Embarrassed By Snoring?
An oral appliance can improve the quality of your sleep and of your relationships
It is estimated that about half of all Americans snore. Most people feel embarrassed about snoring. It’s common for people who snore to feel uneasy about sleeping on an airplane, taking family vacations, sharing a hotel room, hunting and camping or beginning to date. Snoring is the most common reason couples sleep in separate bedrooms. Most people feel hopeless about their snoring and don’t mention it to their doctor because they dread having a sleep study, being pressured to have surgery or being required to sleep with a mask. However, a comfortable oral appliance can improve the quality of your sleep and positively affect the quality of your relationships.
The reason most people snore is because when you relax during sleep your tongue falls back to partially block your throat. It has been shown that by holding the jaw forward, the tongue will stay forward too. In most cases when the jaw stays forward the throat will stay open and the snoring is eliminated. This is the simplified science behind an oral appliance. An oral appliance holds the jaw in a forward position, the same position it is in all day when awake, and allows the throat to stay open at night when reclining during sleep.
It is estimated that about 30 percent of people who snore also suffer with the life-threatening condition of obstructive sleep apnea. When a person has obstructive sleep apnea, their throat completely closes during sleep and they stop breathing. They usually feel tired during the day, have problems concentrating, may gain weight easily and usually report that their sleep isn’t rejuvenating. They are instructed to use a CPAP mask to make them breathe while they sleep. However, the majority of these people can also use an oral appliance to successfully treat their obstructive sleep apnea. Jurgen Weinert of Mascoutah, Illinois reports, “Now that I use an oral appliance instead of my CPAP I have the freedom to sleep in any position and I get better quality of sleep. It’s very easy to travel with my appliance and I can use it anywhere without public awareness, even on an airplane.”
The oral appliance has no mask, no air pressure, and no noise, requires only seconds to clean and makes traveling easy. The oral appliance is custom-made for each patient to increase comfort and completely fits inside the mouth like a retainer. Dolores Bertels of Dorsey, Illinois explains that the oral appliance helps her husband sleep better too, “My husband is sleeping better because he says I no longer snore like I did before I used my oral appliance. I adjusted to my oral appliance in just two nights. I love that I can get up out of bed without having to take it off and put it back on, unlike my old CPAP.”
Dr. Smith provides the most SomnoMed sleep appliances of any dentist in the United States or Canada. She has over 95 percent success treating patients with oral appliance therapy. She is the only dentist in the St. Louis area to achieve “Sapphire Partner” status from SomnoMed for her dedication to successfully helping patients use oral appliances. To learn more about oral appliance therapy, find a local free seminar, read real patient’s experiences, and watch Dr. Smith’s television interviews about sleep apnea, visit www.CPAPsucks.com. Call 618-466-9367 to schedule a consultation with Dr. Smith