A recent Dear Abby column printed a letter from “Seeking Slumber in Santa Barbara” who complained about one spouse’s snoring keeping the other spouse from a good night’s sleep. This writer was begging for solutions to her problem. The columnist rightly suggested visiting his or her physician to discover the cause of the snoring rather than relying on suggestions passed along by non-medically trained readers.

Unfortunately, this is an all too common situation. And as Abby pointed out, snoring can be a symptom of a serious medical condition. This condition is obstructive sleep apnea and it is treatable. Treatment options include the CPAP machine (most of us have seen photos of  the masks and tubes associated with this treatment), but another treatment that is very effective for mild to moderate sleep apnea is a custom oral appliance. These oral devices are worn in the mouth while sleeping, similar to an orthodontic retainer. They keep the airway open by gently moving the jaw forward which keeps the soft tissues of the mouth and throat from collapsing the airway during sleep. The sleeper can breathe easily all night long with no snoring and their partner can get a good nights sleep as well.

If you or your partner snore loudly during sleep you may have sleep apnea. In the Columbus, Ohio area your dental sleep medicine practitioner is Dr. Mark Levy. Please contact Dr. Levy at 614-476-6696 today to arrange a consultation.