Oral Appliances
Most people snore because an upper airway obstruction occurs when the
muscles of the palate, the uvula and sometimes the tonsils relax during
deep sleep and act as vibrating noisemakers.
Others snore because of long, floppy palates or uvulas or too much tissue
at the back of the throat.
Oral appliance therapy is the use of a device that fits in the patient's
mouth and moves the lower jaw into a forward position causing the space
in the airway to increase and the air velocity and soft tissue vibration
to decrease. These devices open the airway during sleep. These appliances
can vary in design, but all have the same purpose in the end -- to assist
in maintaining an open airway for the patient while they sleep.
One device is the "Silent Nite", a comparatively small device
with tiny connectors attached to transparent flexible upper and lower
forms. The forms are custom laminated with heat and pressure to the dentist's
model of the mouth.
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