Mouth Guards & Snoring

No matter the cause, snoring leads to restless nights and poor quality sleep for everyone. Snoring is caused by a blockage in the airway that leads to vibrations of air across the soft palate and uvula creating the snoring sound. Fitted by a dentist or orthodontist, mouth guards position the jaw and tongue correctly to keep the airway open to eliminate snoring.

Mandibular Advancement Device

• Two of the most popular types appear similar to standard athletic mouth guards, and are approved by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine to keep airways open and aid in preventing snoring. A mandibular advancement device is the most widely used type of device to correct snoring and looks most like a mouth guard. The MAD keeps the jaw in the proper position to keep the airway open.

Tongue Retraining Device

• The tongue retraining device stops snoring by holding the tongue in place to keep the airway open while sleeping. The amount of success garnered from this type of device can be judged by the early response; if a patient experiences great success from the beginning, it will generally continue to work.

Considerations

• Many factors such as overall health, medical conditions and sleeping position will impact the effectiveness of a mouth guard. For example, users who sleep on the stomach or back will realize better success than those who sleep on one side or the other. Typically, users have a significant reduction in the volume and amount of snoring that occurs, resulting in better, more restful sleep.