Mouth Piece to Prevent Snoring
- Snoring begins to occur when you drift off to sleep. As you relax your throat, tongue and the roof of your mouth, air becomes obstructed and causes these muscles to vibrate. If you have a narrow airway, the tissue vibration will be more forceful and elevate the sound of your snoring. Drinking, overweight and a deviated nasal septum are often the problem. Those with sleep apnea have such narrow airways that they wake up from the build-up of carbon dioxide in their bodies. Sleep apnea results in poor quality sleep, that can leave your immune system susceptible to illnesses. Cutting down drinking, losing weight and treating nasal congestion are generally the first defense against snoring. However, many people use a mouthpiece to keep their air passage open.
- Make an appointment with your doctor to ensure that you aren't dealing with a serious medical problem. Mandibular advancement splints or mouthpieces must be purchased with a prescription unless you are ordering from a website out of the United States, so you will have to also make an appointment with your dentist. Mouthpieces work by repositioning the mandible and securing the tongue to eliminate vibration and increase airflow. Companies that make mouthpiecesinclud AveoTSD, Elastic Mandibular Advancement Appliance, Herbst Telescopic Appliance and PureSleep. Their mouthpieces are all FDA approved for reducing snoring. Rather than get a mouthpiece custom fitted at the dentist, there are some mouthpieces that allow you to make an impression of your teeth at home and send it away for a company like Pro Snore Control Appliance to design a custom mouthpiece. Another way to custom fit your mouthpiece is what is called a "boil and bite" mouthpiece. You purchase a mouthpiece like Snore Guard and boil the mouthpiece and bite down to leave an impression of your teeth. The benefits are that you get a custom fitted mouthpiece; however, if you bite down wrong it won't fit.
- When you make an appointment with a dentist, they can make an impression of your teeth in the dental office to send away to a mouthpiece company. Once the mouthpiece has been made, the dentist can make sure it fits and conduct yearly check ups to ensure it continually works. Many people like this approach, especially when they are dealing with severe snoring caused by sleep apnea. It also gives you the ability to tweak the mouthpiece, so that it is completely comfortable to you.