Manage Snoring with Mandibular Advancement Devices

Mandibular Advancement Devices (MAD) help manage snoring and mild to moderate sleep apnea. They can even help with severe patients that are intolerant to CPAP. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine published a guideline in 1995 that stated MAD was indicated as first-line therapy for mild OSA and second-line therapy for moderate to severe OSA.

There are two different types of MADs – fixed advancement and adjustable advancement. They are devices that are introduced into the mouth to modify the position of the jaw, the tongue, and other supporting structures of the upper airway to treat chronic snoring and OSA.

NightLase is a laser therapy approved by the FDA. It involves the use of laser pulses that effectively target the oral mucosa tissue. It works well on the oral mucosa tissue and heats it, thereby tightening the tissues and thus stimulating the production of collagen.

MADs aim to improve a patient’s quality of sleep as well as the sleep quality of those around them by reducing or even eliminating snoring and respiratory pauses during sleep.

How Do Mandibular Advancement Devices Work?

Mandibular Advancement Devices generate anatomical variations in the upper airway by carrying out anterior and inferior movement of the jaw, enabling an increase in the pharyngeal area.

The movement prevents the blockage of the airway by stabilizing and fixing the jaw and hyoid bone and working to prevent the posterior rotation of these structures using the decubitus. The main effect is observed in the velopharyngeal area, but repercussions are felt for all the pharyngeal segments.

Snoring is drastically reduced as the soft palate is displaced ventrally, increasing the caliber of the lateral walls of the velopharyngeal area.

Contact the Snore Experts

Constant and loud snoring can be the result of sleep apnea and if left untreated, it can adversely affect the lives of those around you and most importantly, your quality of life and your health. If this is an issue that you deal with and you want to fix it, contact the Snore Experts to schedule your initial consultation today.

Diagnosing The Condition

There are several ways to diagnose Obstructive Sleep Apnea. One of the newer methods involves conducting a home sleep test. A home sleep test for snoring or sleep apnea simply involves using a breathing monitor to track breathing, breathing effort, and oxygen levels.

A home sleep test is often used in tandem with an overnight sleep test, which provides a more thorough picture of the situation. But, when it comes to initial diagnosis, a home sleep test should be more than enough.

Things To Know

Before you go in for a home sleep test, there are some things you need to be aware of. First, you need to have the test prescribed by a skilled sleep specialist. You need to make sure you talk to your doctor about the issues you’re experiencing and your medical history.

Second, home sleep tests only monitor breathing. They do not monitor sleep. The objective of a home sleep test is to observe breathing patterns and look for pauses. It will also measure the effort involved in breathing. Too much effort or too many pauses can be an indicator of sleep apnea.

The breathing monitor is made up of sensors specifically designed to detect breathing patterns. A probe will be placed over your fingers to observe oxygen levels. A mask with tubes will also be used. The tubes will be inserted into your nostrils. More sensors will be fixed to your chest and abdomen to measure rise and fall.

Should You Go For A Home Sleep Test?

If your snoring is causing problems for the people around you and if you find that your quality of sleep isn’t satisfactory, it is a good idea to go in for a home sleep test. However, do consult your doctor for further advice about what you are experiencing and your treatment options.

A home sleep test isn’t too hard to carry out. It’s a simple and convenient test that only needs to be performed one night in the comfort of your own home. Plus, it’s extremely affordable when compared to an overnight sleep test that requires staying in a facility.

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A home sleep test offers only a primary diagnosis. To check for underlying conditions, you must schedule a consultation with a skilled sleep specialist. Contact The Snore Experts to schedule yours today.

How Do Smartphone Apps Help You With Sleep Disorders?

There are a number of very unique smartphone apps on both iOS and Android devices. These apps have features that can track variations in a person’s sleep. For instance, an app called the ApneaApp sends out sound waves that are inaudible. These sound waves are reflected by our bodies. As the sound waves bounce back, they record a number of parameters such as body movements, breathing rhythm, and more.

Based on these parameters, the app gives readings that are taken into account during treatment.

There are a number of sleep trackers that can track the different cycles of sleep. If patients wake up in the middle of their sleep cycle, they can simply log in when they get up and what time they went back to bed. The sleep tracking app can help provide enough data to indicate whether or not a person is experiencing similar symptoms to those who are suffering from sleep disorders.

