What are the Real Facts About How Snoring Mouthguards Work?

When you go to the doctor to deal with your snoring problem, there is going to be a range of treatments made available to you once you have gone through a full evaluation. Odds are the doctor will be sending you to complete a thorough procedure called a sleep study to ensure that he is able to determine just how serious your snoring problem is. This sleep study will assist the specialist to make an official diagnosis of either obstructive sleep apnea, mild sleep apnea or a mild case of snoring.

Your doctor should explain to you that your snoring may be the result of a partial obstruction of the airway brought on by the flapping and vibrating of tissues in the back of the throat and the soft palate. Obviously, a complete obstruction is more severe and should usually warrant a diagnosis of obstructive sleep apnea. After you have been diagnosed, the doctor will provide you with a few options to fix the problem and hopefully prevent snoring during the night. One of the major options which are used to treat sleep apnea is CPAP, which involves wearing a special mask to ensure that air can be forced through your nasal passageways.

Another treatment solution for snoring and mild sleep apnea is snoring mouth guards. These types of mouth guards basically position your jaw and tongue in place so that your airways aren't obstructed so that snoring can be prevented. There are actually a few different kinds of snore guards that your dentist or medical professionals should make you aware of, all of which can treat snoring and some instances of sleep apnea.

How Snore Mouth Guards Work

A snoring mouth guard utilizes the fact that your lower jawbone is connected to the tongue. The guard fits over your jaw in a way that it protrudes the jaw and elevates both the tongue and a flap of cartilage called the epiglottis out of the way from the back of your throat. Thus, this relieves some of the tension and constriction that's caused by muscle relaxation while you sleep. Apart from lifting the lower jaw and the tongue out of the way, snoring mouth guards can also treat symptoms of TMJ disorders.

When you're fitted for one of these snoring mouth guards, you are required to have a sufficient number of healthy teeth both in your upper and lower set of teeth so the mouth guard appliance can attach. If needed, the dentist can set implants so that the guard will fit properly. During the snoring guard fitting, the dentist will take impressions of both your top and bottom teeth. These impressions, along with your protrusive bite registration that the dentist requires you to do, are sent to the lab so the best-fitting mouth guard can be made.

Three Types of Snoring Guards

The first type of snoring mouth guard is the fixed jaw relation snore guard. Fixed jaw relationship snore guards may either be prefabricated appliances, custom-made devices or a device called the "NAPA" Appliance. Prefabricated snore guards are perhaps the least expensive and maybe the easiest to fit since you don't necessarily need to take a trip to the dentist for it. Instead, they are what you might know as the boil and bite mouth guard often made use of in sports.

When you buy prefabricated appliances, you're typically instructed to bite down onto a double-sided tray that's lined with flexible plastic. Once the material cools after you bite, impressions are made of both sets of your teeth and it essentially becomes an immediate snoring mouth guard. Depending on your specific situation, the doctor may suggest you try one of these mouth guards first to determine if you're able to adequately tolerate it. If you can, he might "upgrade" you to a better, more functional guard.

Another type of fixed jaw relation snore guard is the elastomeric appliance. Just like the prefabricated appliance, elastomeric is also comparatively cheap compared to other snoring mouth guards. This is perhaps the classic snoring mouth guard as impressions are made from both your lower and upper teeth. From those, the dentist makes plaster models as well as a protrusive bite registration, that are both shipped off to the lab in order to be custom-made. Most patients think that elastomeric appliances are comfortable enough to use over the long-term. Additionally, one benefit that elastomeric snoring mouth guards have is that they are virtually indestructible, produced from silicone rubber and very capable of holding up well under pressure.

Finally, the NAPA Appliance is similar to the elastomeric appliances when it comes to structure and function. This snoring mouth guard is created out of hard acrylic; eight clips that grasp the teeth keep the guard into place. Additionally, a tiny breathing tube extends out in front, which is designed to keep the lips apart.

Please feel free to visit our website for assistance with what works and what doesn't to help you with your snoring problems. Check out the details of having a snoring mouth guard and whether a stop snoring mouth guard might help you stop snoring for good.