Snoring Treatments

Snoring can be defined as an act of producing a hoarse sound from the nose or mouth while sleeping. Snoring not only keep your bed partner awake but also hurts one's own sleep quality. Getting enough sleep and a good night's rest is very important for the quality of life. Though there are various causes for snoring, it can also present with potential health problems. Therefore seeking medical care & receiving Snoring Treatments are critical. The reasons for snoring may be due to multiple factors. It can have causes that are not due to any underlying diseases. For eg:- cold, nasal congestion (blocked nose), alcohol consumption etc. Another factor is the anatomy of mouth,nose and sinuses. But in long term snorers, it may start affecting their ability to concentrate and they will be feeling tired all the time. Then it is better to consult a sleep specialist. Since many people consider snoring as funny or as a bad habit, most of the patients will shy away from getting Snoring Treatments. Chronic loud snoring along with frequent awakenings during sleep can be a symptom of Obstructive Sleep Apnea.

It is the most common sleep related breathing disorder. The patients with OSA often wake up in the middle of might due to a compromised airway. There will be complete or near-complete cessation of breathing which result in insufficient amount of airflow to the lungs and oxygen to the brain. The leads to various health problems ranging from tiredness, excessive day time sleepiness(EDS) to poor cognitive abilities (forgetfulness, learning disabilities and overall poor performance). Children with OSA experience memory deficits, learning difficulties and also have lowered IQ scores In adults, this can worsen cardiovascular morbidities, affect memory & the ability to concentrate. Sleep apnea can also be a reason for sudden cardiac arrests. These patients have an increased risk of silent strokes. Therefore it is crucial for the patients receive proper Snoring Treatments from an expert.

Most of the people who suffer from OSA or snoring may also have Temporomandibular Disorders. People with OSA often experience episodes of cessation of breathing or collapse of the airway. This will force the body to push the lower jaw forward to improve the airway. Also the patients tend to clench or grind the teeth in sleeping to cope up with the compromised airway. All these movements cause tension in the temporomandibular joints. These patients presents with symptoms of both TMD & OSA . For them, a Neuromuscularly trained TMJ SPECIALIST will deliver a TMJ appliance /ORTHOTIC for Day time wear and a sleep appliance for Night use. These patients wouldn't reach a complete comfort level if only Snoring Treatments are delivered. Only a combination will achieve 100% results and improve the patients well being. The sleep appliance delivered are called as Neuromuscular SILENSORS. They are customized for patients, which are focussed on bringing the mandible (lower jaw) forward during sleep, improving the airway for a healthy & better breathing.

The TMJ & Sleep medicine specialist take a detailed case history on the first day. They might suggest getting a 3DCT/CBCT of the joint area and the airway. This will give a clear understanding about the narrowed joint spaces (articular surfaces) and airway of the patient. Also a sleep study is conducted as part of the treatments. Polysommography/ sleep study is a test conducted to detect any sleep disorders. For detecting OSA, the heart, long and brain activities are monitored. Also they record the breathing patterns, limb movements and the blood oxygen levels while sleeping. They will estimate the no.of episodes of (oxygen desaturation index). All these investigations help the TMJ SPECIALST in determining the treatment format & designing the sleep appliance. It must be noted that the NEUROMUSCLAR SILENSORS are not similar to the normal Night guards given for bruxism (teeth clenching). The SILENSORS are specialized in maintaining the ADVANCED JAW & TONGUE position during sleep. Apart from these treatments, losing weight-especially reducing the neck circumference can also bring down the risk.