Anti Snoring Appliances - How Do They Work?
Recently, there have been developed a number of snoring appliances designed to be worn by a sufferer inside their mouth.
This then helps to alleviate the problem of snoring.
Each different appliance is designed to help with a specific issue.
This is necessary because snoring can be caused by a variety of different issues.
It is therefore important to pick the right thing.
This article will be an overview of how the different appliances work and what they do.
The first we're going to look at is MAAs, which is the abbreviation for the term 'Mandibular Advancement Appliances.
' These are mouth-worn devices, and have a lot in common with the kind of mouthguard worn by athletes in contact sports.
Their role is to lock the jaw into a safe position, stopping it from lolling and obstructing the breathing passages during sleep.
As they are moulded to the particular shape of your mouth, these need to be fitted by a dentist, and as such can prove a little expensive.
There are also related oral appliances, which have something in common with MAAs.
They are often available over the counter, and they are designed to hold back either the tongue or the jaw, and keep the mouth closed.
Often, they will push the jaw forward a little as well.
They are the most common appliance sold and a step down in sophistication from MAAs.
One advantage of them is that they don't have to be fitted by a dentist.
There are also smaller appliances available, such as tongue retraining appliances, which work on the principles of suction to hold the tongue forwards in the mouth.
They are helpful for snorers who find that they can't stay sleeping on their side, and although some find them a little uncomfortable, they do what they are designed for very well, which is keep the tongue away from the airway.
They can, as their name suggests, 'train' the tongue to sit naturally in a more beneficial position in the mouth.
Palate Lifters are another newer type- instead of following what you could call the 'gumshield' approach, the palate lifter is designed to tighten the loose skin at the top of the palate, thus eliminating the vibrations in it which we hear as snoring.
Opinion is as yet divided on the subject, but it is fair to say that there are people out there who are reporting positive results.
The other major type of appliance used by snorers is the Continuous Positive Airway Pressure treatment, or CPAP.
This is a device that resembles an oxygen mask, and is designed for use by sufferers of Sleep Apnea, a more serious form of medical complain than just snoring, wherein the airways actually end up entirely closed.
The way the CPAP works is by providing a regular flow of air to the passages of the throat, which stops them from closing and the conditions of Sleep Apnea from taking hold in a sufferer.
It is modeled on the devices used in clinics on Sleep Apnea sufferers, and for someone who is just a snorer, it is something of an extreme solution.
For what it is designed for, however, it is highly effective.
If you're not suffering from Sleep Apnea, you would be better suited to one of the other anti Snoring Appliances.
This then helps to alleviate the problem of snoring.
Each different appliance is designed to help with a specific issue.
This is necessary because snoring can be caused by a variety of different issues.
It is therefore important to pick the right thing.
This article will be an overview of how the different appliances work and what they do.
The first we're going to look at is MAAs, which is the abbreviation for the term 'Mandibular Advancement Appliances.
' These are mouth-worn devices, and have a lot in common with the kind of mouthguard worn by athletes in contact sports.
Their role is to lock the jaw into a safe position, stopping it from lolling and obstructing the breathing passages during sleep.
As they are moulded to the particular shape of your mouth, these need to be fitted by a dentist, and as such can prove a little expensive.
There are also related oral appliances, which have something in common with MAAs.
They are often available over the counter, and they are designed to hold back either the tongue or the jaw, and keep the mouth closed.
Often, they will push the jaw forward a little as well.
They are the most common appliance sold and a step down in sophistication from MAAs.
One advantage of them is that they don't have to be fitted by a dentist.
There are also smaller appliances available, such as tongue retraining appliances, which work on the principles of suction to hold the tongue forwards in the mouth.
They are helpful for snorers who find that they can't stay sleeping on their side, and although some find them a little uncomfortable, they do what they are designed for very well, which is keep the tongue away from the airway.
They can, as their name suggests, 'train' the tongue to sit naturally in a more beneficial position in the mouth.
Palate Lifters are another newer type- instead of following what you could call the 'gumshield' approach, the palate lifter is designed to tighten the loose skin at the top of the palate, thus eliminating the vibrations in it which we hear as snoring.
Opinion is as yet divided on the subject, but it is fair to say that there are people out there who are reporting positive results.
The other major type of appliance used by snorers is the Continuous Positive Airway Pressure treatment, or CPAP.
This is a device that resembles an oxygen mask, and is designed for use by sufferers of Sleep Apnea, a more serious form of medical complain than just snoring, wherein the airways actually end up entirely closed.
The way the CPAP works is by providing a regular flow of air to the passages of the throat, which stops them from closing and the conditions of Sleep Apnea from taking hold in a sufferer.
It is modeled on the devices used in clinics on Sleep Apnea sufferers, and for someone who is just a snorer, it is something of an extreme solution.
For what it is designed for, however, it is highly effective.
If you're not suffering from Sleep Apnea, you would be better suited to one of the other anti Snoring Appliances.
