​​Angela Hilton-Foley, DMD

(813) 891-1212

Cosmetic & Family Dentistry

Silent Nite Anti-Snoring Device

If you haven't been diagnosed with Sleep Apnea, you may be a candidate for the anti-snoring appliance, Silent Nite.

CPAP - Continuous Positive Airway Pressure

Snoring & Sleep Apnea

Are you losing more

than ZZZZZZ's?

Are you or your someone you love, tired all the time? Do you hear your loved one gasping for breath or silent for periods of time, with no air exchanging?  Do they make loud noises that keep you up at night?  You may potentially save their life by being attentive to their sleep habits and urging them to see their physician for a sleep evaluation.  They could be snoring, or they could have sleep apnea.  It is important to know the difference.  While snoring can be disruptive to the person snoring and to the spouse, who needs to sleep nearby, sleep apnea is a serious, potentially life threatening sleep disorder.  It affects approximately 18 million Americans.  The person with sleep apnea typically stops breathing for 10 seconds or longer during their sleep, then briefly wakes up in order to resume breathing.  The result is extremely fragmented, poor quality sleep. The oxygen level in their body can drop very low, starving the brain of air, or trigger arrhythmias of the heart, leading to a heart attack.

Symptoms:
                   Morning Headaches
                   Excessive daytime sleepiness  
                   Irritability

                   Impaired mental or emotional functioning
                   Excessive Snoring, choking, or gasping during sleep
                   Insomnia
                   Awakening with a dry mouth or sore throat

                   Periods of silence, then loud snores

What are the treatment options?
CPAP-Continuous Positive Airway Pressure Mask that you sleep with nightly.  CPAP masks are now made with humidifiers to reduce sore throats.  There are differently shaped masks to accommodate various sized facial structures. CPAP therapy is the gold standard for treating sleep apnea.  There are many people who can't get used to the device, and for those people, an oral device would be better than no treatment.  Many people like having an oral device for when they travel, as a back up to their CPAP.

               TAP 3 Dental Orthotic                                                    SomnoMed Devices

Oral sleep appliances are worn during sleep to maintain the unobstructed state of the upper airway by increasing it's dimensions and reducing collapsibility. Oral sleep apnea appliances are custom made by a trained dentist from impressions/records of your teeth.  It is then fabricated by a laboratory. With an oral device, the dentist determines the precise position that your lower jaw should be in oriented in relation to the upper jaw. When the lower jaw is in this forward position, it will help to prevent your tongue from occluding your airway and causing a apnea. The photos above are from two different laboratories, thus two different products.  There are many types or brands of devices that can be made.  The Tap3 and the SomnoMed devices are two of the most commonly prescribed in our office. The Tap3 is connected with a metal hook and locks your jaws together, while you are wearing the device.  The SomnoMed device allows more movement between the jaws and doesn't lock together which is slightly more comfortable.

                                                                           
If you don't have Sleep Apnea, and simply snore, you may be a candidate for a snoring device, such as the Silent Nite.   It is much more comfortable than sleep apnea devices because you can move your lower jaw more freely, but isn't made for people who have been diagnosed with sleep apnea.  The white connectors can be exchanged to shorter or longer lengths, depending on the positioning requirements your lower jaw needs, in order to remain in a forward position. 

Your physician and/or sleep specialist needs to determine if you are a candidate for either an oral orthotic treatment or CPAP.  The diagnosis is based on the results of either your Sleep Center or Home Study, called a Somnogram.  If it is determined that you are a candidate for an oral appliance, a prescription will be made by your physician.  The process requires an impression of both your upper and lower arches, along with a registration of your bite in a forward position.  The models are sent to a laboratory and then the appliance is fabricated.  Once made, the patient returns to the dental office for proper fitting and adjustments.  During that visit, the patient is coached in how the  SomnoMed, TAP3 or Silent Nite works, as well as how to properly care for the appliance.  Feel free to call our office with any questions you may have at 813-891-1212.