Almost all men and many women over the age of 50 snore! Disgusting! When my wife told me I snored 10 years ago I couldn’t believe it. I am in good physical condition. I exercise. I am not overweight. How could it be? I had always thought of snoring as an affliction of elderly, overweight men. Not true! And women who snore are even more horrified than I was!
The only treatments for snoring/sleep apnea are 1) a C-Pap machine and 2) a dental mouthguard type appliance worn on both the upper and lower teeth which pulls the lower jaw forward while sleeping, 3) cutting a hole in your mattress and putting your face in the hole while you sleep face down or 4) doing nothing and having your bed partner, as well as those sleeping in adjacent rooms, either retreating to distant bedrooms or hating you for causing them to be sleep deprived. In the past, another treatment was cutting out part of the soft palate in the roof of the mouth, but that is not an effective procedure and can seriously effect swallowing.
I really like sleeping in the same bed with my beautiful wife. I do not want her to hate me or become grouchy due to sleep deprivation. Non-action regarding my snoring was not an option! While the C-Pap breathing machine is effective, my patients who have or had C-Paps tell me 1) it is a lot of trouble dealing with the hose and compressor, 2) it is a pain to travel with it in an airplane, 3) it makes noise and blows air and 4) it is exceptionally, in a class all its own, unromantic.
I have been using the dental snoring/ sleep apnea device (SAD) for about 7 years. It is fantastic!!!! My wife wears a nightguard to prevent teeth grinding. I wore a nightguard for 25 years. The feeling of wearing a SAD is almost exactly the same as the feeling wearing a nightguard.
Every night at bedtime I place my wife’s nightguard on her nightstand and my SAD appliance on my nightstand. We go to bed, read, turn off the light and pop our appliances onto our teeth. It takes about 5 seconds.
There are a few patients who need oxygen in addition to the SAD, especially if they are significantly overweight and have a large neck. For the vast majority of patients, however, the SAD is marvelous! Prior to and after receiving the SAD, each patient takes a sleep monitor home for one night. The home sleep monitor measures your breathing and oxygen levels while sleeping. The home sleep monitor is worn either on your head or wrist. It ensures your oxygen levels and breathing are satisfactory while sleeping with the SAD.
If my wife is out of town, I still sleep with my SAD! If I do not wear it, I wake myself up closing off my airway or snoring. With the SAD I sleep continuously through the night.
Long story short, the thing that makes most people snore or have sleep apnea is their tongue blocking off the airway in the back of the mouth. The principle of the SAD is: The tongue is connected to the lower jaw. The SAD precisely pulls the lower jaw forward a few millimeters by bracing the lower teeth against the upper teeth. This action opens the airway, eliminating or greatly reducing snoring/sleep apnea.
The dental sleep apnea/snoring device we provide is the best of the best. I have tried others that are either nasty and hard to clean or not stable. This one is made by SomnoDent and is processed hard polymer. It is easy to use and adjust and really, really clean. Check it out on the web: SomnoMed.com, SomnoDent device.
Call our office for more information on the SomnoMed sleep apnea appliance and schedule your appointment with Dr. Cutbirth! (254) 772-5420