Anti Snoring Devices

If you’re prone to snoring, or suspect you might even suffer from sleep apnoea, take heart!

Advanced Dental Centre’s Dr Nichola Matto is currently undertaking a Graduate Diploma of Dental Sleep Medicine, offered jointly by the University of Adelaide and the University of Western Australia, gaining expert knowledge that will help us to help you.

Sleep apnoea is a serious disorder affecting about one in 20 adults. It’s caused when the airway from the mouth to the lungs collapses during sleep.

According to Sleep Disorders Australia, sufferers stop breathing for 10 seconds or more. The brain then wakes up in order to resume breathing, which results in poor-quality sleep.

Most sleep apnoea sufferers don’t know they’re regularly waking up during the night, but many complain of morning headaches, excessive daytime fatigue, personality changes and depression, loss of memory and concentration, excessive snoring or choking during sleep, insomnia or waking up with a dry mouth or sore throat.

Snoring is a major indicator, and of course it’s often detected by the sufferer’s partner who is also subsequently forced to endure rough nights without sleep.

Interestingly, though, dentists also often play a crucial role in detecting sleep apnoea in their patients, through conversations about less evident symptoms such as extreme tiredness, morning headaches or dry mouth.

The good news is that oral appliances are often effective in treating snoring and moderate sleep apnoea, by helping to position the jaw and tongue to increase the volume of air flow and prevent soft tissues in the mouth from collapsing.

Oral appliance therapy can help patients sleep more comfortably, as there is no need to wear a CPAP mask which means no machines, tubes or ties  are required.

If you’re worried about snoring, sleep apnoea or dry mouth, talk to one of our dentists about treatment options today.