Snoring is often dismissed as a harmless habit, but it can actually be a sign of underlying health issues that may affect more than just your sleep quality. While many people are aware of the risks snoring poses to heart health or breathing, fewer realize its potential impact on oral health. Chronic snoring can lead to dry mouth, gum disease, and even increase the risk of cavities.
At Dee for Dentist, we understand how snoring can harm your oral health. However, we also understand what steps you can take to protect your smile while addressing snoring-related concerns. If you’re interested in protecting your overall health — including your oral health — and addressing your snoring, we can help.
What Causes Snoring?
There are several potential causes of snoring, but the primary one is airflow obstruction and limitation during sleep. However, many issues could result in this obstruction, including sleep apnea, other sleep disorders, nasal congestion, obesity, and sleeping position.
Allergies, colds, and alcohol consumption can also contribute to your snoring more or less frequently, as they can weaken throat muscles or increase congestion. Due to there being so many causes of snoring, we encourage you to talk to your dentist for support in determining what is affecting you more specifically. A practitioner from Dee for Dentist can help perform an assessment.
Risks Related to Snoring and Your Oral Health
Many people snore and breathe with their mouths open during sleep, mainly because breathing through the nasal passages has made retrieving oxygen for the body more difficult or less effective. However, during sleep, humans also produce less saliva than they do during waking hours.
Lower saliva production during sleep does not necessarily lead to oral health issues for those who do not snore very frequently. This is because they keep their mouths closed, and the saliva is able to keep the mouth clean and moist, so more saliva does not ordinarily need to be produced.
The saliva helps mitigate bacteria growth, cleaning it away and preventing damage. But when the saliva is not able to do its job, there is a higher risk of bacteria growth, bad breath, tooth decay, gum disease, and other oral issues.
How to Address Snoring and Protect Your Oral Health
Depending on your circumstances, you can address your snoring and protect your oral and overall health in several ways. For those who only occasionally snore, reducing alcohol consumption, adding a humidifier to your bedroom, or taking allergy medication may help.
However, it’s more difficult to address more consistent snoring problems. After all, you may not have much conscious control over your sleeping position when you’re asleep. More thorough intervention may be necessary, such as for those with sleep apnea or other sleeping disorders, who are overweight or obese, or who have other sleeping issues.
We encourage you to reach out to Dee for Dentist for assistance addressing your snoring. Depending on what you need, we can help you explore sleeping appliances and tools, preventative measures, and dental solutions. Just because you snore does not necessarily mean large and noisy machines are the only solution.
When Should You Address Your Snoring?
If you have any concerns about snoring, we encourage you to talk to your dentist about it as soon as possible. Waiting increases the risk of losing your natural teeth, getting cavities, suffering gum disease, and many other oral health concerns. However, waiting can also increase the risk of adverse health impacts on your whole body.
Please get in touch with us at Dee for Dentist to learn more about your options and schedule a consultation. We’re happy to help you assess the issue and come up with solutions that work best for you and your needs.
Protect Your Smile and Address Snoring with Dee for Dentist
At Dee for Dentist, we know that snoring can affect more than just your sleep — it can impact your oral health, too. Whether you’re dealing with dry mouth, increased risk of cavities, or gum disease due to snoring, we can help. Using our advanced technology and led by the dedicated Dr. Dee, we work with you to find the right solution, ensuring your treatment is comfortable and effective.
Ready to take control of your snoring and protect your oral health? Schedule a consultation today by calling (702) 586-7800 to reach our Silverado Ranch office, using (702) 870-3818 to call our Medical District location, or filling out our contact form. We look forward to helping you achieve a healthier, brighter smile!
