Mandibular Advancement Appliances for Snoring

Mandibular advancement devices (MADs) reposition the lower jaw and tongue, moving them forward to allow more space in the back of the throat for you to breath during sleep. MADs consist of two pieces of mouldable plastic that you can boil and set to the right shape at home. These two layers for the upper and lower rows of teeth are held together, according to different models with either a wire, a spring or an adjustable screw, to make the device sit more comfortably in your mouth. Mandibular Advancement Appliances work especially if you are a tongue based snorer, stopping the tongue from sliding backwards and constricting airflow into the throat. Again these are available through a dentist or over the internet and can be moulded at home. Some find he mandibular advancement devices more intrusive than simple mouth guards, because they will feel the physical pressure upon their jaws during sleep, which might cause some discomfort.

Cost of Mandibular Advancement Devices

Devices that you mould by yourself at home can range in price according to the technology they employ, for example those devices with adjustable screws can cost more than the non-adjustable bonded versions. MADs range in price from £30 for a basic gum shield-like type of device to £150 for an adjustable reinforced plastic appliance. Mandibular advancement appliances are also available through the NHS once referred by your GP.


Side-Effects of using a Mandibular Advancement Appliance

In the short term MADs can give the user irritation in the teeth and jaw as your mouth gets used to being held open unnaturally for such a long period of time. This is often only temporary as the bones of the jaw become accustomed to the repositioning by the use of the MAD. Other common but minor problems of using a Mandibular advancement device can be dryness of the mouth as the tongue cannot move about so easily inside the mouth once the device has been placed inside, slight discomfort and rubbing of the teeth and gums, over salivating which might cause you to swallow more and more severely but far less common, the movement of teeth, and loosening of teeth.

Having an Mandibular Advancement Appliance Fitted

Visiting a dentist or general practitioner might be your first port of call when you have decided to begin treatment for your snoring habit. Before a dentist can advice which device he can fit he will need information from a sleep study or sleep clinic, to make the right decision for you. A referral for a sleep study can be obtained from your GP, and once the sleep session has been conducted, by an ENT surgeon or at home with a CPAP machine, you will be advised whether or not a device can work for your type of snoring habit. If a Mandibular advancement device is right for you, your dentist will be able to read through the sleep study findings and fit one for at their surgery, depending whether or not you visit an NHS or private dentist you will be charged for the device and the fitting.

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