The BDA points out that most people with sleep apnoea snore, but not all snorers have sleep apnoea. It is important for dentists to make the dis tinction and to work in conjunc tion with a sleep clinic where specialists can identify the anatomical cause and degree of blockage. People with severe sleep apnoea sometimes wear a mask which pushes oxygen into the lungs under slightly raised pressure. This works, but there are people who find the masks cumbersome and claustrophobic and who are converting to mouth guards. A study being carried out at the Churchill Hospital, Oxford, suggests the mouth guard will be helpful for heavy snorers and people with light to mod erate apnoea, but less so for those with severe sleep apnoea.
Mouth guards have three basic designs.
One lifts the soft palate up, but some people find this makes them gag. Another holds the tongue forward, which is useful if you have no natural teeth. Most common are those, like the Silensor, that pull the lower jaw forward, and these have a high success rate. Maria Sergides, a dentist in Carshalton Beeches, says her patients get used to these quickly. She began to recom mend them after trying one out on her father.