Can we help with snoring?

06 May 2014

Can we help with snoring?

We can help patients with snoring problems enjoy deep, restful, quiet sleep with Sleepwell, our custom-made anti-snoring mandibular advancement splint. When worn, Sleepwell works by keeping the bottom jaw in a slightly forward position, in effect increasing the space at the back of the throat and allows air to pass much more freely through the nose and mouth once asleep.

Snoring happens when the airway passage gets blocked/is too constricted or too tight during sleep. Since air can’t freely flow, some loose tissue structures in the pharyngeal walls, tonsils, soft palate, tongue and nose may flop about and vibrate as you breathe in and out. Snoring is the sound created by the vibration of these various loose tissue structures in the airway passage.

Practically everybody snores every now and then. There are however some who are chronic snorers. They snore every time they sleep. If the snoring is particularly loud, this can disrupt their sleep. This can also disrupt the sleep of those they share their bed or room with. Chronic snorers may do well to get professional help. Because their snoring deprives them of their proper full night’s sleep, they tend to get irritable, easily tired and easily stressed during the day. Unless treated, their condition will also only get worse over time. Studies have shown that the constant vibration of the loose nasal and throat tissue structures during snoring cause damage to the blood vessels and weaken the muscles, in effect further loosening them. With more and more loose tissue structures flopping about and vibrating, their snoring will eventually get increasingly louder as the years pass by.

At the Smile Studios, we can offer those with snoring problems, especially those suffering from obstructive sleep apnoea, our Sleepwell anti-snoring mandibular advancement splint solution. This form of snoring treatment involves the selection, fitting and application of our specially designed oral appliance that will help ensure an open and unobstructed airway in the throat once worn during sleep. In essence, our Sleepwell mouthpiece works by repositioning the lower jaw slightly forward, which in turn stabilizes the tongue, the soft palate and the uvula, so that air can freely pass unimpeded through the nose and mouth of the sleeper. When worn, you are sure to breathe comfortably, deeply and steadily as you sleep. Lightweight and with soft inner lining, you will hardly notice you have a mouthpiece on as you slide into restful slumberland. In clinical trials, no less than 98% of the responders reported that Sleepwell solved their snoring problems.

Made from laboratory-manufactured special, durable material, each Sleepwell mouthpiece is customized to perfectly match the patient’s specific requirements. Ergonomically designed, it allows for the side-to-side movement of the jaw which normally happens during sleep. Sleepwell is also wearer-adjustable, allowing the user to make additional tweaks that will make him or her more comfortable as he or she sees fit. While most other mandibular repositioning splints that are in the market today typically lasts about 18 months only, a Sleepwell mouthpiece can take around three years before it needs to be replaced with a new one.