Stop snoring appliances are mechanisms that are worn inside the mouth and either work on the jaw, the tongue, the palates, or in some cases, all three. The most popular and effective are listed below.
Oral Appliances
A number of oral appliances (brand names include The Silencer™ and the Equalizer™) are designed by medical professionals (including dentists) are available on the market, and are currently being used with success by millions of people around the world.
Oral appliances, which act either on the tongue or the jaw, are crafted to achieve a few main anti-snoring goals:
- Keep the mouth shut, and thus prevent the emission of the snoring sound (due to vibration in the trachea)
- Push the jaw slightly forward, thus preventing the tongue from falling backwards during deep sleep and thus obstructing the airway.
- Enlarge the airway itself and enable a smoother inhale/exhale, thus reducing vibration
Some oral stop snoring appliances are available over-the-counter in drug and health stores, but for serious snorers, a custom-fitted appliance is usually required (usually by a dentist).
Generally, oral stop snoring appliances are most often sought out by those for whom other solutions don’t work; such as devices, or some non-prescription/not-medicated remedies, such as saline solution. Snorers who opt for stop snoring appliances, in consultation with their dentist, may decide to wear one throughout the night, or just for small periods of time during sleep.
Tongue Retraining Appliances
Tongue retraining appliances (sometimes called Tongue Retraining Devices, or TRDs), were developed as stop snoring appliances in the early 1980s and designed to move the tongue forward, and thus alleviate any obstruction to the airway.
These appliances use suction power to literally hold the tongue away from the airflow for several hours; thus preventing the tongue from casually returning to its trained position, which is blocking the airway.
Tongue retraining appliances are used by snorers who simply can’t (or won’t!) sleep on their side (a sleep position in which the mouth stays generally closed). They are arguably not the most comfortable things to sleep with, but they can prove to be quite effective stop snoring products.
