How to Help Your Child Remain Consistent with Invisalign
Any time you invest in your child’s health, you want to ensure the outcome. Here, we discuss ways to help your teen get with the program and get the most out of Invisalign®.
Benefits of Using a Snore Guard
Whether you’ve been a known snorer for years or someone’s just woken you up to the fact, you’re in the right place. Snoring isn’t as simple as you might think, and snore guards are likely your best tool to manage it.
In this blog, our snoring specialists at Rifkin Dental in Carmel and Yorktown Heights, New York, highlight how snore guards work and how they can directly impact your sleep and overall health.
Why is snoring bad?
Snoring may not seem like a big deal to you. After all, if anyone hears it, it’s likely just your partner. If snoring were only an annoying sound, then it would only be a problem if someone was there to hear it, right?
Not necessarily. Snoring isn’t usually a standalone issue. It’s a symptom, a warning sign, an alarm bell.
Snoring is often linked to a condition called sleep apnea. Sleep apnea occurs when you temporarily stop breathing or breathe shallowly during the night. These interruptions may last a few seconds to a few minutes and can happen many times during the night.
One of the most common types of sleep apnea is obstructive sleep apnea, which occurs when the muscles that control your jaw and tongue relax too much and obstruct your airway. As air tries to pass through, it causes your soft tissues to rattle and vibrate, causing those oh-so-pleasant snores, grunts, and snorts.
But it doesn't stop there. Sleep apnea can lead to a slew of health problems, including:
- Daytime fatigue
- High blood pressure
- Heart problems
- Type 2 diabetes
- Metabolic syndrome
Not to mention the toll it takes on your partner.
Traditionally, sleep apnea and heavy snoring required cumbersome CPAP machines, but snore guards have quickly caught up and are now one of the most popular treatments. Here's a closer look.
What are snore guards?
Snore guards are a type of mandibular advancement device (MAD) that reduces or eliminates snoring by gently repositioning your lower jaw and tongue forward.
With your jaw and tongue in the optimal position, your airway remains open, and your soft tissues don’t rattle and vibrate when you breathe.
We recommend snore guards for chronic snorers and those with mild to moderate obstructive sleep apnea.
Reasons to love snore guards
If you’re on the fence about using a snore guard, consider the following benefits.
Improve sleep quality
This is by far the top reason to invest in a snore guard. Snore guards start working on night one to improve your sleep. You might not ever notice those middle-of-the-night wakings, but they take a toll on your body.
With your airway clear, you (and your partner) sleep more soundly.
Support overall health
Sleep quality and overall health are closely linked. That’s why sleep apnea can trigger such a daunting list of health problems. But if you’re proactive about your snoring, you can mitigate your risk and take a huge step forward in improving your well-being.
Other reasons to love snore guards
Better sleep and health are the key benefits of snore guards, but those aren’t the only reasons to love them. Snore guards (especially compared to CPAP machines) are small, lightweight, portable, and noninvasive.
Snore guards are easy to clean and care for and don’t require bulky machines or easily tangled wires. We custom-make snore guards to ensure they’re effective and fit your mouth comfortably.
Think a snore guard might be right for you? We’d love to see you for a consultation and evaluation. Schedule an appointment online or over the phone today at our Rifkin Dental location closest to you.
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