Why Does Snoring Happen?

Snoring often starts when the airway becomes narrower during sleep. As air passes through the smaller space, nearby tissues can vibrate, creating the familiar snoring sound.

Several factors may contribute, including the position of the jaw or tongue, the shape of the palate, difficulty with nasal breathing, or changes in muscle tone during sleep. Snoring does not have a single cause, so an evaluation helps us assess the dental and airway factors that may be relevant to you.

When Is Snoring a Sign of Sleep Apnea?

Snoring and obstructive sleep apnea are not the same thing. However, loud or persistent snoring can be a warning sign of sleep apnea, especially when it occurs alongside other changes in breathing or daytime functioning.

Other symptoms may include:

  • Excessive daytime sleepiness
  • Morning headaches
  • Trouble concentrating
  • Dry mouth when you wake up
  • Restless sleep
  • Gasping or choking during sleep
  • Pauses in breathing noticed by a partner

If you’re concerned about those symptoms, ask us whether sleep apnea treatment may be appropriate for you.

Comprehensive Dental Sleep Medicine Care in Moore County

happy couple happy with their snoring treatment

Dental sleep medicine looks at how structures in and around the mouth may affect breathing during sleep. For patients searching for a sleep apnea dentist in Moore County, our role is to evaluate the dental side of airway health while an appropriate physician handles the medical diagnosis.

What We Evaluate

Our dental evaluation may include your jaw position, bite relationship, tongue space, tooth wear, and other oral structures that can affect airway function. We also ask about your sleep symptoms, clenching or grinding, previous appliances, and any testing you have already completed.

This broader view aligns with our approach to preventive dentistry, where we look for patterns that may affect long-term oral health rather than focusing on one tooth at a time.

How Digital Records May Support Evaluation

When appropriate, we may use an iTero Intraoral Scanner to create digital records of your teeth and bite. A 3D Cone Beam Scanner may also provide additional information about dental and craniofacial structures when that imaging is clinically useful.

Technology supports the examination and treatment planning. It does not replace a complete conversation about your symptoms and health history.

Training and Experience in Snoring and Sleep Apnea Care

Dr. Mandy Grimshaw focuses part of her continuing education on airway, TMJ, and neuromuscular care. Her professional background also includes membership in the American Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine.

You can read more about Dr. Grimshaw’s training and background, as well as the experience she brings to patients with snoring, sleep, and jaw-related concerns.

Oral Appliance Therapy for Snoring and Sleep Apnea

For some patients, a custom oral appliance may be part of the treatment plan. This small dental device is worn during sleep and helps support the lower jaw in a position that can create more room behind the tongue.

Oral appliance therapy may help reduce snoring in appropriate patients. It is also one of the confirmed treatment options we provide for obstructive sleep apnea, including for some patients who have difficulty with CPAP.

The right treatment depends on your diagnosis, anatomy, symptoms, and overall care plan. We do not recommend an appliance simply because someone snores.

What to Expect From Dental Snoring Treatment

The first step is understanding what is happening. From there, we can explain whether dental treatment may be useful and what the next step could involve.

A typical process may include:

  • A conversation about your snoring, sleep, and health history
  • Evaluation of your teeth, bite, jaw, and oral structures
  • Digital records or 3D imaging when appropriate
  • Review of whether an oral appliance fits your treatment needs
  • Custom fabrication and fitting when an appliance is recommended
  • Follow-up adjustments and ongoing monitoring

We want treatment to feel understandable and practical. Our team explains why we recommend each step before moving forward.

Why Persistent Snoring Is Worth Addressing

Snoring itself does not prove that you have a serious sleep disorder. Still, persistent snoring can be a useful reason to look more closely at breathing during sleep, especially if you also wake tired or if someone notices gasping or breathing pauses.

Obstructive sleep apnea is associated with broader health concerns and poor daytime function, but those risks belong to the diagnosed sleep disorder rather than to every case of ordinary snoring. That distinction matters because the goal is to identify what is actually happening before deciding how to treat it.

Frequently Asked Questions About Snoring

Patients often want to know when snoring is simply annoying and when it deserves an evaluation. These answers cover the questions we hear most often.

No. Many people snore without having obstructive sleep apnea. Persistent or loud snoring becomes more concerning when accompanied by gasping, choking, witnessed pauses in breathing, morning headaches, or significant daytime sleepiness.

Possible signs include daytime fatigue, morning headaches, dry mouth, restless sleep, trouble concentrating, gasping, choking, and breathing pauses during sleep. These symptoms can have other causes, so they do not confirm sleep apnea on their own.

Yes, depending on what is contributing to the problem. We can evaluate dental and airway-related factors such as jaw position, bite, tongue space, and oral structures, then discuss whether a custom oral appliance may be appropriate.

An oral appliance is a custom dental device worn during sleep. It supports the lower jaw in a position that can help maintain more space behind the tongue and reduce airway narrowing in appropriate patients.

For some patients with obstructive sleep apnea, oral appliance therapy may be considered when CPAP is difficult to tolerate. The right option depends on the diagnosis and treatment plan, so patients should not stop or change prescribed CPAP therapy without guidance from the provider managing it.

Consider an evaluation if snoring is loud, persistent, or worsening, or if it is accompanied by gasping, breathing pauses, morning headaches, or daytime sleepiness. Those signs can help determine whether further sleep evaluation is appropriate.

Schedule Snoring Treatment in Moore County

If snoring is affecting your sleep or raising questions about your breathing, we can help you understand the dental and airway factors that may be involved. Call Kuhn Dental Associates at (910) 692-4450 to request an appointment for snoring treatment at our Moore County dental office.