Truemors
It can be the cause of many marital fights...but snoring can also lead to serious health risks.
It's something you may assume you'd only talk to your doctor about...but your dentist can provide treatment too.
One of the most common treatments for snoring and sleep apnea is a customized oral appliance. It holds the lower jaw forward and keeps the airway clear.
"But they're very thin," says Dr. Kristoffer Tumilowicz, of Dental Dimensions. "They're very rigid. And they fit very well and so you can't dislodge it the whole night while you're sleeping."
To make a custom oral appliance, a dentist first takes an impression and bite registration of your teeth. Then a precise model of your teeth is made, and the models are used to create an appliance specific to your needs.
"What's also nice about it is there's a hinge you can place between the upper and lower so that way we can arrange the position of the jaw just right," says Dr. T. "So the patient is wearing that and after a month or two they start snoring again...Then we can place another hinge which brings their jaw forward another inch or so, we can adjust it so it's successful for the patient."
For some people this option is better than going through any kind of surgery to stop snoring. It's less invasive, and less costly than the surgical alternative.
Source: dentalarticles.info
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