Why should you get a snoring appliance custom-made by a dentist?

Snoring appliances have many names such as Mandibular advancement appliances (MAA), Mandibular repositioning devices (MRD) and snoring splints.

They all work in the same way - opening the airway by posturing the jaw (mandible) forward, reducing the snoring (turbulent airflow) when the throat soft tissue collapses.

These appliances can either be custom-made by dentists or non-custom, often bought off the internet and fabricated by the patient. Typically, they are “boil and bite“ type appliances where a heated soft material is moulded to the teeth.

The non-custom appliances may work temporarily and can actually be useful in determining whether mandibular advancement can ease snoring. However, they have poor long term effectiveness and have been shown to cause unwanted tooth movement, jaw issues and headaches.

A custom-made snoring appliance by the dentist has the following advantages:

• Your teeth are checked by a professional and the most suitable design selected.
• Avoids and identifies any problems that maybe worsened by wearing a sleep appliance.
• Better fit making it easier and more comfortable to wear.
• More durable and robust giving a longer lifespan.
• Adjusted by a trained dentist to give maximum effectiveness.
• Less likely to cause unwanted tooth movement (especially if regularly checked by the dentist).
• Better tolerated with less unwanted side effects of jaw pain and morning headaches.

Jack Bowker - a dentist with special interest in dental sleep medicine can be contacted at jacksleepdentist@gmail.com