This app can save a lot of time and effort involved with scheduling tests and many of the apps available can provide results with up to 90 percent accuracy. You can choose from a range of apps and check for features that suit you best.

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Sleep disorders are a very serious problem and it is best to get it diagnosed and treated as soon as possible. A sleep disorder can endanger your life and adversely affect the lives of the people around you. If would like to learn more about the resources and options available to you, contact The Snore Experts today.

What is UARS?

UARS is a disorder where the resistance to air in the upper airway causes trouble breathing normally and in turn disrupts the sleep cycle. When left untreated it can lead to severe cases of insomnia. Though the situation is often compared with OSA or obstructive sleep apnea, there are several distinguishing factors as well.

How can you tell if you’re suffering from UARS? Here are a few indicators that you can look for to help figure it out:

• You find yourself waking up tired on a daily basis and suffer from a lack of energy throughout your day.

• You suffer from loud snoring that keeps anyone nearby awake throughout the night.

• Eventually, as the sleep is disturbed it might also lead to abnormalities in blood pressure, headaches, and other such external symptoms.

• The obstruction in the airway might be caused by the presence of fat cells. There might also be a case of infection or other conditions leading to the narrowing of the air passage. UARS might even occur without being accompanied by snoring.

• Your brain activity reduces while you are sleeping, but those with UARS may experience an even greater reduction in brain activity due to the obstruction of air. It is a common occurrence in both men and women, and is found in many different types of people. Whether you’re in good general health or a little overweight, there’s still a chance that it may affect you at some point in time. When left untreated, it might eventually lead to other sleep disorders and even OSA.

Ways to Address UARS Issue

If the resistance is caused by allergies that result in the swelling of the air passageway then certain medications can be prescribed to help tackle the allergies and solve the problem.

In addition to taking certain medications, there are also a selection of specialized sleeping devices that can help enhance your breathing through the night and deliver a better quality of sleep. These devices are also known to reduce snoring. It’s a great solution for anyone who is suffering from a lack of sleep and loud snoring.

You can also adjust your sleeping position with pillows to temporarily fix the problem and improve breathing. By keeping a few pillows below the head, the air passage will expand and make it easier to breathe.

Positive airway pressure is one other popular therapy recommended for UARS. To correct blocked passages, controlled pressure is applied using a CPAP mask. This therapy has been found to show some great results, including a noticeable improvement in sleep.

If all else fails, a surgery might be recommended. Surgeries are especially required in those cases where the air passageway has to be permanently corrected.

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Contact the Snore Experts to learn more about UARS and the treatments available to correct it. We can help you improve your quality of sleep and enhance your quality of life.

What Is NightLase?

NightLase® by Fotona is a non-invasive laser treatment known to help in decreasing the occurrence of loud snoring, as well as the effects of sleep apnea. The NightLase therapy helps in tightening the muscles in the oral mucosa tissue with the help of a laser. It is a patient-friendly treatment that can help improve sleep quality in people who have undergone the treatment.

How NightLase Works

The NightLase treatment can utilize either one of Fotona’s dual-wavelength laser system– the LightWalker line, or the SP line. Both lines make use of the Er:YAG and Nd:YAG dental lasers. The Er:YAG laser helps in penetrating and heating the tissues gently, yet effectively, without causing any ablation.

The heating causes the contraction of the tissues, which helps in tightening the throat muscles, further preventing the vibrations that lead to snoring. This promotes the reduction of sound of the patient’s snores, as well as the effects of sleep apnea.

Why Choosing NightLase Is Beneficial

The NightLase treatment offers a vast number of advantages, apart from just reducing the snoring sounds generated during your sleep. The treatment is non-surgical, which means that there are no incisions and scars.

The treatment is painless, and does not require the use of anesthesia. It is also safe, and does not make the patient vulnerable to infections. Along with these benefits, it also has an edge over other treatments because it is fast.

Each treatment session lasts about 20 minutes. You will want to make sure you work with a sleep specialist to experience the best results possible.

