Snoring is a common problem among all ages and genders. A common complaint among sufferers is the lack of proper sleep they don’t get because of their snoring. Another inconvenience is that snoring causes major problems for whomever you are sleeping with from getting a proper night’s rest. At least half of people who snore loudly suffer from a condition known as sleep apnea.
This post will focus on five holistic methods to reduce or eliminate snoring.
Breathing is the breath of life and without receiving air into our lungs we would all die within minutes. The diaphragm is located in the thoracic cavity and it’s the main muscle responsible for the breathing process. When you inhale, your diaphragm contracts and moves downward. The diaphragm is a dome shaped sheet of muscle that separates the chest from the abdomen.
The lungs are enclosed in the rib cage and when a person inhales, the intercostal muscles between your ribs expand allowing more air to enter the chest cavity. The expansion of the lungs allows air to travel down your windpipe into your lungs. The air inside the lungs passes through the bronchial tubes before reaching the alveoli little tiny air sacs. CO2 or carbon dioxide moves from the capillaries into the air sacs. Oxygen rich blood from the lungs is carried through a network of capillaries to the pulmonary vein. The pulmonary vein is responsible for carrying oxygen rich blood to the left side of the heart. The freshly oxygenated blood moves into the surrounding tissues of your body giving you life.
When a person exhales your diaphragm relaxes and moves upward into the chest cavity. The space in the chest cavity contracts, the air in the lungs that contains carbon dioxide is forced out of your lungs into the windpipe and out the nose and mouth. Breathing in and out is an autonomous action.
When a person sleeps the muscles of the throat relax and the tongue falls backward. The narrowing of the throat passage results in a person snoring. The narrower the throat constriction the louder the audible noise of a person’s snoring. When the walls of the throat close up completely the result is a condition known as sleep apnea, a very serious condition.
The word apnea means no breath and so a person with sleep apnea repeatedly stops breathing during the night. Sleep interruptions can occur up to 50 or more times per night depending on the person. The danger of sleep apnea is the lack of oxygen being delivered to the brain. The cycle of this sleep disorder results in excessive daytime drowsiness and an increased risk of work related injuries. Sleep apnea is also associated with serious health conditions like heart failure, depression and type 2 diabetes.
The Public Health Agency of Canada developed and funded the 2009 Sleep Apnea Rapid Response Questionnaire. The survey conducted by Statistics Canada interviewed 9,523 Canadian aged 12 years and older.
An estimated 858,900 Canadian adults 18 years and older reported being told by a
health professional that they have sleep apnea.
Consider Oral Appliance Therapy with the purchase of a Mandibular repositioning device (MRD). These CAD/CAM designed devices fit inside your mouth, they work by keeping the pharynx open allowing unobstructed airflow. MRDs work best with mild to moderate OSA patients.
CPAP machines are a common non-surgical therapy device for patients dealing with OSA. The acronym CPAP stands for continuous positive airway pressure. The CPAP machine is comprised of three main parts: the mask, tube and flow generator. To qualify for CPAP therapy, your physician must sign off on a per patient basis.
These basic remedies are just a few of the ways that people throughout the years have practiced to alleviate their snoring. Results differ depending on the individual. A person interested in treating themselves naturally may have to experiment with several methods before achieving the results they want.
Orthodontic braces are dental devices used to align and straighten teeth. Besides improving dental health, they help you attain a correct bite. Dental braces are used to correct malocclusions, overbites, underbites, open bites, deep bites, crooked teeth and other imperfections of the teeth and jaw. The main advantage of braces is correcting the aesthetic appearance of a persons teeth and jaw bones.
Braces for adults are slowly becoming more commonplace. Perfectly aligned teeth are getting more important in society as personal appearance factors into things like interviews, auditions and meetings. While no one wants to look like they’re in their teenage years again with braces that glisten and shine, there are better options available. In this post, we’ll talk about why more and more adults are getting braces, the types of braces available and what orthodontic solutions exist.
