Snoring and Sleep Apnoea

A good nights sleep

Snoring is common, with almost half of all adults snoring at least occasionally¹. And research shows that snoring becomes worse as you age – affecting 30% of men and 20% of women under the age of 60, increasing to 60% and 40% over the age of 60¹.

Snoring isn’t usually a cause for concern, but it can be frustrating to live with. If you snore, you may find it a nuisance, especially if it affects your sleep or wakes those close to you during the night. It can also lead to sleep deprivation, which can affect your mental health, physical wellbeing and your productivity and performance at work.

Although snoring isn’t something you would usually associate with the dentist, it’s something that dentist may be able to help with.

What causing snoring?

When you’re awake, there are muscles in your nose, mouth and throat that keep your airways open. But when you sleep, these muscles relax, causing your airways to narrow. As air passes through, it can cause the surrounding tissues to vibrate. This results in the sound we call snoring.

While simple snoring is usually nothing to worry about, it can be a sign of a more serious condition known as obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA).

What is obstructive sleep apnoea?

Obstructive sleep apnoea causes the airways in your throat to narrow or completely collapse while you sleep. This can even stop you breathing for a short time, usually for around 10 seconds. You may wake up to a choking or gasping sensation and feel out of breath. With sleep apnoea, you often go back to sleep fairly quickly and have no memory of it happening in the morning.

This happens continually throughout the night, sometimes hundreds of times. It can disrupt your sleep pattern and, as a result, you may end up feeling extremely tired the next day. This could affect other areas of your life such as your performance at work or your ability to drive.

In the worst case, OSA can lead to several conditions which affect your heart, including heart failure, arrhythmia, strokes and high blood pressure.

What causes obstructive sleep apnoea?

The condition is most common in people aged between 30 and 60, although you can get it at any age. Similar to snoring, it’s more common in men than women. You’re more likely to develop sleep apnoea if you:

Are older
Are overweight. If you excess fat around your neck, it can increase pressure to your airway and narrow it even further
Have a close relative who suffers from sleep apnoea
Are a smoker
Drink lots of alcohol, especially in the evenings
Use sedatives to help you sleep
Sleep on your back
Have medical conditions including an underactive thyroid, Down’s syndrome, acromegaly or other conditions which affect your jaw, nose, throat or tongue

How can a dentist help with snoring or sleep apnoea?

If snoring’s getting in the way of your daily life, you should mention it to your dentist at your next check-up, or you can book an appointment with a practice who offers snoring treatment.

During the appointment, your dentist will ask you some questions about your snoring and they’ll also examine your mouth. Dentists aren’t able to diagnose obstructive sleep apnoea, but they can help recognise the signs and may signpost you to your GP if they believe you have the condition.

If you suffer from simple snoring, or while you’re being referred to your GP for an official diagnosis of sleep apnoea, your dentist can help alleviate the problem with a custom-made snoring appliance.

Snoring appliances

A snoring appliance helps keep your airways open while you sleep. It opens the back of your throat and causes your lower jaw and tongue to sit further forward than it usually would. You wear it over your teeth, like a gum shield.

The snoring appliance given to you by a dentist is custom-made, so it fits the shape and size of your mouth for maximum effect and comfort. You might find snoring appliances online, but these are less effective than custom-made ones because they’re one size fits all.

Having a custom-made design and fit your appliance will likely make it last for years. You may need occasional readjustments, and it might be subjected to some normal wear and tear, but professional snoring appliances usually last for the long term.

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Denture Advice

Please read through this advice. It describes the best way to care for your denture and your oral hygiene and gives advice for the next few weeks after the fitting.

After your new denture has been fitted it is very common to experience discomfort and changes in your mouth – you may feel less confident to speak, less room for your tongue, that the denture is too big, difficulty eating, and you may feel you produce more saliva. These are all normal responses and in time they will disappear when you struggle to wear it, the options are coming into the practice to possibly have your denture relined or you could try fixative adhesives such as Fixodent, Polygrip etc.

When eating and drinking, avoid hard or sticky foods and those with pips or seeds as they can get trapped under the denture. Take care with very hot and cold food. Your sense of taste may feel impaired but you will quickly adapt. Take small bites and try chew slowly and evenly with both sides of your mouth.

Practice speaking in front of the mirror to give you confidence, and first you will feel your speech is impaired but it will return back to normal once you are used to the denture.

Cleaning and wearing your denture;

Wash your dentures over a sink filled with water to avoid breakage if the drop.
Clean and brush your denture with a soft nylon brush using ordinary toothpaste and warm water.
Soak your dentures over night in a glass of fresh water and a suitable cleanser if you wish and when rinsing, rinse under a running cold water tap.
Never wear your denture at night, only wear it during the day and remove at night for cleaning. If left in the mouth constantly a thrush like bacterial disease can form in the mouth.

As well a keeping your denture clean you need to keep your mouth clean too;

Full denture wearers
Gently brush your gums with a soft brush and water to keep them in good condition

Partial denture wearers
Additionally clean remaining teeth with a regular toothbrush and toothpaste to maintain optimal oral health.

If you have had a tooth out when getting your plate fitted we advise you to keep your denture in for that night only to help the socket heal, if you need to put pressure on the socket to stop it bleeding then bite on the pack given to you with your denture.