Your bed partner elbows you awake again, and this time you actually hear it, a loud, rattling snore that startles you both. Snoring feels like a punchline until it starts affecting your blood pressure, your energy, and the quality of every night’s sleep you get.
At DG Dental, we look at snoring as a signal, not just a nuisance. Dr. Dory Green, DMD, FAGD, has completed advanced training in craniofacial sleep medicine and uses that background to evaluate what is actually happening in your airway while you sleep, then builds a plan around it.
Why Snoring Happens in the First Place
Snoring is the sound of turbulent air moving through a narrowed airway. When the muscles in your throat and tongue relax too much during sleep, the tissue around your airway vibrates as you breathe, and that vibration is what you and your partner hear. Some people snore occasionally after a late night or a few drinks, while others snore every night, and that consistency matters.
Regular, nightly snoring is a different situation than the occasional snore. Research on this exact question is more robust than most people realize.
What The Research Says About Regular Snoring
A 2024 study from the National Institutes of Health monitored more than 12,000 adults over roughly six months using in-home sensors. The researchers found that people who spent a higher proportion of their sleep time snoring had a meaningfully greater likelihood of uncontrolled hypertension, independent of whether they also had sleep apnea. In other words, snoring on its own showed a real association with elevated blood pressure.
This lines up with what we see clinically. The vibration and airway resistance behind snoring places extra strain on the cardiovascular system night after night, even in people who never stop breathing outright the way someone with obstructive sleep apnea does. Regular snoring is worth investigating, not dismissing as background noise.
How We Evaluate What Is Behind Your Snoring
A Closer Look At Your Airway
Instead of guessing at the cause, we use a pharyngometer and rhinometer, a piece of equipment that measures the dimensions of your airway with precision. This screening is provided at no charge and gives us objective data on where narrowing is occurring, rather than relying on a description of symptoms alone.
We pair that data with a digital scan of your bite and jaw position, since we use digital scanning far more often than traditional impressions. Together, these tools let us see the relationship between your jaw, your tongue position, and your airway before we recommend anything.
Ruling Out Sleep Apnea
Not everyone who snores has sleep apnea, but the two are closely related, and it is worth ruling out. We also address jaw clenching and TMJ symptoms during this evaluation, since tension in the jaw can influence airway position overnight as well.
What We Can Offer If CPAP Has Not Worked For You
Many people associate loud snoring with a CPAP machine, and understandably want an alternative to the hoses and mask. We offer custom oral appliances that reposition the jaw and tongue to help keep the airway open overnight, fitted using the individualized measurements from your evaluation rather than a generic mold.
A few signs suggest it is time to have your airway evaluated rather than waiting it out:
- Nightly frequency: Your snoring happens most nights, not just occasionally.
- Daytime fatigue: You wake up tired even after a full night in bed.
- Partner-reported pauses: Someone has noticed gaps in your breathing while you sleep.
- Morning headaches: You regularly wake up with head or jaw discomfort.
If any of these sound familiar, that is a reasonable prompt to have your airway assessed rather than assuming the snoring will resolve on its own.
A Sleep Appliance Built Around Your Airway
Once we understand your airway measurements, we design a custom-fitted sleep appliance rather than a one-size-fits-all option. Most major medical insurance companies, including Medicare, cover the appliance itself once a diagnosis is in place, even though the pharyngometer and rhinometer screening are provided at no charge upfront.
We also see snoring alongside habits like nighttime teeth grinding, and can pair your sleep appliance with a custom nightguard when that is part of the picture. The goal throughout is addressing the root of the airway issue rather than only managing the noise.
Restore Restful Nights With DG Dental
Snoring is easy to laugh off until you understand what it may be signaling about your airway and your long-term health. Dr. Green’s craniofacial sleep medicine training, combined with precise pharyngometer and rhinometer measurements, means your evaluation is based on your specific anatomy rather than a generalized approach to snoring.
If nightly snoring, morning headaches, or a restless partner have you wondering what is really going on while you sleep, DG Dental is ready to help you find out and build a plan around it. Reach out through our contact form to schedule your airway evaluation today.
