What Your Dentist Can Tell You About Your Snoring

The more you snore, the more annoying it can become to your sleeping partner, especially if it’s loud enough to wake them up at night. At some point, you may decide that you should do something about it, which might start off a longer journey than you anticipate. Who do you see to stop snoring? Will over-the-counter sleep aids work? What if you don’t stop? Fortunately, you can cut that journey short and find the answers you need (and, potentially, a solution) by talking to your dentist about your snoring problem during your next visit.

Why you’re doing it

The first and most important question to answer is why you’re snoring so often. People experience snoring for a wide variety of reasons, some of which are minor and only temporary. Others, however, are more serious, such as when your airway is being constantly obstructed at night. If mouth and/or throat tissues are collapsing into your airway while you sleep, then the narrower space they’re creating could cause your breath to pass through it more forcefully. The loud vibrations of your throat tissues and walls – known as snoring – may be louder or softer depending on how restricted your airway is.

If there’s more to worry about

If constant airway obstruction is the cause of your chronic snoring, then it’s something to worry about. Snoring isn’t just loud; it’s also a sign of how hard your body is working to draw in air while you sleep. It’s also receiving less air for its efforts, and over time, this can dramatically impact your cardiovascular health. In addition, snoring is often just a sign of a more serious sleep disorder, known as obstructive sleep apnea, which involves the complete obstruction of your airway and the cessation of your breathing.

How to stop and sleep peacefully

If you snore or suffer from obstructive sleep apnea, then you may be able to find a comfortable and convenient way to treat it with help from your dentist. In many cases, a custom-designed sleep appliance can help create necessary support for the lower jaw to prevent airway obstruction at night. A sleep appliance can be a more convenient alternative to the more traditional treatment for sleep apnea, which involves the use of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) that’s generated by a pump and circulated to your airway through a mask.

Don’t ignore your snoring any longer

If your snoring has become an every night or nearly-every night occurrence, then it’s time to talk to your dentist about what it could mean, and how you can stop. To learn more, call our Cleveland Family Dentistry office in Cleveland, TX, today at (281) 592-1234. We also serve the residents of Kingwood, Conroe, Livingston, and all surrounding communities.