Snoring affects millions of people of all ages, both male and female. Oral appliance therapy is the most common treatment for the most severe snoring problems. Treatment procedures range from changing your sleep patterns to utilizing orthodontic-related appliances that help open the airways during sleep.
What makes the sound of snoring?
Snoring is caused by the vibrations of your soft and/or hard tissue palates; these vibrations occur because of increasingly narrow air passages. When air passes through these passages, a “flapping” sound occurs because the tissue is soft in nature. Surgery (to alleviate the snoring) is not always successful, however, because the sound may not originate from the soft palate; the snoring sometimes originates from tissues in the upper airway.
Loud snorers may have a more serious case of blocked air passages, known as apnea.
Common causes for snoring:
- Smoking
- Alcohol
- Health Problems
- Obesity
- Obstructed Nasal Passages - Deviated Septum
- Poor Muscle Tone of the Tongue
- Daytime Fatigue
- Sleep Apnea
- Hypothyroidism
- Allergies
Silent Nite™
Snoring research has also shown that custom fabricated dental devices worn at night that move the lower jaw into a forward position increase the three dimensional space in the airway tube, which reduces air velocity and soft tissue vibration. By increasing the volumetric capacity of the airway and preventing soft tissue vibrations, snoring is eliminated. In clinical research studies, these dentist-prescribed oral devices have exhibited initial snoring prevention success rates of between 70 to 100%. The Silent Nite device positions the lower jaw into a forward position by means of special connectors that are attached to transparent flexible upper & lower forms. The forms are custom laminated with heat and pressure to the dentist's model of the mouth. The fit is excellent and comfortable.
