Anti-snoring mouthpiece?

[*anj*]

Does anyone here have knowledge of the mouthpieces that you can put in your mouth at night to stop snoring?
This page has pictures of a few: http://www.putanendtosnoring.com/mouthpiece.htm

As you can see, there are quite a few, and I'm not sure if one is better than another or whatever. I do have mild to moderate sleep apnea, and eventually I will probably get a c-pap, but for now I'd like to try this mouthpiece if it will work. I actually saw one on ebay that cost $149 :eek: But then I saw many others that were around $40. I'd like to try one of those.

Any advice?
Thanks!:D

[Anne in Hawaii]

My husband has had several. He was diagnosed with mild sleep apnea about 10 years ago through a sleep study. He's in the Navy, and the dental department made him his first mouthpiece. They have worked well for the most part, but it did take getting used to because it pushes his lower jaw out. (He looks kind of like Jay Leno when he puts it in! :) ) He's had to return some of them for adjustment because if they're not fitted exactly right or smooth on the edges, it can really hurt.

The mouthpiece alone usually does the trick unless he has a cold -- like he does right now. :(

[*anj*]

Anne,
Thanks for your response.
I was hoping to get one without going to the dentist, but maybe I'll be better off getting the "real" kind.
Just another thing to spend my mental energy mulling over! :cool:
Thanks again!

[Jann in TX]

My dd had surgery last year because her lower jaw did not fully develop. As the rest of her face grew she started loosing her chin and her teeth looked liked they were bucked. Her top teeth were in the PERFECT position--it was her lower jaw that was the problem...she also SNORED, had sleep apnea and TMJ.

Her results were immediate (recover took several weeks).

The tests the Drs ran on dd showed that when she would lie down her lower jaw slipped back even more--her airway was 2/3 blocked!

Apparently this is a common problem.

Several years ago my DH (who wears a beard to disguise his lack of a chin) had throat surgery due to extreme snoring and serious sleep apnea. The (VERY PAINFUL) surgery worked for a while--but I've had many nights of little sleep (especially lately due to his allergies) and the problem is still there.

DD's oral surgeon said that DH would have had better results if he had had his jaw fixed instead (easier recovery too!). In most cases they do not wire the jaw shut--they use tiny screws to stabilize it while it heals.

If you try the mouthpiece just note that you will be sore for a while until the ligaments and muscles in your jaw get used to it.

[*anj*]

Now that's very interesting.
I've heard about surgical procedures, though I doubt they're recommend one for me. What I really need to do is lose :eek: weight. The snoring has worsened as I've gained weight over the years. Lovely.

I'm sure my mouth won't like having a piece of plastic lodged inside it all night. I hadn't considered that part. Fun-fun-fun. :(

[Anne in Hawaii]

Something else has helped my husband -- he had the back of his throat injected with microwaves! :eek: It was incredibly unpleasant (and so is his description of it!), but the first time it really helped. After about a year, though, his snoring got worse, and it's not uncommon to have to have that procedure done several times. He had it done again, but it really hasn't helped. He's doing everything he can do to avoid the big surgery where they clean everything out back there.

The doc said his main problem is a big uvula, so the next thing they'll probably do is deal with that. Yuck.

[Sunny]

My dh has had a couple different kinds. He has always been fitted by the dentist, as they require exact fitting so there is no room for the teeth to move in a certain direction to prevent the tongue from slipping back. The one he had on both upper and lower jaw and connected were more comfortable. He had another set that he just couldn't handle that attached together in the front. I'd talk to a pro and find out the recommendatin.

[sleepyjane06]

My husband snores loud enough to wake the dead in the cemetery a few blocks away. I'm not exaggerating. Once, a neighbor actually called 911 because she was afraid that a saw was running in our garage. He's got a drawer full of mouthpieces. One was dentist-fitted and expensive, the others were the cheap ones you see on TV. Unfortunately not one of them was any help. Either they made his jaw hurt (the TV ones were especially bad) or he complained of all the excess saliva from wearing one at night. And by morning, his breath was horrible. I ended up sleeping with the kids most nights. He went and got himself tested for sleep apnea and didn't have it. The doctor told us that he just snores.

We looked into surgery but it's expensive and our insurance doesn't cover that. Truth be told, we've tried pretty much everything from mouth pieces to chin straps and earplugs.

About a year ago, he out of town, working on a project and started googling for snoring aids. When he came home a couple days later he had about a dozen sites that we looked at over the weekend (yeah, I know. We're a fun couple. But the only times I get enough sleep is when he's away on work projects).

For the most part, they were the things that we'd already tried-nose tape, chin strips, pillows, nose clips, mouthguards, sprays, a couple of exercise CDs that we bought that were useless. There were a few new sites too. One had a watch device that you wear. It's supposed to tickle your wrist whwn you start to snore. We actually bought one of those -see how desperate we were! No, it didn't work either.

A friend who works for a sleep testing center suggested that he get a CPAP machine, but our doctor told us that if he did, it would quickly become a kind of crutch and he didn't need one because he doesn't have apnea.

