If you are a chronic snorer you may have a condition known as Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA). This is a breathing problem during sleep, when the tongue and throat tissues fall back against the airway and block it. The sound of snoring is caused by the airway tissue vibrating against itself.
At Rochester Advanced Dentistry, we offer several treatment options including appliance therapy to treat OSA. The SomnoMed MAS™ (Mandibular Advancement Splint) is a device you can wear at night to keep the airway open. It is a way to treat snoring and mild to moderate OSA. By holding the lower jaw in a slightly forward position, it prevents it from falling back against the airway and keeps your breathing effective all night.
Not Enough Oxygen
A person with OSA does not sleep well, although they may not realize it. While they are asleep, the airway closes and the body feels a lack of oxygen. You wake up or partially wake up to gulp air in. Then you fall back asleep for a while, until the blood is lacking oxygen again. This sleep/wake-for-air cycle can be repeated many times through the night, depriving your body of much of its needed rest.
- In mild OSA, you wake for air 5 to 15 times per hour
- In moderate OSA, you wake for air between 15 and 30 times per hour
- In severe OSA, you wake for air 30 or more times per hour
When you multiply these numbers by eight, or whatever number of hours you are supposed to be sleeping, you can see that a considerable proportion of that time is spent with insufficient oxygen in the blood and in a waking or semi-awake state. You would typically have no memory of these wakenings, but you may well feel slow-witted, depressed, fatigued or distracted during the day.
How the SomnoMed MAS Can Help
Your SomnoMed MAS will be customized to fit your mouth. It is comfortable and allows you to open and close your mouth normally. By holding the lower jaw a little forward it tightens the tissue at the back of your throat, preventing it from collapsing. A patented coupling mechanism on the lower arch keeps your jaw correctly positioned even when you open your mouth for any reason, such as to drink some water during the night. It can be adjusted for a perfect fit and does not affect the tongue.
Advantages of the SomnoMed MAS
There are other types of MAS on the market, but the SomnoMed MAS has some distinct advantages:
- It is easy to travel with
- It has no attachments, requiring no electricity and no head gear
- You can talk and drink while wearing it
- It makes no noise
- It allows you to completely close your mouth
- There are no parts that need replacing
- It does not limit your sleep positions
At Doolin Haddad Advanced Dentistry, we offer the SomnoMed MAS as part of our approach to snoring and OSA. We also can do dental work if a misaligned bite is part of the reason you have OSA or a snoring problem.
You can read more about ways to treat snoring and OSA on our Tongue Stabilizing Device and ApneaLink™ pages.
Please email our Rochester, Michigan dentistry office or call (248) 656-2020 today if you would like to schedule a personal consultation and get some answers about your sleeping difficulties.
