With snoring or sleep apnea, the soft tissue at the back of your throat and at the base of your tongue sags to where it partially or fully obstructs your breathing passage. The SomnoMed appliance repositions your lower jaw to keep that tissue out of the way. Read more about sleep apnea by visiting our Colorado Sleep Apnea page.

Here is a picture of one version of the SomnoMed appliance. You'll notice that the splint that covers the lower teeth has a wing on it. This wing acts to guide your lower jaw slightly forward. Notice also that the upper has an adjustable stop on it. This enables us to adjust the appliance to the optimum position for your individual case.

Effectiveness of the SomnoMed Treatment

It almost always eliminates your snoring and will significantly reduce obstructive sleep apnea or completely eliminate it.

If you are obese, it is less likely to work. But if you are of normal weight or moderately overweight, it should be excellent. It is also best for mild to moderate sleep apnea and may not work if you have a severe case. Having a removable complete denture could also be problematic.

Here at Rota and Smith Dental, we have used other appliances in the past, but we have had the best results with the SomnoMed and now use that exclusively. One of it's great advantages is the ease of adjustment.

Procedure and Insurance

We like to start, after your examination, by sending you home with a recording device that will help determine the extent of your problem. And then, once you are fitted with the SomnoMed, we adjust it for maximum breathing efficiency.

Once it is functioning well, we also like to have you back periodically to monitor its effectiveness.

We can often arrange for medical insurance to cover the cost of the appliance. To do so, we will arrange to get a prescription from your physician.