The treatment does not have any downtime, which means that the patient can return to their normal routine immediately after. After the treatment is completed, patients are neither required to wear any device while they’re sleeping and won’t have to undergo any special therapy.

Patients may notice an improvement in sleep quality after the initial session with the chance to improve even further over the course of time.

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NightLase can help alleviate your problems with snoring and give you and your loved ones a better night’s sleep. Contact The Snore Experts to learn more about this innovative treatment. It can help improve your life.

Tongue Retaining Devices

The TRD helps to keep your tongue in a stable position while you are sleeping and stop it from blocking your air pathways. If you suffer from OSA, your tongue may roll back into the throat wall and obstruct your air pathway. This device can help prevent that from happening by keeping your tongue in place.

There are many different types of oral devices available to help keep the tongue stable while you are sleeping. Some of these devices can also be worn by people who have crooked teeth or use dentures. These devices may be made of silicone or other materials.

The tongue-retaining mechanism may also vary depending on the type of device used. Most devices hold the tongue in place through a suction method. Others will pull the tongue forward and keep it in a stable position while you sleep.

Choosing the Right Tongue Retaining Device

Many over-the-counter TRDs are available to use, but not all of them may be cleared by the FDA for safe use. Some models are made with unsafe material that can be harmful to the body in the long run.

In order to receive the best care possible, you should consult an expert who can provide you with the right kind of TRD. The best TRDs must be free from materials like latex. The device must also hold your tongue in a stable position throughout your entire night’s sleep. If it falls out every few hours or it’s not very comfortable to wear, odds are you picked a low quality device.

You may need to try a few different models to find the best fit. For mild sleep apnea, surgery is rarely an option. Surgical options for sleep apnea are reserved as a last resort. The use of devices like these are the best course of action to finally find relief from your sleep apnea and experience better sleep.

Sleep apnea is known to cause a lot of problems if it goes on without treatment. It is known to cause constant fatigue, hypertension, and heart complications. Using TRD’s to help treat sleep apnea is a safe way to ensure that your sleep is not disturbed and that you face no health problems as a result of it.

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Tongue Restraining Devices are a great way to help treat obstructive sleep apnea and provide you with better sleep. To learn more about the treatment, contact us to schedule a consultation with the Snore Experts.

Details Behind NightLase®

NightLase® is an innovative laser treatment designed to help treat snoring problems. It works on a patented laser technology known as Er:YAG, and is an efficient way to reduce snoring. The laser is gentle and safe to use inside the mouth, and can effectively reduce the occurrence of snoring in many patients who undergo the treatment.

It can be performed by an experienced medical practitioner who specializes in treating snoring problems. If you wish to undergo NightLase® therapy to reduce snoring and increase your quality of sleep, you should consult a doctor who has experience performing the procedure.

Your doctor will examine your throat and assess your medical history to determine if you will make a good candidate for the treatment. If you are in good general health and free of any other underlying health conditions, your doctor will then develop a treatment that is best suited for your specific needs.

Typically, three sessions are spread over several weeks for the best results. The sessions are usually very fast and may last for about 30 minutes. The laser light will heat the throat tissues very gently during the treatment. The heating process will tighten the tissues that cause snoring, resulting in a significant reduction in chronic snoring.

There is no recovery time associated with the NightLase® treatment. You can continue with your normal routine immediately after your session.

You may need to repeat treatments once or twice a year to enjoy continued improvements in your snoring problem.

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If you have a chronic snoring problem that is negatively affecting your life and the lives of others around you, it’s time to consider the innovative NightLase® therapy to reduce your snoring. Contact The Snore Experts to learn more about the treatment and begin your path to better sleep and a better life.

Types of Sleep Apnea

There are two types of sleep apnea and they are:

Obstructive sleep apnea – A blockage is caused in the airway when the soft tissue collapses in the throat while you are sleeping. This is more common in occurrence.

Central sleep apnea – Unstable respiratory control may fail to signal the brain to breathe. This is a rare condition, but if diagnosed needs immediate medical attention.

Are you at risk?

You are more at risk if you:

• Are a male and over 40 years of age, but sleep apnea can happen to anyone and at any age. Even children can develop sleep apnea.

