How can Your Dentist Help You Stop Snoring

If you feel you might be having a snoring problem, you should visit your dentist for a consultation. The doctor will review your signs and symptoms, and your medical history to suggest you the right anti snore remedies.

Snoring does not just interrupt your partner’s sleep, but may also severely impact your quality of life. You will wake up feeling tired or restless in the morning. You may get angry often and feel frustrated over little things. Feeling constantly tired or sleepy during the day can lead to loss of concentration and is a prime cause of car accidents.

You may be grinding your teeth in your sleep or may end up waking up with a dry throat. Your jaw may be constantly hurting in the morning and in such a case the best thing to do is schedule an appointment with your dentist right away.  While you may not take these snoring signals seriously and may choose to ignore them as normal, the truth of the matter is that snoring can be life-threatening.

What causes snoring?

When tissue in the upper airway vibrates, it leads to noisy breathing during sleep, known commonly as snoring. It is caused due to the clogging of the nasal airways.

Various factors such as an allergy or sinus infection could be the source of your snoring problem. Obesity, smoking, drinking excessive alcohol, and use of sleeping pills are also known to cause snoring.

ENT conditions such as poor muscle tone of the nose or throat or bulky throat tissue are some other factors causing snoring. Sleep apnea is a dangerous sleep disorder very commonly associated with snoring.

What is sleep apnea and why is it dangerous?

Sleep apnea is a sleep disorder where a person stops breathing periodically during sleep. People suffering from sleep apnea often awaken frequently gasping for breath.

If not treated on time, sleep apnea can cause diabetes, high blood pressure, heart diseases or stroke.

How will the doctor diagnose a snoring problem or sleep apnea?

If you feel you might be having a snoring problem or sleep apnea, you should visit your dentist for a consultation. The doctor will review your signs and symptoms, and your medical history to suggest you the right anti snore remedies.

He will examine your dental, jaw, mouth and throat and nasal passages for any signs deformities.  He will have detailed discussions with you and your partner regarding your eating patterns, alcohol drinking, smoking, sleeping patterns, etc to find out the underlying cause of your problem. He may also undertake a sleep test to gather more information on your problem.

If the dentist feels that you might be suffering from apnea, he may ask your partner to keep a diary noting your sleeping and snoring patterns.