Snoring

Healthy sleep is important for a good quality of life. Deep sleep phases in particular are important for our body to recover during sleep. During this phase, the muscles relax, which can cause soft tissues to constrict the airways and begin to flutter when breathing. This results in a snoring sound. This socially disturbing snoring usually goes unnoticed by the person affected, apart from dry mouth or slight hoarseness in the morning - but not by their partner.

Breathing disorders during sleep

Sleep-related breathing disorders, also known as obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome (OSAS), are frequent breathing stops at night. The airways are completely blocked by the soft tissues that slacken during deep sleep. This leads to a drop in oxygen in the blood and therefore also in the brain. The result is constant unnoticed waking reactions, so that restful deep sleep is no longer possible. This results in impaired performance and daytime sleepiness as well as numerous other health risks.

Dental treatment options

Mandibular advancement splints can be used to treat snoring that is more of a social nuisance and mild to moderate forms of OSAS. These are special, tooth-supported splints made in the laboratory on the basis of dental impressions. When the splints are worn, the lower jaw and tongue are held in a forward position. This causes the airways to widen, stabilises the throat muscles and enables freer breathing. As the lower jaw protrusion splints* are supported on the teeth, certain dental requirements must be met.

As the success of treatment with these splints depends on the type of breathing disorder, a precise diagnosis using polysomnography (sleep recordings) must be carried out in a sleep laboratory before insertion. On the basis of this examination, a sleep physician will then determine the indication for treatment with a mandibular advancement splint. Without this examination, no treatment can be carried out by us orthodontists.

We will be happy to provide you with a detailed and specialised dental consultation.

*The mandibular advancement splint is only covered by statutory health insurance in exceptional cases.