All You Need to Know about Oral Appliance to Solve Your Sleep Problem
Snoring is one of the most common occurrences in the majority of the adults. But are you aware that apart from making you the butt of all jokes in the family, snoring can also come with some very serious health implications?
One of the major side-effects of obstructive sleep apnea is snoring. Sleep apnea is a chronic health condition that is marked by repeated pauses in breathing as you sleep at night which happens because the airway collapses which restrict the amount of air that manages to reach the lungs. The sleep-related health ailments can lead to much more than just making you feel exhausted and groggy.
Under such circumstances, a sleep study is often recommended by sleep dentists. Your dentist can assist in determining the right appliance for you.
What are Oral Appliances?
The oral appliance is a dental device that assists the patients to treat the sleep apnea, snoring and other issues related to the sleep. It can be an alternative to the surgical intervention or PAP machine. The oral appliances are custom molded for fitting the mouth of the patient effectively and they usually look like a retainer or a sports mouthguard.
How Oral Appliances Work?
The oral appliance is something that you wear as you sleep. There are a number of different types of appliances that you can get for your sleep apnea. Your oral appliance therapy dentist is going to suggest the best one to correct your issue. In order to keep open the upper airway most appliances try to keep holding the jaw forward. If you experience obstructive sleep apnea or snore, the device will help in making it easier as you breathe normally while sleeping.
Tips to Find the Right Oral Appliance
There is no dearth of oral appliances that are available and the plethora of options available today can be quite confusing. You can get over 100 models present in the market today. Some of the oral appliances operate by making the tongue hold forth. While others are responsible for repositioning the mandible or the lower jaw.
With just one click you will be able to gain access to a plethora of suppliers online and you can also find some through the mail-order. With the appliances that are derived by mail-order, the equipment must be heated in water that is boiling to fit your bite. If they are unable to fit appositely, they can lead to the movement of the teeth which can result in the tooth loss.
But it is always recommended to get your oral appliance after consulting with a reputed orthodontist or dentist. But remember that you should choose a dentist who is certified as well as experienced so that she can help you get the right device that will assist you with the condition. If you don’t choose wisely, then you can end up getting fooled with a faulty device or something that do not work properly.
Benefits of Oral Appliance Usage
There are a number of perks that oral appliance offers over a CPAP machine.
Firstly, the oral appliances can be worn at night without using the electricity and batteries and so they involve much less risk factors.
Secondly, they are much less noisy than the CPAP machines and therefore the patients can sleep soundly.
Thirdly, the oral appliances are much handier and more compact and can be carried easily. Moreover, as they can fit inside the mouth quite easily you do not have to keep wearing a mask or a strap to keep the appliance from falling off.
Which Type of Oral Appliance is Most Effective?
This decision is based on your requirements and the cause of the sleep problem. Your dentist can help you get the appropriate device after a thorough examination and after looking into your problem. After then, she can discuss the choices that you have.
If the oral appliance is decided to be the right oral care treatment for you then she will advise the appropriate oral appliances for sleep apnea and you can choose from them. The best part is that most of the oral appliances are covered by the health insurance and so you don’t have to go through a major investment if you are prescribed to opt for one.
