Snoring splint and sleep medicine
​Snoring often disrupts restful sleep in bedrooms. The noise caused by narrowed airways can frequently put a strain on the stability of a relationship. However, it’s not just partners and family members who can be affected by the nightly noise; the individuals themselves often suffer from reduced sleep quality, fatigue, and irritability.
How snoring occurs
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Snoring sounds are caused by vibrating and fluttering movements that occur during breathing, primarily in the soft palate and uvula, but also at the base of the tongue.
The cause is usually a narrowing of the airways. An elongated soft palate and uvula or a receding base of the tongue can lead to constrictions and, thus, to vibrations. If the throat is additionally inflamed due to a cold or similar condition, the tissue swells, which intensifies the noise. An unfavorable sleeping position can also be a cause. In many cases, snoring disappears once the cold subsides or with a change in sleeping position, making it mostly harmless. Snoring tends to become more frequent with age, as weight typically increases and tissue elasticity decreases.
Particularly in cases of overweight, what starts as harmless snoring can develop into a serious sleep disorder. With so-called obstructive snoring, the affected person may already experience a significant reduction in performance and daily functioning.
If the problem is not recognized or treated in time, it can, in the worst case, lead to obstructive sleep apnea syndrome. In this condition, especially at night, short pauses in breathing can occur. As a result, affected individuals often wake up, making their sleep less restful. This leads to fatigue and reduced performance during the day. Sleep apnea can promote serious cardiovascular diseases and should, therefore, be examined and treated in collaboration with multiple specialists.
How we can help
Diagnostics and consultation
Um Schlafstörungen zu diagnostizieren, ist normalerweise eine stationäre Untersuchung im Schlaflabor erforderlich. Hierbei wird eine Polysomnographie durchgeführt, bei der Atmung, Körperbewegungen und Reaktionen des Patienten überwacht werden, um eine mögliche Schlafapnoe oder andere Schlafstörungen festzustellen. Diese Art der Untersuchung kann jedoch sehr zeitaufwendig und für viele Patienten unangenehm sein.
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Therapy with a snoring splint
If we determine that you suffer from mild to moderate sleep apnea, we can have a custom-made snoring splint prepared for you. This splint gently moves the lower jaw forward during sleep, creating more space in the oral cavity. This allows the tongue to have more room and prevents it from falling back into the throat like a valve. The throat area remains open throughout the night, and the muscles stay more tense. This keeps the upper airways clear, reduces breathing pauses, and restores restful sleep.
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All steps for creating these mandibular advancement splints are handled in-house at our dental clinic. First, we assess whether your teeth are suitable for such a device. The type of splint is then determined by our dental technicians based on the unique characteristics of your bite, and they will craft it in our on-site lab.
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Steps for creating a mandibular advancement splint
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01 Impression of both jaws
First, a traditional impression of both of your jaws is made.
02 Panoramic X-ray
Using digital X-rays and 3D jaw imaging, an accurate image of your teeth is created.
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03 Bite fork to determine the protrusion of the lower jaw
The bite fork is used to determine the therapeutic and tolerable forward position of the lower jaw for the patient.
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04 Fixation of the therapeutic protrusion position of the lower jaw
Finally, the movement of the jaws is simulated in an articulator using the impressions, allowing our dental laboratory to precisely create the snoring splint.
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How the mandibular advancement splint works
Lower jaw retraction
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The anatomical structure of the facial skull or fat deposits in the throat narrow the airway.
Open airway through splint therapy
The forced forward movement of the lower jaw during sleep brings the tongue forward as well. Surrounding soft tissue is tightened, and the narrowed airway is opened.