Dental splint can help against snoring

Visit to the dentist can solve the snoring problem
Snoring is uncomfortable and can even be dangerous. Because it comes to the night about repeatedly breathing interruptions (sleep apnea), this can lead to serious health problems. In the treatment, e.g. Respiratory masks are used, but often also help specially prepared dental splints. A visit to the dentist can therefore be useful in many cases, to finally get rid of the annoying snoring.

60 percent of older men snore
Snorkelling is a very common phenomenon and affects around 60 percent of men and 40 percent of women as they grow older, according to the East German Chamber of Dentists. Although "normal" snoring can be real torment for the partner, it does not pose any health risk. However, it does not look the same when the relaxed muscles in the sleep cause the tongue to slump down the throat and completely block the respiratory tract. Then the night over and over again, the breathing, which leads to a massive lack of oxygen in the body. As a result, the person constantly wakes up to take a breath - which makes a restful sleep impossible and u.a. can lead to heavy daytime sleepiness, microsleep, reduced efficiency and headache.

Dental splint can prevent snoring. Image: Brigitte Meckle - Fotolia

In case of respiratory failure, consult the ENT specialist
If the partner notices breathing pauses during sleep and the affected person feels tired and not well asleep in the morning, a specialist (pulmonologist or ENT specialist) should be consulted accordingly. This is indicated by the East German dental associations in their patient journal "ZahnRat" (Issue 86). This can detect on the basis of nocturnal sleep records, whether it is "harmless" snoring or a health-threatening sleep apnea syndrome. If the latter is actually the case, respiratory masks or ENT-medical interventions such as e.g. the removal of nasal polyps make sense.

In addition, in some cases, the dentist is the right address, because this can use to fight snoring or sleep Apnea special splints. The so-called "protrusion splints" are placed on the maxillary and mandibular teeth before going to bed, "similar to how millions of children wear their orthodontic braces every night for years," says the magazine "ZahnRat". The splint makes it possible to hold the lower jaw slightly forward (about 9 to 12 millimeters) and thus also advance the tongue. As a result, the airway remains open in the throat during sleep, which can be brought without snoring and dropping air, explains the newspaper.

Eight to ten fixed teeth per jaw are required
But a protrusion splint is not suitable for every snorer. Prerequisite is the newspaper after at least eight to ten fixed teeth per jaw, with crowned teeth would be possible. Another disadvantage of the treatment method is that the splint must be worn every night to achieve lasting success. "If you leave out immediately, the ineffective sleep, the morning" dehydration "and the annoying partner snoring back," the note in "ZahnRat".

If you want to do something against snoring yourself, you should strive for weight loss especially if you are very overweight and do not drink alcohol in the last three to four hours before you go to bed. In addition, the magazine advises to refrain from sleep medication and sleep better on the side or the stomach. "However, die-hard snorers snore in any position," the newspaper said. (No)