Malocclusion is caused by the following:
Different classifications of malocclusion
For a proper bite the top and bottom of a persons teeth should align when the mouth is closed. People with missing, crowding or protruding teeth have a misaligned bite that can lead to other problems later on. A bad bite will make it difficult to chew certain foods, causing tension and pain in the jaw. People who have crowded and crooked teeth are more susceptible to cavities and gum disease like gingivitis. Dental problems like gingivitis can progress to more serious diseases like periodontitis if not treated in time.
Putting aside the dental health implications of why braces are important is not the only factor to consider. A large part of the reason for many people purchasing orthodontic braces is wanting to have a straight aesthetically pleasing smile.
First Visit: A consultation with a DDS (Doctor of Dental Surgery) will entail having X-rays, photos and impressions of your teeth taken. Your DDS will take this information to plan your dental treatment.
Second Visit: Your DDS will explain if braces are right for your condition. Orthodontic separators are rubber bands placed between the molars at the second visit. Separators are circular rubber bands about a centimeter in diameter placed between the top and bottom molars. Your DDS will determine how many separators you require. The separators stay between the teeth for one to two weeks as they slowly move the teeth apart. Separators create enough space in the mouth so that dentists can fit a tooth brace or molar band in between or fit an expander with metal rings.
Having separators between your teeth can be a temporary painful process, that can be mitigated by pain relievers or prescription drugs.
Third and Fourth Visits: Orthodontic bands are cemented and brackets are bonded to the front of your teeth.
Follow up Visits: Over the next 4 to 8 weeks, adjustments are made to the braces using wire changers.
Arch Wires: The arch wire is attached to the brackets, used to guide the movement of the teeth into the correct position.
Bands: These orthodontic bands wrap around each tooth to provide an anchor for brackets made of stainless steel, or transparent or tooth colored materials.
Brackets: These are the small squares that you see bonded to the front of a persons teeth with braces. To hold brackets in place a special dental bonding agent is used. Traditional brackets are made of metal.
Buccal Tube: These tiny small metal parts are welded to a molar, a buccal tube keeps arch wires and other small appliances in place.
Rubber Bands: Also known as elastics, these bands attach to the hooks on your brackets situated between your upper and lower teeth. Another set of rubber bands are called ligatures these hold the arch wires to the brackets.
Ties for Braces: These can be made of metal a transparent or tooth coloured material.
During your dental visits these are just some of the terms your DDS will go over with you regarding braces.
Metal Braces: The most common type of braces people are familiar with, made from stainless steel.
Ceramic Braces: These braces are made from composite materials and are more expensive than traditional braces. Available in clear ceramic material that is more popular with adults.
Lingual Braces: These aesthetically pleasing braces are attached behind the teeth, more expensive than traditional metal braces. Also known as incognito braces. Not all dentists are trained in the installation of lingual braces.
Harmony Braces: The latest in dental technology is having your teeth digitally scanned in a 3D model. CAD/CAM software is used to map out a treatment plan to straighten your smile.
Invisalign Braces: The best option for many people with mild malocclusion problems is Invisalign braces. These transparent braces are virtually invisible and the aligners are removable. The benefit of Invisalign braces is having the option to eat whatever you want when you want. Foods that can not be consumed by traditional brace wearers are not off limits to Invisalign wearers as the removal aligners can always be popped out for eating. Although the cost for the transparent aligners is higher than traditional braces many people prefer them. Consult with your dentist or DDS if you are interested in this type of teeth correction or are simply assessing whether braces or Invisalign is right for you. Transparent aligners are great for people in the public eye who are sensitive about wearing traditional braces.
If you have any of the following dental problems your DDS may recommend corrective braces for you to wear. The Canadian Dental Association (CDA) lists some common problems that require professional correction.
Having a straight perfectly aligned smile is more than just aesthetics its about your personal health. Straight teeth are also easier to clean and maintain. Beauty is more than just skin deep and we can help. Contact us here.
It is the purpose of this article to present the pro’s and con’s of Invisalign in equal measure. The Invisalign system is an aesthetic alternative orthodontic system that makes use of individualized thermoformed polycarbonate overlay appliances called aligners.
To obtain best results, your D.D.S. (Doctor of Dental Surgery) will plan your treatment in advance. Before your treatment commences, the fabrication of a series of aligners corresponding to the desired treatment is your first initial step towards straight teeth.
