My Family Dental Appliances
Oral Appliances for Snoring and Sleep Apnoea
Custom-made at all six clinics, where a sleep physician has recommended one.
Where obstructive sleep apnoea has been diagnosed and a sleep physician has recommended an oral appliance, we make them. Diagnosis is a medical matter that needs a sleep study, so if you have not been assessed, the first step is your GP rather than a dental chair.
Custom-made
From a scan or impression of your own teeth
On referral
Where a sleep physician has recommended one
All six clinics
Made and reviewed locally
Fitted and reviewed
Not handed over and forgotten
A lot of people arrive having been told by a partner that they stop breathing at night. That is worth taking seriously, and the first move is not a dental appointment.
Start With a Diagnosis, Not an Appliance
Obstructive sleep apnoea is a medical condition, diagnosed through a sleep study and assessed by a medical practitioner. A dentist cannot diagnose it, and any dental practice that offers to treat your sleep apnoea without one has skipped a step that matters.
So if you snore heavily, stop breathing in your sleep, wake gasping, or feel unrefreshed regardless of how long you were in bed, start with your GP. Untreated sleep apnoea is associated with real health consequences, which is why it deserves a proper assessment rather than a device bought online.
What We Make
Where a sleep physician has recommended an oral appliance, we make one. It is a mandibular advancement appliance: worn at night, it holds the lower jaw slightly forward, which helps keep the airway open.
It is custom-made from impressions or a digital scan of your own teeth, built by our laboratory to your bite. That is the difference between something that stays where it should all night and something that ends up on the floor. It is fitted, adjusted and then reviewed, because the position it holds your jaw in usually needs tuning.
The Honest Part
Oral appliances suit some people and not others, and whether one is right for you is a decision that belongs with the doctor managing your sleep apnoea. For some patients it is the recommended treatment; for others a CPAP machine or another approach is, and we are not going to talk you out of it.
Side effects are worth knowing before you start. A tired or sore jaw in the morning, more saliva or a dry mouth, and tender teeth are all common early on and usually settle. Over longer periods an appliance can move teeth and alter how your bite meets, which is precisely why it is reviewed rather than handed over and forgotten.
Not the Same as a Night Guard
People mix these up constantly. An occlusal splint or night guard protects teeth from grinding: it does nothing for your airway. A sleep appliance repositions the jaw to help keep the airway open: it is not designed as a grinding guard. Some people need both considered together, and if you are waking with a sore jaw or headaches, that is covered on our jaw pain page.
All Six Clinics
- My Family Dental Townsville (Kirwan)
- My Family Dental Bohle Plains
- My Family Dental Ingham
- My Family Dental Innisfail
- My Family Dental Bowen
- My Family Dental Emerald
Important: Obstructive sleep apnoea requires diagnosis by a medical practitioner, usually following a sleep study. Oral appliances are not suitable for everyone and are provided on medical recommendation. Side effects can include jaw discomfort, excess salivation, dry mouth and changes to the bite over time. This page is general information and not a substitute for medical advice. Seek advice appropriate to your circumstances from a qualified health practitioner.
Common Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
No, and be wary of anyone who says otherwise. Obstructive sleep apnoea is a medical diagnosis that comes from a sleep study and a medical practitioner. What a dentist can do is make an oral appliance where a sleep physician has recommended one, and notice the signs that make a referral worth having.
A mandibular advancement appliance holds the lower jaw slightly forward while you sleep, which helps keep the airway open. It is custom-made from impressions or a scan of your teeth so it fits and stays put. It is made by our laboratory to suit your mouth and your bite.
That is a question for the doctor managing your sleep apnoea, not for us. For some people an oral appliance is the recommended treatment; for others it is not, or it is used alongside other measures. We make what your sleep physician recommends and we work with them rather than around them.
Snoring on its own is not the same thing as sleep apnoea, and plenty of snorers do not have it. But if you snore heavily, stop breathing during sleep, wake gasping, or feel unrefreshed no matter how long you were in bed, that is worth raising with your GP. Untreated sleep apnoea is not just a noise problem.
Common ones include a sore or tired jaw in the morning, increased saliva or a dry mouth, and tenderness of the teeth. Over longer periods, wearing an appliance can move teeth and change how your bite meets, which is one of the reasons it is fitted, adjusted and reviewed rather than handed over. Tell us if you are getting jaw pain, because that is also the point at which our jaw pain page becomes relevant.
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