If you snore loudly and often, you may be accustomed to middle of the night elbow thrusts and lots of bad jokes, but snoring is not a laughing matter. That loud noise that keeps everyone awake comes from efforts to force air through an airway that is not fully open. This is one of the first indications of a potentially life-threatening disorder “Obstructive Sleep Apnea.”
It has been estimated the indirect costs of sleep disorders are over forty-one billion. This includes motor vehicle accidents, work related accidents and home and public accidents which clearly makes it a national problem. Obstructive Sleep Apnea or some form of snoring occurs in 90 million Americans according to the National Sleep Foundation. OSA is associated with high risks for coronary heart disease, high blood pressure, congestive heart failure, stroke, diabetes, impotence, mortality, and behavior problems.
As we age and gain weight the ability of the tongue base muscles and the upper airway muscles to expand becomes less and causes the airway to narrow. Snoring is a sign of narrowing airway. Increase in body mass also increases airway narrowing. The continuation of airway narrowing begins in patients first as snoring and eventually may end up in obstructive sleep apnea. Continuous positive airway pressure is indicated as the first line of treatment but in patients who cannot tolerate this have the option of getting appliances made by their dentist for their individual needs, and in severe case may need surgical intervention.
Oral appliances are more commonly used for treatment for snoring and in mild to moderate cases of sleep apnea. These appliances have been shown to increase the dimensions of the upper airway passage and activate the neuromuscular activity of the upper airway muscles. Patients usually do need to get a sleep study called polysomnogram. Patients also must follow up with the dentist for regular checkups.
