (a bull dog like bite) and close your lips.
When inhaling through your nose you should notice improved airflow and less
snoring noise. If the result to this test is positive (less noise and better
breathing) then the SilentNite appliance will benefit you. This therapy has been
shown in studies to help 85% of patients that snore or have sleep apnea. The
remaining 15% require other therapeutic approaches (i.e. surgical) to correct
the problem.
Snoring may indicate sleep apnea. Sleep apnea
is a serious disease - and is said to reduce lifespan by about 10 years,
be associated with heart problems, memory problems, impotence. It's not about
snoring - it's about life and death. Present it correctly to your patients and
not many refuse diagnosis.
According to a recent study, untreated sleep
apnea may increase a person's risk of motor vehicle accidents.
That's because sleep apnea, a snoring condition characterized
by intermittent airway obstruction, can deprive you of sleep,
making driving a danger. But accident risk is reduced when
sleep apnea is treated.
Your dentist can help diagnose this condition
or refer you to a specialist. If your dentist thinks
your have sleep apnea he may refer you to a physician or sleep
specialist. For a proper diagnosis you may have to
undergo an overnight sleep study. With a proper
diagnosis your dentist and doctor can work closely together to
implement a therapy to help you.
Source: RealAge Benefit: Getting 6 to 8 hours of sleep
per night can make your RealAge as much as 3 years younger
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New Research:
Curing The
Snore
With the news this week that snoring and
chronic daily headache are linked, here are simple
exercises that help in reducing snoring frequency and
volume, for those who don't want to take drugs daily
Tongue and throat exercises, if practiced
diligently over a period of time, may be of great benefit
in reducing snoring. Repeat each of the following exercises
5 times each, twice daily:
1) Slowly open and close your mouth to its
full extent, making sure the lips meet when closing.
2) Pucker your lips (as if about to kiss). Hold for a count of
10. Relax.
3) Spread your lips into a big, exaggerated smile. Hold.
Relax.
4) Mix Exercises 2 & 3: Pucker-Hold-Smile-Hold.
5) Try to pucker with your mouth wide open, without closing
your jaws together. Hold & relax.
6) Close your lips and press them tightly together.
7)Close your lips firmly, then make a 'slurping' noise, as if
sipping a drink.
8) Open your mouth and stick out your tongue. Be sure your
tongue comes straight out of your mouth and doesn't go off the
side. Hold, relax and repeat several times. Work toward
sticking your tongue out farther each day, but still pointing
straight ahead.
9) Stick out your tongue and move it slowly from corner
to corner of your lips. Hold in each corner, relax and repeat
several times. Be sure your tongue actually touches each
corner each time.
10) Stick out your tongue and try to reach your chin with the
tongue tip. Hold at the farthest extension.
11) Stick out your tongue and try to touch your nose with the
tongue tip. Hold at farthest extension.
12) Stick out your tongue. Hold a spoon upright against the
tip of your extended tongue and try to push it away while your
hand holds the spoon in place.
13) Repeatedly stick your tongue in and out as fast as you
can.
14) Flick your tongue from corner to corner as quickly as you
can.
15) Move tongue all around your lips in a circle as quickly as
you can, making sure you stay in constant contact.
16) Open and close mouth as quickly as you can, making sure
your lips close each time. 17) Say 'Ma-Ma-Ma-Ma' as quickly as
possible, ensuring there's an 'em' and an 'ah' sound each
time.
18) Repeat with 'La-La-La-La.'
19) Repeat with 'Ka-Ka-Ka-Ka' as quickly and accurately as you
can.
20) Repeat with 'Kala-Kala-Kala-Kala.'
21) Gargle loudly with warm water.
22) Sing through the vowel sounds (A-E-I-O-U) as loudly as you
can (or dare). Songs like 'Old McDonald Had a Farm' are also
good. Further information Further advice
for patients can be found in Scott E. Dr. The Natural Way to
Stop Snoring Talkaboutsleep.com britishsnoringentnet.org
snoring.com
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Snoring associated with head shape.
CWRU researchers find snoring associated with
head shape. Approximately 75
percent of the time, the
investigator was able to predict whether the individual was a
snorer.
In addition to reducing the cardiovascular problems and
accidents
snorers suffer, one of the benefits of the study is that head
shape can now be used to find new ways to lower the fortissimo
of the nightly music to a soft lullaby.
Wed, 09 Jan 2002 17:31:33 -0000
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Exercises
to Help Cure Snoring Exercises
to cure snoring are found at this site: Exercises
to reduce snoring frequency and volume.
To learn about sleep apnea see: Sleep
apnea and dental treatment.
Academy of General Dentistry Fact Sheet,
Impact pg 20 May 2003.
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~We have NO financial interest in this company.
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