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Snoring is a surprisingly common condition that affects 45% of adults in America. However, very few of them decided to get a snoring treatment in Sioux City to fix their breathing issues and improve their quality of sleep.

Snoring might not seem like much more than a mild inconvenience, but the truth is that it can rob you of healthy sleep and negatively impact your oral health if unaddressed.

Here, we’ll explain how snoring is related to your overall and dental health and tackle why oral appliances are one of the best methods for treating it.

What Are Oral Appliances and How Do They Work?

An oral appliance is a mouthguard-like device that fits like a retainer. It prevents throat muscles from obstructing the upper airway, supports the jaw and tongue, and helps you breathe easier. Additionally, it stops the tongue from rolling back, providing less air resistance while you sleep. This lessens snoring and sleep apnea by enabling more normal breathing.

Snoring appliances are customized to ensure a comfortable and effective fit. As a result, you can sleep soundly and with less snoring. This kind of treatment works best when treating mild to moderate obstructive sleep apnea, which is brought on by a partially blocked airway.

Benefits of Oral Appliances for Snoring

While snoring and sleep apnea aren’t harmful on their own, they may negatively impact the quality of your sleep. According to the Cleveland Clinic, they can over time cause low blood oxygen levels, weariness, difficulty concentrating, and an increased risk of heart attack, stroke, and high blood pressure.  

Oral appliances can help you achieve the following benefits:

• Regain healthier sleep
• Boost your partner's quality of sleep
• Prevent snoring's harmful long-term effects.  

Good, quality sleep helps with your oral and overall health. Other benefits of oral appliances are reducing bad breath, mouth ulcers, and the development and progression of periodontal disease (gum disease).

Who’s a Good Candidate for Oral Appliances?

A person who has had a sleep study and been diagnosed with sleep apnea is a good candidate for an oral appliance. This overnight study records and measures every bodily function that occurs during sleep, such as heart rate, breathing rate, oxygen saturation, and movement.

Following a sleep apnea diagnosis, your physician will go over potential therapies. Although using a CPAP machine is often the first recommended course of treatment, many patients find it challenging. Many patients find it uncomfortable because it consists of a machine that attaches to tubing and a mask that covers your mouth or nose.

Instead, oral appliances are a much simpler option, and they’ve proven to be effective.

Get a Snoring Treatment in Sioux City

Snoring may seem harmless, but once it starts affecting your quality of sleep, it’s time to address it. In dentistry, issues like TMJ disorders, bruxism, and mouth breathing have been associated with sleep apnea.

Here at Wheelock and Associates Dentistry, we’re well-equipped to help you achieve the best quality sleep with custom oral appliances. If you’re interested in learning more about our treatment options, give us a call!