Sleep Apnea Mouth Guard

Sleep apnea is a sleeping disorder in which the breathing of a person is interrupted several times during his sleep, thus preventing him from sleeping peacefully. Sometimes the pauses in breathing of a person suffering from sleep apnea can last for up to twenty seconds, occurring almost hundred times in one night and so can be potentially very high-risk health wise. It produces a number of symptoms in a person such as lack of concentration, slow reflexes, snoring, headaches, fatigue, anxiety, etc. and can lead to many dangerous health conditions if not treated in time, such as diabetes, heart disease, obesity, high blood pressure and stroke. That's why, using a mouth guard should be done well in time, to avoid such risks to one's health.

The treatment, usually starts with the doctor recommending the patient to make certain lifestyle changes such as giving up on alcohol or smoking, keeping weight in check, taking a healthy diet and exercising regularly. Certain mild cases may get cured if these changes are made by the patient. However, for advanced cases, there are basically two options i.e. surgery or usage of some sleeping devices which would keep the airways open and hence maintain a normal breathing pattern. Let us know about the various devices, including the mouth guards, which are used in curing this disorder.

Mouth Guard for Sleep Apnea

When a person who suffers from sleep apnea is awake, the muscles of his throat are stiff and hence air can easily pass on to the lungs. But when the person sleeps, his throat muscles become relaxed and thus block the normal flow of air, interrupting breathing in the process. To take care of this problem, amongst all the curing devices, CPAC i.e. Continuous positive airway pressure, is the most recommended by doctors. This machine is placed on the nose of the person when he sleeps. It helps in keeping the upper airway passages open. Although, CPAC can be very effective in treating sleep apnea, yet its main drawback is that it can be very uncomfortable to use. Many people who have used it in the past, could not continue it for long as it produces noises which disturb the sleep. Some of the users have even reported side effects such as congestion, dryness in mouth and nose, due to this device. Moreover, if the person is traveling somewhere, this device being unportable, cannot be carried along. All these drawbacks have resulted in people looking at the various alternatives to CPAC such as mouth guards.

The two most commonly used dental devices that are used as a cure for sleep apnea by people who are unable to use CPAC are Mandibular advancement device (MAD, which keeps the airways unobstructed by forcing the lower jaw a bit forward and down, as well as the Tongue retraining device (TRD), which keeps the tongue in its normal place when a person sleeps, thus maintaining the right passage of air. These devices, just like mouth guards for grinding teeth, work especially well if selected, fitted and customized properly by a good dentist.

Mouth guards have many benefits for people suffering from sleep apnea. Firstly, it is the best treatment to stop snoring in a person. Secondly, this device is very light weight and hence very convenient to use. And just like teeth grinding mouth guards, can be carried anywhere by the person with him, even while he is traveling. Thirdly, these devices cost much lesser than the CPAC. However, there are some cons of using them too. They can be used only when the disorder is mild to moderate. It is not so effective in severe cases. Secondly, these devices are known to cause side effects such as excessive salivation, dryness of lips, discomfort in teeth, etc. in an occasional user. Some cases wherein the position of teeth and jaw changed due to their long-term usage have also been reported.

As can be seen, a mouth guard is useful in the treatment of moderate cases of sleep apnea and also if a person is unable to get used to CPAC. However, for severe cases of this sleep disorder, surgery might be the only option.