Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) and Snoring Snoring

Snoring
What is snoring?
Snoring occurs when the soft tissues at the back of your throat become too relaxed leading to a narrow airway and vibrate. When our throat muscles relax in sleep, they are less effective in holding our breathing passages open. The vibrations caused by your breathing results in the snoring sound.
Snoring could be the first symptom of Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) -a very serious sleep disordered breathing condition.

Sleep disordered breathing affects adults and children alike. In adults the airway loses its muscle tone during sleep and it collapses in on itself and as a result oxygen is blocked from entering the lungs.In children, this lack of oxygen during sleep is generally caused by one of two things: enlarged tonsils and/or adenoids or a malformation in the orofacial area ie: teeth, jaws, nasal passages.

How do I know if I snore?

If you have a bed partner then it is easy to find out if you’re a snorer. However, if you sleep alone then it may be more difficult. If you feel that your sleep is disturbed and you feel unrefreshed when you wake up, then speak to your Dentist.

Children and Sleep Disordered Breathing

DOES YOUR CHILD?
1. Does your child sleep in an abnormal position, with his/her head off the bed or propped up with pillows?
2. Does he/she snore loudly and often?
3. Does he/she stop breathing during the night for 10-20 second periods followed by choking, gasping, waking up?
4. Does he/she sweat heavily during sleep?
5. Does he/she sleep restlessly?
6. Does he/she wet the bed?
7. Is he/she difficult to wake up, even though sleep should have been long enough?
8. Does he/she have headaches during the day, particularly in the morning?
9. Is he/she irritable, aggressive or cranky?
10 .Does he/she fall asleep or daydream in school or at home?
11 .Is he/she having school-related or behavioural problems?
12. Has he/she been diagnosed with attention deficit disorder with hyperactivity (ADHD)?
13. Does he/she grind their teeth, particularly at night?

If your child has some of these symptoms they may be suffering from sleep disordered breathing.

What can my dentist do to help me?

What is an oral appliance?
An oral appliance is a small device, similar to an orthodontic retainer or mouth guard. It is worn in the mouth during sleep to prevent the soft throat tissues from collapsing and obstructing the airway.

Are oral appliances effective in treating OSA?
Recent studies show oral appliances to be effective in treating mild to moderate OSA. The SomnoDent has also been shown to effectively treat severe obstructive sleep apnea in some cases. The SomnoDent is the only oral device to have TGA and FDA approval in Australia.