19 Alpers Avenue
Newmarket
Auckland
NEW ZEALAND 1001

phone [+64] 09 524 5056
fax [+64] 09 524 5057

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did you know...

Researchers believe over 80% of headaches [including migraines] originate in the jaw joint

home : orthodontics : snoring

5% of any group think
15% think they think
And the remaining 80% are waiting to retire
or, in other words, the World is made up of Innovators, Facilitators, and Procrastinators

We all know about snoring! But many people are not so aware of obstructive sleep apnoea [OSA] which accompanies or follows snoring and is not only a nuisance but is commonly a serious health risk

With snoring, the tissue at the back of the mouth sags and enlarges and partially blocks the airway, resulting in the characteristic rumbling noise of snoring. Snoring is the sound of partially obstructed breathing [this photo was taken near Perth and has nothing to do with snoring]

In OSA, the enlarged tissues of the throat, tongue, and soft palate completely block the airway. A listener will hear snoring interrupted by periods of total silence. The sleeper is now choking. As pressure to breathe mounts, the diaphragm works harder and eventually breaks through the airway blockage with a snort or gasp, and the sleeper wakes momentarily and incompletely before resuming the snoring / OSA cycle. A person with OSA may stop breathing for ten seconds or more – dozens, even hundreds, of times each night.

With OSA, a sleeper triples his / her chances of having a heart attack or a stroke. Every time breathing stops, oxygen levels in the blood fall and the heart must work harder to circulate the blood. Blood pressure rises. The heart may beat irregularity. It is thought that this is implicated in death during sleep where the victim went to bed in apparently good health.

Brendan Stack has more information on sleep apnoea on his excellent web site

Give yourself a sleep test at the sleepnet website. But the simpler and gold standard test is the Epworth Sleepiness Scale. Try it now - you may get a surprise!

Treatment may be medical [loose weight, avoid alcohol, use a cPAP machine] surgical [remove the soft palate or variations on this procedure – painful and not very successful] and dental.

Dental treatments are very effective in mild to moderate cases of snoring and OSA. A plastic appliance is placed in the mouth before bed and is worn all night. It moves the lower jaw forward, thus pulling the tongue away from the throat and opening the airway. This non invasive procedure will significantly reduce snoring / OSA in most people. You can see a range of the snoring appliances that we use on the Johns Dental Lab website

We prefer you to be assessed by your medical advisor before we proceed with the fabrication of a sleep appliance for you. The cost of the appliance will be from $400 to $2000 depending on the type of appliance we determine will be of the greatest benefit for you. We will discuss the options with you before we proceed with this treatment.