Reply #58: Maybe you need a new dentist [View All]

[SheWhoMustBeObeyed]

I was functioning (very poorly) on a 50% blood oxygen level before my apnea was diagnosed. The drs insisted on a cpap, which I detested for about a month, then got used to and since then (about five years ago) have slept with every night. Since then I have also slept with my honey, a sound sleeper who nonetheless could not sleep through the racket I made and used to spend every night in the guest room. So I empathize deeply with your situation and can't fathom the joker comments your query has garnered. Perhaps the jokers have no loved ones with whom to sleep.

Anyways. Before I got the cpap I was researching other solutions, and one that I found online was a doctor who touted a mouthpiece of the type dentists make for night grinding, or bruxism. The reasoning behind it is that one is asleep, the muscles relax and the jaw goes slack, allowing the tongue to slide back and obstruct breathing. A mouthpiece keeps the jaw thrust forward so the tongue has room to stay in the bottom of the mouth. It also encourages the mouth to stay shut, reducing the noise of snoring (and, may I add, the risk of cotton mouth, which is really destructive to teeth because saliva is crucial for dental health). This particular doctor offered mouthpieces made of soft plastic, which really appealed to me because I'd worn a hard plastic anti-bruxism appliance in the past and found it very uncomfortable. However I ended up following my dr's recommendation and got the cpap, so I never tried a mouthpiece for snoring.

If you google "bruxism" or "night grinding" you will find dentists in your area who make appliances to help prevent snoring - e.g., here's a NYC guy:
http://www.drbraverman.com/procedures/dental_appliances.html

If you have dental insurance you should be reimbursed for at least part of the cost, which I guesstimate in the $500-1000 range depending on the dentist. Were I in your situation I would explore this option versus surgery. Good luck, dear!