The mouth is an important part of the upper airways in humans. The flow of air through the mouth and upper airways during sleep is a key determinant of sleep quality. Sleep apnoea or obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) is a disorder that involves repeated episodes of airway obstruction during sleep, due to relaxation of the tongue and airway-muscles. Common symptoms of OSA are snoring, waking feeling un-refreshed, daytime tiredness, and waking during the night choking or gasping for air.

Research has shown patients suffering with OSA have a higher risk of heart disease and high blood pressure, regardless of the severity of the disease. These risks can be eliminated by correct treatment. Treatment of OSA may be as simple as wearing a dental appliance at night, the appliance is also an effective treatment of snoring.

If you feel as though you are suffering with OSA/snoring (or suspect a family member might be), we recommend a sleep study to see if you can be treated with a custom fitted SomnoDent appliance. For more information on SomnoDent appliances call us for a consultation.

(www.somnomed.com.au)