Anyway, he also found the Put-An-End-To-Snoring web site and they mentioned a sort of chin strap called a SnorEnder. Since we're were willing to try almost anything we went to the website.

It was really interesting, lots of info on snoring and even a couple of pages on the most popular snoring devices. What we liked was the fact that what they said about the different ways to try to stop snoring was what we had learned the hard way. Not much works all the time and nothing works for everyone.

We also discovered from the "nose tester" information there that my husband snores because he sleeps with his mouth open. My friend at the sleep center says that most snorers do that and if they could just keep their mouth closed at night, most of the snoring would stop.

We ordered the SnorEnder, mainly because it actually looked like it would keep his mouth closed. It does. The thing works really well for him and I'm back in the bedroom again.

They also suggested using something called a neti pot. We got one at a local health food store and it did take some getting used to, you basically wash out your sinuses with it. But, WOW. What a difference it has made.

One thing that we have both seen is he has a lot more energy. He's not dragging through the day anymore. I know I get more sleep. I think he is too because he doesn't snore very much now. It did not stop all his snoring all the time, but I'd guess that it stopped maybe 80% of it. And when he does snore, it's not nearly as loud or as long anymore. Anyway, I love that I can sleep all night now. He's more rested, maybe because I'm not poking him in the side so much. The snorender site says that their product won't work for everyone and they even printed letters from people who returned the product, expecially people who have trouble breathing thru their nose. But it works just fine for us and we use that neti pot too.

[Rhonda in TX]

I have never been tested for any type of sleep apnea, but I snore horribly. A few months ago, my sister recommended lavender oil. She said her DH uses it and it stopped his snoring. I tried it and, while it doesn't completely stop my snoring, DH said it made a HUGE difference. It's not even an issue anymore. He recommended it to his mom, who had the same problem, but worse. She has been tested for sleep apnea, but I don't know the results. He shared a hotel room with her last year and said she was snoring like a freight train. He shared a hotel room with her this year and she used the lavender oil. No snoring. Nothing!!

I rub a couple of drops on the bottom of each of my feet every night. I apply it mostly on the balls of my feet, but don't hesistate to rub it in elsewhere as well.

I get mine from Young Living (http://www.youngliving.us/), but you can probably find it elsewhere. (BTW, I am not a rep. I just use the oils.)

[readwithem]

Thanks for this thread and the websites. My dh snores horribly, I'm ashamed to admit I'm looking forward to tonight and tomorrow night as he'll be away from home. He's not overweight, though he has gained some over the years. He has horrible allergies and stress adds to his snoring. We sleep with a noise machine and I wear earplugs every night, but they don't totally block out the freight train.

[Pam "SFSOM" in TN]

Now that's very interesting.
I've heard about surgical procedures, though I doubt they're recommend one for me. What I really need to do is lose :eek: weight. The snoring has worsened as I've gained weight over the years. Lovely.

I'm sure my mouth won't like having a piece of plastic lodged inside it all night. I hadn't considered that part. Fun-fun-fun. :(

The really awful thing is that apnea makes you gain weight. So you're back to which came first, the apnea or the weight gain? Some moderate gain may have worsened the apnea which made you gain more, etc.

I have a friend whose husband got a c-pap. He says he woke up for the first time in YEARS, and he lost all the resistant fat he was carrying around (which threatened his Army career) in six months.

[Pam "SFSOM" in TN]

Unfortunately the Anti-Snoring Mouthpiece, which is designed to relieve snoring, also reduces the severity of sleep apnea on many people like other expensive custom mandibular advancement devices made by doctors and dentists. Sleep apnea is a serious medical condition and should be diagnosed and treated by your doctor. If you are a repeat customer, you are no doubt very disappointed at your inability to resume the normal life that you have grown to appreciate now that snoring no longer afflicts you.
---------------------
Vanessa


Um, :spam: ??

[Tammyla]

My father went to his doctor and was covered by his insurance. Hope you find what works. A good night's sleep is worth the effort.:grouphug:

[*anj*]

The really awful thing is that apnea makes you gain weight. So you're back to which came first, the apnea or the weight gain? Some moderate gain may have worsened the apnea which made you gain more, etc.

I have a friend whose husband got a c-pap. He says he woke up for the first time in YEARS, and he lost all the resistant fat he was carrying around (which threatened his Army career) in six months.

Well I got my c-pap about two weeks after that original post. I've been sleeping with it ever since, and it has made a huge difference. I haven't lost any weight, but the quality of my sleep is so much better. And dh is sleeping a lot more soundly too. I can't recommend the c-pap enough. It didn't take me long to get used to it at all.

[*anj*]

Um, :spam: ??

:iagree:

[readwithem]

Good golly, I didn't notice this thread was SEVEN MONTHS OLD. Sorry Anj - but I do appreciate the info :)

[Pam "SFSOM" in TN]

Well I got my c-pap about two weeks after that original post. I've been sleeping with it ever since, and it has made a huge difference. I haven't lost any weight, but the quality of my sleep is so much better. And dh is sleeping a lot more soundly too. I can't recommend the c-pap enough. It didn't take me long to get used to it at all.

Yay! Good for you, *anj*.

I also did not notice this thread was 7 mos old! LOL