Snoring and Sleep Apnea Symptoms — Screening, Not a Diagnosis
Dentists do not diagnose obstructive sleep apnea. An oral appliance comes after a physician and a sleep study.
What is happening?
Snoring is noisy airflow. Obstructive sleep apnea is repeated blockage of the airway during sleep. Extra weight, large tonsils, a recessed jaw, a large tongue, alcohol before bed, back-sleeping, a blocked nose, and lower muscle tone with age all narrow that airway. Witnessed pauses, gasping, or severe daytime sleepiness need a physician — not a dental appliance as the first step.
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Common symptoms
- Witnessed pauses in breathing
- Waking with a gasp or a snort
- Sleep that does not feel refreshing
- Daytime sleepiness
- Morning headaches
- A dry mouth on waking
Is it urgent?
Witnessed breathing pauses, gasping, or severe daytime sleepiness — screening here, diagnosis with a physician and a sleep study. Snoring without those signs — still worth mentioning at an exam. This is not a dental emergency.
Before a sleep-symptom conversation
Ask the person who shares the room
Pauses and gasps are easier for them to see than for you to remember.
Change the easy factors
Less alcohol close to bedtime, and try sleeping on your side.
Do not order an appliance online
A mandibular device is considered after a sleep study and a physician's diagnosis. We coordinate with that physician. We do not diagnose OSA.
Common causes
Airway narrowing or collapse during sleep · Excess weight · Anatomy — large tonsils, a recessed jaw, a large tongue · Alcohol before bed · Sleeping on the back · Nasal obstruction · Loss of muscle tone with age
How we diagnose it
We ask a screening history and look at the bite and the airway we can see. We do not declare sleep apnea from a dental chair. Diagnosis is a physician's, usually with a sleep study. Our role after that, when an oral appliance is appropriate, is to make and adjust it.
How we treat it
Screen and refer
If the history suggests apnea, we help you get to a physician and a sleep study rather than fitting a device on a hunch.
Appliance after diagnosis
When a doctor has diagnosed OSA and an oral appliance is part of the plan, we take records and make one. Snoring without apnea may still be discussed — it is a different conversation from treating a medical diagnosis.
Related pages
Good to know
Frequently asked questions
Still have a question? Our team is happy to help over the phone.
(416) 483-0000Can you tell me if I have sleep apnea?
No. We can screen and refer. Diagnosis belongs to a physician, usually with a sleep study.
I snore. Do I need a device?
Not from snoring alone. Side-sleeping and less alcohol near bedtime are the first experiments. A dental appliance is a decision after we know whether this is snoring only or apnea.
Will a night guard treat apnea?
A grinding guard and a sleep-apnea appliance are different devices. One protects teeth. The other is made to hold the jaw forward after a diagnosis.
Read this as education
These are common patterns, not a diagnosis of your tooth. Your dentist determines the cause during an examination.