What is an oral sleep appliance for snoring and apnea?
In the medical field, custom dental devices or mouthguards that treat snoring and apnea are called oral appliances. This type of custom dental device is medically referred to as:
- mandibular advancement device
- mandibular repositioning device
- mandibular advancement splint, and more.
Oral appliances that treat snoring and apnea are small custom devices that are worn in the mouth similar to sports mouth guards or orthodontic retainers. Oral appliance therapy involves the device choice, fabrication and guidance with dentist educated in dental sleep medicine.
These devices may be worn alone or used in combination with other sleep apnea or snoring treatments, such as weight management, surgery and CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) therapy.
There are approximately 80 such devices available to dentists, and no one particular device is best for all individuals. A sleep disorders trained dentist can guide you through the process needed to obtain one best suited for you.
