Snoring and Sleep Apnoea

Understanding Snoring and Sleep Apnoea

1: Snoring

Snoring occurs when the muscles in your throat relax during sleep, causing the vibration of soft tissues as air passes through. While snoring itself isn’t typically harmful, it can disrupt your partner’s sleep, leading to frustration and disrupted rest.

2: Sleep Apnoea

Sleep apnoea is a more serious condition where your airway becomes blocked repeatedly during sleep, causing short periods of breathlessness. These apnoeic events can last up to ten seconds and occur hundreds of times during the night, affecting your oxygen levels, heart rate, and blood pressure. Over time, untreated sleep apnoea can lead to serious health issues such as heart disease, stroke, and high blood pressure.

If you suspect you have sleep apnoea, it’s important to seek professional help. For those with severe sleep apnoea, we recommend visiting your GP to discuss further medical evaluation and treatment options.

How We Can Help You Sleep Better

At Alexandra Dental, we offer mandibular advancement splints to treat mild sleep apnoea and snoring. This custom-made device is designed to be worn at night and gently shifts your lower jaw forward to keep your airway open, preventing the muscles from collapsing and causing blockages during sleep.

Please note:

Mandibular advancement splints are only suitable for mild cases of sleep apnoea. If you experience severe sleep apnoea, we strongly recommend consulting your GP for further evaluation and treatment.

What is a Mandibular Advancement Splint?

• Custom-fit device: We create a personalised splint based on impressions of your teeth.
• Gently shifts the jaw: The splint moves your lower jaw forward during sleep, helping to keep your airway open.
• Easy to use: Simply wear the splint at night to reduce snoring and apnoea events, helping you and your partner get a more restful sleep.

How to Know if You Have Sleep Apnoea

To help you assess whether you may have sleep apnoea, we recommend completing the following pre-screening questionnaire:

• Snoring Pre-Screening Questionnaire – link here to download questionnaire– A simple tool to assess your risk for snoring and related sleep conditions.

If your answers indicate a higher risk of sleep apnoea or you experience severe symptoms, we strongly advise visiting your GP for further diagnosis and treatment.

Book Your Consultation Today

If snoring or sleep apnoea is affecting your sleep, don’t wait to take action. Book a comprehensive consultation with us today to discuss treatment options and get the help you need.

To schedule your appointment or to learn more, click here or call 01442 256 335. We’re here to help you sleep better and feel your best!