What are Some Treatment Options for Snoring?

You may not be aware that you are one of the 80 million Americans who snore unless you have a partner who is kept awake and complains. Snoring is usually caused by the vibration of the soft palate and tissue that hangs over the throat called the uvula. It most often happens when lying on the back and the uvula falls back and blocks the throat. A large tongue or other tissues may also cause snoring.

But other than disturbing your partner’s sleep, snoring in and of itself is not dangerous. But it is the most common symptom of a very serious disorder known as sleep apnea, which 12 million Americans suffer from, 80% of them undiagnosed. An apnea is a short pause in breathing that deprives the body of oxygen, resulting in the brain attempting to wake you up to breathe deeper. This disturbs your sleep without your awareness, since you are unlikely to become fully conscious. This can happen up to 100 times a night and when you finally wake up, you will feel extremely tired from the lack of restorative sleep, which by itself can be dangerous when you drive to work.

The standard medical solution is the Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) system, but it requires wearing a mask connected to an oxygen source and sleeping on your back all night. Many patients find it uncomfortable, resulting in a high rate of failure to comply with proper use.

Fortunately, Beverly Hills Dentistry has several options to stop the snoring and disrupted sleep, depending on your exact diagnosis:

Like a nightguard to prevent grinding of teeth, this prevents the tongue from blocking the airway (this may be designed to also move the jaw forward, if necessary).

A common reason for obstruction of the throat is a jaw is underdeveloped or is set back too far. Either of these can be addressed by the nonsurgical Vivos oral appliance that applies pressure to the palate comfortably, one device during the day and the other at night to train the jaw to rest in the right position until it no longer affects the upper airway. Results will be felt within a few days or weeks and this is effective for one to two years and can be repeated, if necessary.

Fontana’s laser treatment occurs in three 20-minute sessions spread over six weeks, in which heat is applied painlessly to the tissue at the back of the throat to expand the airway. With NightLase Therapy, results last for up to a year and this can be done repeatedly.

Call Beverly Hills Dentistry today to set up a time for an examination to start the process of diagnosis if you believe you may have a possible snoring or sleep apnea problem. We serve Los Angeles, Thousand Oaks, and surrounding areas.