• Are Overweight for your age and height

• Have a long neck (more than 16 inches for women and more than 17 inches for men) and a comparatively small jaw-bone

• Have a family history of sleep disorders

• Have diseases such as GERD, allergies, or sinus problems

• Have a structural deformity such as a deviated septum

If sleep apnea goes untreated for too long, it can turn into more serious health disorders such as:

• High blood pressure

• Diabetes

• Depression

• Irregular heartbeat which may lead to cardiac arrest

• Worsened ADHD

• Severe headaches

Along with all the above-mentioned symptoms, sleep apnea can affect your performance at work or school, and it can make you a difficult person to deal with at home, further affecting your family life.

Symptoms

Some of the most common symptoms involved with sleep apnea are exceptionally loud snoring, restlessness while you are trying to sleep and waking up in between sleep cycles with the feeling that you are choking or gasping for air, and insomnia.

While you are awake, you may wake up with a dry or sore throat, have chronic headaches, feel tired while you are driving or even while you are working, experience fluctuations in your mood, and have a decreased libido.

Diagnosing Your Sleep Apnea

If you feel as if you have any of the following symptoms, it is important that you schedule a consultation with doctor who is well-versed in diagnosing sleep apnea and treating it. Your doctor will perform the appropriate tests to find out what’s wrong and let you know if you have the condition and provide you with steps to follow. It will help give you peace of mind and give you a pathway to a healthier life.

Treating Sleep Apnea

If it is found that you have sleep apnea, you will first be asked to make modifications to your lifestyle such as:

• Losing weight

• Decreasing your alcohol consumption

• Quit smoking

If your condition is severe then you will have to wear a continuous positive airway pressure mask that will be attached to a machine that delivers air to help improve your breathing patterns while you are sleeping. Dental devices are also available to help regulate breathing. You may need surgery if your septum is divided in the nasal passage or you have tonsillitis.

Contact The Snore Experts

If you feel uncomfortable about your quality of sleep, it is best to get yourself checked before the problems progress. Do not ignore the signs of your body is giving you. Contact the Snore Experts to Schedule Your Consultation today.

NightLase® – An Easy Treatment for Snoring

NightLase® is an effective treatment for mild to severe snoring problems. It is a non-invasive and highly advanced treatment option that can help you and your partner sleep better.

Snoring mostly occurs due to over-relaxed tissues that block the airways. NightLase® utilizes a dual Nd:YAG / Er:YAG laser technique. When this laser is used inside the mouth, the tissues in the target area can contract and tighten. The muscles of this part of the airway become firmer and are les prone to collapse.

The NightLase® technique has been used for years in other fields such as smoothing wrinkles and in vaginal rejuvenation. It causes generation of new collagen and contraction of existing collagen in tissues involved in snoring and sleep disordered breathing.

The Benefit of Undergoing the NightLase® Treatment

There are many reasons to choose NightLase® for treating your snoring problem over other surgical and non-surgical solutions available. NightLase® offers many benefits to snoring patients.

• NightLase® is a non-invasive procedure that doesn’t require you to spend days or hours in a medical facility after the treatment is completed. An experienced medical professional can perform this laser treatment in 20 minutes.

• There is no need to make any incisions and no anesthesia is required while performing the technique. You can resume your normal daily activities as soon as it is completed.

• NightLase® is safe. There are no chemicals involved in the treatment. The laser itself is very gentle.

Some patients may experience a mild sore or scratchy throat over the next 24 to 48 hours after the treatment, but gargling with warm salt water and staying hydrated can help ease this discomfort.

About the Treatment Sessions

A typical Nightlase® therapy consists of three to four sessions spaced 21 days apart. There are cases where patients experience improvement after the first session, but all sessions should be completed to achieve maximum benefits of the therapy.

Once the therapy is completed, you should notice a significant reduction in the intensity, duration, and frequency of your snoring. Improvements may fade over the next year or so, at which point a single “touch-up” session is recommended.

NightLase® can help you and your bed partner sleep better and more comfortably. It can help minimize or completely eliminate snoring, reduce obstructive sleep apnea events, and improve your breathing patterns at night. With better sleep, you can be more alert and relaxed as you go through your day.

Contact The Snore Experts

Contact the Snore Experts to learn more about NightLase® and begin your journey to better sleep today!