Snoring is a breathing disorder that affects and estimated 40% of males and 20% of females aged 35 and over.  Most sufferers of snoring do not know they snore, but those near them certainly know, and requests to address snoring always come from those suffering hearing the noise of those suffering from snoring.  And, while most requests for treatment arise from the disturbances to others, atSausalito Dentistry, we treat snoring as a continuum of sleep apnea--that is, as a potentially pathologic breathing disorder.  Ideally, breathing during sleep should be, for the most part, soundless, through the nose, and even. Any deviation from that, whether it be heavy breathing, noisy breathing, mouth breathing, interrupted breathing, etc., can be a stress to our system.  Like every stress to our system, the question about treatment concerns the affects they have on our balance of health over time.  Snorers, generally, get their air, so they feel like a good night's sleep was accomplished, but it comes at the price of increased and sustained effort required of the breathing muscles and chronically irritated tissues in the mouth and throat.  Over time, this extra effort and irritation can contribute to more serious chronic inflammatory conditions such as dry mouth, chronic cough and throat clearing, and sleep apnea.

Because we consider snoring to be on a continuum with sleep apnea, we use the exact same appliance for both.  Please go to our section on Appliances for Snoring and Sleep Apnea for more information.