Determination of Best Treatment
Dentists with training in Oral Appliance Therapy are familiar with the various designs of appliances. They can determine which one is best suited for your specific needs. The dentist will work with your physician as part of the medical team in your diagnosis, treatment, and on-going care. Determination of proper therapy can only be made by joint consultation of your dentist and physician and must combine objective evaluation of severity and patient preference.
Initiation of oral appliance therapy can take from several weeks to several months to complete. Your dentist will continue to monitor your treatment and evaluate the response of your teeth and jaws throughout the whole process.
2nd Hand Snoring
Sleeping with someone who snores cannot only be annoying, but it may also be detrimental to your physical and emotional health. Research shows that people who sleep next to a person who snores suffer from: • Higher incidence of aches and pains
• Hearing loss, especially limited to the one ear most exposed to the snoring
• High levels of fatigue and daytime sleepiness
• Fibromyalgia
• Depression or poorer mental health
• Memory impairment
One Mayo Clinic study found that the bed partners of people who snore woke at least partially an average of 21 times per hour. This is nearly as often as the 27 times per hour that the “snorers” were awakened by their own documented sleep disorders (such as sleep apnea).
Both bed partners may be suffering from a sleep-disordered breathing and sleep deprivation although only one may have the real problem. Often those who snore do not take complaints from their bed partner seriously or act in denial, which further exacerbates the problem.
A Unique Approach
Snoring and sleep apnea are conditions inflicted during sleep. During the night, the normal tongue and jaw positions allow air to pass through the throat effortlessly. The tongue is forward, the jaw is closed and the airway is open.
When a person suffers from sleep apnea, his/her airway is blocked periodically through the night depending on the severity of the sleep apnea. The mouth is open, the tongue and soft tissue relaxes and collapses into the throat. This causes the person to snore and possibly have sleep apnea episodes.
The TAP® is based on the same principle as cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). The airway must be open to allow air to pass through the throat. A constricted or collapsed airway causes snoring or sleep apnea.
The TAP® holds the lower jaw in a forward position so that it does not fall open during the night and causes the airway to collapse. The TAP® maintains a clear airway to reduce snoring and improve breathing.
