SNORING & SLEEP APNOEA — WATERLOO DENTAL
Wondering if your snoring is something more?
If you wake up tired, your partner’s stopped sleeping in the same room, or you’ve been told you stop breathing in your sleep — this page is the place to start. Read what’s likely going on, what your options are, and when to act.
This page covers: when snoring is serious · how it’s treated · whether a custom oral appliance might suit you · how to book a consultation in Lanark.
OR SKIP AHEAD
Book a private consultation
45 minutes. We’ll review your symptoms and tell you straight what’s going on.
No obligation. Or call 01555 662220.
- GDC Registered
- Somnowell Certified Provider
- HIS Regulated
- Made in the UK
— 01 — Self-check
Could your snoring be sleep apnoea?
About 40% of UK adults snore regularly. Most of it is harmless. But for a meaningful number, snoring is the audible side of obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) — repeated airway collapse through the night, pulling you out of deep sleep without you knowing.
You don’t need to diagnose yourself. The list below is a starting point — tick three or more and a sleep study is worth considering.
- Loud snoring heard from another room
- Witnessed pauses in breathing, gasping, or choking
- Daytime tiredness despite a full night's sleep
- Waking with a dry mouth, sore throat, or headache
- Difficulty concentrating, irritability, low mood
- High blood pressure that's hard to control
- Falling asleep while watching TV — or at the wheel
- Partner has moved to a different room
- If three or more apply: a sleep study (home or in-clinic) is the only way to confirm whether you have sleep apnoea and how severe it is. We can advise you at a consultation, and arrange one if needed.
— 02 — What's happening
Why snoring becomes a problem
When you fall asleep, the muscles around your throat relax. For most people that’s fine. For some — depending on jaw position, neck size, weight, age, or alcohol — the soft tissue at the back of the throat narrows or briefly collapses. Air vibrating through that narrow space is what you hear as snoring. When the airway closes completely, you’ve stopped breathing for a few seconds. That’s an apnoea event.
Airway narrowed
Tissue vibrates → snoring or apnoea events.
Airway held open
40%
UK adults snore regularly
90%+
Somnowell patient-reported success rate
5+ yrs
Designed appliance lifespan
4 visits
From consultation to fitted appliance
— 03 — Who this works for
Three kinds of patient we usually see
If one of these sounds like you, a 45-minute consultation is the right next step.
A
PERSISTENT SNORERS
You've tried the easy fixes — they don't stick.
Strips, sprays, position pillows, cutting back on wine. Brief relief, then back to normal. Snoring is straining your relationship or your own daytime energy.
B
CPAP-INTOLERANT
You can't get on with the mask.
C
DIAGNOSED MILD–MODERATE OSA
You have a sleep study result.
— 04 — Why Somnowell
What makes a custom Somnowell different
If a custom oral appliance is the right route, here’s what the Somnowell does that off-the-shelf alternatives don’t.
Cobalt-chromium
The same medical-grade alloy used in dentures and joint replacements for 50+ years. Slim, durable, bacteria-resistant.
Adjustable
Designed by an orthodontist
— 05 — The process
If you decide to go ahead
Four visits, six to eight weeks. The first is the consultation — that’s where we work out whether Somnowell is right for you.
STEP 01
Consultation
Symptom history, examination, suitability check. ~45 min.
STEP 02
Impressions
STEP 03
Fitting
Calibrated to a comfortable starting position. ~30 min.
STEP 04
Follow-up
Not sure where you sit on this?
Book a 45-minute private consultation. We’ll review your symptoms, examine you, and tell you straight whether Somnowell is the right answer — or what is.
— 06 — Common questions
What patients ask first
Rather just ask us?
Call 01555 662220 — or bring your questions to a 45-minute consultation.
The only way to confirm is a sleep study — usually a home overnight test that records breathing, oxygen levels and movement. We can advise at consultation and help arrange one if your symptoms suggest it's worth doing.
If you have strong signs of sleep apnoea — witnessed pauses in breathing, severe daytime sleepiness, or you drive for a living — see your GP, who can refer you for NHS sleep assessment. For simple snoring, or if you'd rather move quickly, you can come straight to us.
A chemist's boil-and-bite tray is bulky, soft, and wears out within months. A Somnowell is a slim, custom cobalt-chromium framework, adjustable and built to last 5+ years — fitted and calibrated to your bite by a clinician, not moulded over a kettle.
Mandibular advancement appliances help the majority of simple snorers and many people with mild-to-moderate OSA — Somnowell reports a 90%+ patient-reported success rate. Whether it's right for you depends on your airway, your teeth and your diagnosis, which is what the consultation establishes. If it isn't suitable, we'll tell y
Costs are confirmed in writing after your consultation, once we know which appliance suits you. The 45-minute consultation is where you'll get clear figures — with no obligation to proceed.
NHS sleep services typically offer CPAP for diagnosed OSA. Custom oral appliances like Somnowell are usually a private treatment — which is why people often come to us when CPAP hasn't worked for them, or for snoring that the NHS doesn't treat.
Then an oral appliance may not be the answer — and we'll say so. Part of the consultation is ruling out simple causes like nasal obstruction or allergies, which sometimes need an ENT opinion rather than a dental one.