What are the causes and remedies of snoring and grinding of teeth while sleeping?

Get it checked out!: Seek medical help to determine to cause of your snoring. Typically a collapse airway is involved and today, a simple overnight take home sleep test can provide all the information needed to determine if a potentially life threatening, life shortening condition of obstructive sleep apnea may be at play. Do it, it may save your life!

Consider this: First it must be determined if it is just snoring or sleep apnea. Then your dentist can design the appropriate, easy to wear, mouth guard that will reduce or eliminate the snoring and when worn, prevent tooth contact clenching/grinding.

Sleep apnea: Snoring is caused by the airway collapsing and not allowing air to pass thru easily. Nighttime grinding is related to this. Weight, sleep position, medications, caffeine, enlarged tonsils, alcohol, smoking can contribute to snoring and sleep apnea. Talk to both your physician and a dentist who has been trained in sleep disorders . This can be serious so take action.

Sleep study: Find a dentist in your area that has sleep study experience. Make sure you wear the overnight monitoring, so the dentist can design an appliance for you. Common causes of grinding and snoring is multiple and can be complex. Remedies include appliances and on extreme cases may include a surgical option. Do your homework, go online and call the dental office, ask questions and make an appointment.

Sleep Apnea: Snoring and bruxism are classic signs of sleep apnea. The causes are multi factorial. Sinuses, nasal turbinates, tonsils and adenoids, and airway obstruction all come into play, along with upper and lower jaw positioning. Seek out a dentist who is specifically intrested and trained in this area. Sleep apnea can have profound medical ramifications.

Individuality: There is no one "best" dental appliance for sleep apnea or grinding. I make different types of mouthpieces based upon my history and examination. Some patients just need a soft, thin mouthguard to wear at night, while others may need a hard acrylic one that they wear 24/7. Some come into my office with a handful of old appliances. Need to figure out what works and what did not.