The Situation:
Around 50% of all adults snore and it is most common in men, especially older middle-aged and obese men in whom fatty tissue presses on the upper respiratory tract and causes it to narrow. Snoring occurs when the muscles in the throat and neck relax and the airway partially closes during sleep. The noise is produced by the soft palate and other parts of the upper respiratory tract vibrating, at the back of the mouth.

Snoring in children is usually as a result of enlarged tonsils and adenoids, whilst buck teeth or a very small lower jaw can mean that the tongue is too large for the space available. If the nasal air passage is restricted because of a deviated nasal septum (the cartilage which divides the two nostrils) when the sleeper inhales this can cause snoring. This is also why people snore more when they have a cold, nasal allergies and tumours which can also cut off the passage of air through the nose. Many people snore after drinking alcohol or talking sleeping tables as this induces extra relaxation.

A more serious snoring condition is called Obstructive Sleep Apnoea (OSA) which occurs in patients where the airway closes completely and prevents the sleeper from breathing causing brief waking several times a night and raising the snorers‚ blood pressure. People with OSA also have a greater chance of being diabetic.

Lack of or broken sleep can have a number of detrimental effects for the snorer from daytime tiredness, poor motivation, higher stress levels, lack of energy, driving while tired, resulting in increased risk of accidents and less effectiveness at work. More series health issues can be brought on as a result of snoring from headaches to changes in blood pressure, angina, heart attacks and depression. Relationships and sex drive not only affect the snorer but their partner too - snoring can be very disruptive and distressing for a partner who is kept awake by the noise. Often, because of this, couples sleep in separate rooms and it is said to be the third most common reason for couples separating!

Some unpalatable choices:
Until now the choice of treatments for snoring have neither been successful or acceptable. In severe cases invasive surgical procedures are conducted but they are not always effective and can cause serious side effects. Facial masks which blow steam through the nose at night can be effective for people with severe OSA but are not really acceptable for any but the most severe sufferers, whilst low cost Œboil and bite‚ mouth guards, spays and gadgets are not clinically proven and do not work, especially in the longer term. Patients are also encouraged to lose weight and change their sleeping posture ˆ sometimes with the help of an uncomfortable devise attached at the back of the neck to prevent them sleeping on their back.

A clinically effective new alternative:
By contrast, Dr Phil Stemmer is able to provide patients with a custom made appliance known as a mandibular advancement splint which has been shown in scientific trials to be acceptable to 98% of patients and is backed by some well-researched clinical data from studies conducted in some internally recognised hospitals which attest to its effectiveness in over 80% of cases. The Sleepwell device as it is known, is simply placed in the mouth before going to bed and it is designed to hold the lower jaw forward by 2-3 mm which alleviates the pressure at the back of the throat and eliminate or reduce snoring.

Dr Stemmer will discuss your suitability for the treatment, after which an impression of your mouth will be taken. A Sleepwell device will then be custom made in a laboratory to fit your mouth accurately and this will be fitted at a second appointment.