Tongue Retaining Appliances for Snoring

Tongue Retaining Devices (TRDs) work in much the same way as Mandibular Advancement Devices, in that they are fitted into the mouth to help you breath through your nose and stop you snoring. Unlike MADs, the TRD is also adapted with a polyvinyl vacuum which keeps your tongue forward during sleep, and thus away from the back of your throat where it might obstruct airflow from your nasal passages. The negative pressure created in the vacuum pulls your tongue forward, and as such is a great help to those whose snoring is caused by the relaxation of their tongue while they sleep. The TRD does not, as with the Mandible advancement device, rely on your teeth to hold your tongue back. This retention is furthered by the addition of internal ridges on the inside of the plastic vacuum. Perforations at the side of the vacuum chamber walls allow you to speak and breath through your mouth normally, so as to make sleep more natural and comfortable.

Side-Effects of a Tongue Retaining Appliance

Compliance and use of TRDs is thought to be less than that of more conventional orthodontic devices such as MADs. The nature of the device is such that it can feel more unnatural during sleep than other devices, and cause the user to take it out unconsciously. Though TRDs allow the patient to breath through their mouth, the vacuum produced to pull the tongue forward can induce the feeling that breathing through the mouth is not possible during sleep, which can cause obvious discomfort. Like other orthodontic appliances TRDs can cause side-effects like soreness of the gums and teeth, the sensation of a foreign body (which might prompt you to wake up), dryness of the mouth and excessive salivation.


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