Braces versus Retainers: A Comprehensive Overveiw

Snore No More! The Impact Of Braces On Sleep Apnoea

24 February 2022 by Lonnie Bryant

Gone are the days when only teenagers wore braces to correct dental issues. Increasingly, Australian adults are turning to orthodontists to discuss wearing braces to correct their smiles. However, braces do more than reduce gaps between teeth. For an adult with sleep apnoea, braces may positively impact their snoring. If you are a snorer and you've had enough of your sleep apnoea, then you need to know more about how braces can impact this medical issue.

What Causes Sleep Apnoea?

Before discussing how braces impact sleep apnoea, you must know the correlation between your mouth and this medical issue. Sleep apnoea is at its worst when you fall asleep on your back. As your facial muscles relax, your jaw moves backward. The area in your throat then gets smaller and narrower because the jaw is partially obstructing it. As the air moves through this narrow throat passage to head to your lungs, it vibrates. This vibration is the sound that others hear as you snore. As well as being loud and sometimes unpleasant to others in the room, snoring is a problem because you don't get enough oxygen into your system. Snoring leads to disturbed sleep, irritability, daytime tiredness and reduced focus.

How Bite Issues Make Matters Worse

So, a moving jaw reduces airflow in the throat, and the resulting vibration is a snore. However, throw bite issues into the mix, and the moving jaw is now also a jaw out of place. Three typical bite issues impact the placement of the jaw. These are:

1. when the top teeth jut out over the bottom teeth, then you have an overbite;
2. when the bottom teeth extend past the top teeth, then you have an underbite;
3. if there is no overlap between the top and bottom teeth, you have an open bite.

How Braces Make A Difference

So you know why you are snoring, and you are aware of bite issues, so how exactly do braces make a difference? Braces gradually move teeth to eliminate overcrowded, crooked teeth and bite problems. As the teeth move, the placement of the jaw also changes. This change means there is less chance of obstruction in the throat when sleeping, allowing air to get through this passage without interruption. Snoring and sleep apnoea are then severely reduced or eliminated.

If snoring and sleep apnoea is reducing your quality of life, make an appointment to discuss the benefit of braces with your dentist.

For more information on braces, contact a professional near you.

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