Measuring the severity of sleep apnoea
Sleep apnoea can be apparent in varying levels of severity. The key way to measure the severity of sleep apnoea is to identify the number of instances per night that breathing is interrupted. These interruptions normally appear as a snoring sound. The scale of severity is roughly:
•Normal Breathing: very few interruptions per night, commonly fewer than 5 in each hour
•Mild sleep apnoea: anywhere between 5-15 interruptions in any given hour
•Moderate sleep apnoea: anywhere between 15-30 interruptions an hour
•Severe sleep apnoea: anywhere above 30 interruptions an hour.
We may be able to provide a dental solution to snoring and sleep apnoea…
For many patients, oral appliance therapy may be an effective way to treat mild obstructive sleep apnoea and snoring.
An oral appliance called a mandibular advancement splint can be used to reposition the jaw during sleep – preventing the soft tissues and tongue at the back of the throat from obstructing the airway. This device will be custom made to suit your jaw and your specific sleep apnoea requirements.