Invisalign treatments bring together the best qualities of removable and fixed appliances to control and minimize imperfect or misaligned tooth movements.
A qualified D.D.S. will have a thorough understanding of teeth movements and the biomechanics of aligners. More severe forms of dental work may require you to wear traditional metal braces. Direct bonding metal braces have been around since the mid 1970s, this was the common way to straighten most peoples teeth for several decades before Invisalign was introduced.
Invisalign uses custom made aligners made specifically for you. Aligners trays are made of a smooth, comfortable nearly invisible plastic that fit over your teeth. The function of the aligners is to gradually shift your teeth into place, based on a schedule designed by your D.D.S. There are no protruding metal brackets to bond to your teeth and no wires to tighten. Your dental practitioner will provide multiple aligners on a weekly or monthly basis until your teeth are straightened out.
Not all dentists and D.D.S.’s work with custom made aligners like Invisalign. Finding an qualified practitioner that is trained in both traditional braces and Invisalign is the first step on your journey to having aligned teeth. These doctors will best be able to determine whether Invisalign or traditional braces is best for you.
Your D.D.S. will take X-rays, pictures and impressions of your teeth. A digital 3D image will then be used to manufacture the correct Invisalign fit for you. Your dental care provider will use the 3D image to show how your teeth will appear at each stage of treatment. The duration of time per Invisalign wearer varies from person to person. Treatment times can take a year for adults, for teens the duration of time is comparable to traditional braces.
Individual treatment plans differ from person to person, a series of custom made clear aligners are manufactured per individual.
For those people concerned about the byproducts of plastic there is no need to worry. The plastic used in clear aligners is non toxic and will not irritate the inner lining of the mouth.
Your D.D.S. will schedule when your aligners need to replaced based on your specific requirements. Each set of individual aligners will advance your next stage of treatment. For optimum results aligners should be worn for 20 to 22 hours per day, for the duration of your treatment.
The Plus and Minuses of Invisalign Treatment
Only two clinical trials have been published. The first trial was a feasibility study with 38 patients. It had with methodological limitations concerning patient selection (nonrandomized and limited sample size per group). The researchers also failed to report precise malocclusion characteristics with respect to the amount of crowding and other parameters. Nevertheless, they concluded that patients whose permanent dentition has mild-to-moderate malocclusions may benefit from this treatment. They also suggested that prospective, controlled clinical trials with adequate sample sizes, increased record base and the use of objective assessment methods such as occlusal indexes should be used to evaluate outcomes with Invisalign.
- Manuel O. Lagravere, D.D.S., M.Sc. and Carlos Flores-Mir, D.D.S., M.Sc., Cert. Orth., Ph.D
The National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) stated that Invisalign therapy should be considered an alternative for esthetically demanding patients. People who experience speech impairments from other oral care alignment therapies are recommended to use Invisalign.
Looking and feeling great is the main reason for seeking out Invisalign. Being able to see the gradual progression of your teeth straightening also gives patients a self esteem boost. Invisalign therapy is not right for treating severe forms of malocclusions but it can treat mild to moderate cases.
The new SmartTrack aligner material being used in Invisalign trays has the following features: more constant force, higher elasticity, a more precise fit and improved comfort over the former material used.
The evolution of Invisalign aligners continue to evolve as the technology advances. Most of the findings regarding aligners are from published case studies. Individual results vary from person to person, for an accurate assessment consult your dentist or D.D.S. Non medical peer journals are not evaluated based on quantifiable data that is backed up by experts.
Prime candidates for Invisalign differ from person to person. If you are already a good candidate for traditional braces Invisalign therapy may be right for you. Give us call or send us an email to book your complimentary consultation.
Dr. Michael Layton (DDS) is the dentist for Peace Arch Dental, a dental office in the South Surrey/White Rock, B.C. area. He has been in the dental industry for the last decade and received his Doctor of Dental Surgery from the University of Washington. He takes pride in providing positive and caring dental solutions (including Invisalign) for people in the South Surrey/White Rock area. You can follow him on Google+.
