FAQ
Somnowell Chrome - FAQs
We have tried to answer all the common questions, but if you require any further information please use our Contact form and we will endeavour to answer your questions as promptly and completely as we can.
General
Mandibular advancement devices are one of the most well researched and proven methods for controlling both snoring and sleep apnoea. The main problem however has been with compliance. Other devices are made from bulky plastic and patients cannot tolerate them. The Somnowell Chrome is the first device made from chrome cobalt alloy and is therefore very small and comfortable. It is tailor-made to fit you perfectly and meet your individual needs. It is also extremely durable and hygienic.
Getting a Somnowell
In order to make a Somnowell Chrome appliance we require a forward postured bite that has been taken in line with his guidelines. Plus a facebow record is also required, this is unique to the Somnowell Chrome and is a measuremnt of your upper jaw as it relates to your skull and jaw joints.
Using the Somnowell Chrome
"I have been working in a major sleep studies unit, fitting a variety of mandibular advancement splints, for the last 17 years. The Somnowell appliance is by far the best appliance I have ever used. Some of my long-standing patients who have struggled with other custom-made splints have converted to the Somnowell and have been amazed at how easy it is to wear and how successful it is in curing their snoring and sleep apnoea.
The slim-line design and the precision of fit make this appliance the easiest to wear and most tight-fitting,holding the lower jaw forwards and opening up the airway. None of my patients have found this uncomfortable and without exception prefer it to any other splint they have tried.
My Somnowell patients frequently tell me I have transformed their lives, as well as that of their partners. This appliance, in my opinion, truly is the "Rolls Royce" of Mandibular Advancement Appliances and I would urge any patients who are suffering from snoring or sleep apnoea to seek a consultation from one of the experienced Somnowell practitioners."
All MAA's are based on functional orthodontic appliances and these devices can give rise to jaw position and or occlusal changes.
These should be brought to your attention at the consultation. All of our supplied consent forms include a warning of this risk.
Patients are advised to wear their devices strictly at night and not every night. Patients should be given the morning bite settling devices and shown how to use these. There is no current means of predicting which cases are most at risk.
Visiting Professor Simon Ash, the Somnowell inventor, has seen several of these cases over the years and in most cases the patients have opted for accepting a change in their occlusion in preference to living with obstructive sleep apnoea or CPAP. See Contraindications for more information.
Price
The Somnowell Chrome is tailor made for you using systems and techniques established by the inventor Visiting Professor Simon Ash who is a Specialist Orthodontist and one of the world's leading experts in this area. The Somnowell Chrome is made from cast chrome cobalt which makes it the smallest and most discreet, and by far the most comfortable device available. It is also the only device that can be sterilised and will always be clean and fresh. The Somnowell Chrome is adjustable and should last indefinitely.
Guarantee
The tooth anatomy does not change once the teeth have erupted except if there is wear, tooth loss, fracture or restorative work. Teeth are constantly moving and in a state of balance according to the forces applied to them within the mouth.
Sleep Apnoea
It is important that you have had an overnight sleep study and have been assessed by a physician. You are able to use the Somnowell in conjunction with other treatments, e.g. CPAP and lifestyle changes. In fact many of our patients with sleep apnoea do find that the Somnowell alone is effective. However, you must be guided by your physician as to whether they should cease to use CPAP or other prescribed care.
Snoring / Sleep Apnoea with Bruxism / Teeth Grinding
The Somnowell Chrome is considerably more resistant to these adverse oral conditions than almost any other mandibular advancement device currently available today.
Snoring / Sleep Apnoea with TMJ / Jaw Pain
Fillings and Crowns
Alternatively the Somnowell can be made over the top of the post crowns. If they are removed at a later date and replaced with implants that are a different shape and size, then that individual part of the Somnowell would need to be re-made. See guarantee for more information.
Missing Teeth, Dentures, and Implants
See Contraindications for more information.
If the technician and dentist follow the guidance we provide then it may not be necessary to change the Somnowell Chrome as the new prosthesis can often be constructed to fit within the existing Somnowell Chrome. However if more extensive dental work is undertaken then it is likely that the dental anatomy will alter and the Somnowell Chrome will not be a good fit and a remake of part or all of the device will be required.
Normally if you lose a tooth then this should not be a problem as the Somnowell will be able to gain enough retention from the remaining teeth. This does however depend on the number of teeth you have beforehand and how many teeth you lose.
Many patient have overcome this by having implants and dentures supported by the implants and then to have a Somnowell Chrome that is worn over the implant retained dentures.
In the lower jaw retention and transverse balance is often more challenging. The principles of prosthetic denture construction and design apply.
If a patient requires restorative, prosthetic, implant work then all of this should be completed before records for a Somnowell are taken.
For patients with dentures supported by implants then providing the dentures are well retained with the implant and associated superstructure apparatus then the Somnowell impressions are taken over the dentures in situ and the Somnowell Chrome is constructed to fit the dentures such that the denture is sandwiched between the implants and the Somnowell Chrome. It may be necessary to prepare some undercuts in the dentures for retention of the Somnowell Chrome (the patient must in advance be consulted about this).
Allergies
Other Medical Issues
See Contraindications for more information.
See Contraindications for more information.
See Contraindications for more information.
The deep snoring at night when we are unconscious cannot be replicated when we are awake. We can make the soft palate vibrate and make a nasal snore.
Its important that the patient breathes through the nose. If there is a very large uvula (end of soft palate) there may be a case for an ENT assessment.
The Somnowell usually works in these patients.
Its important that the patient breathes through the nose. If there is a very large uvula (end of soft palate) there may be a case for an ENT assessment.
The Somnowell usually works in these patients.
See Contraindications for more information.
If you have concers relating to your soft palate then the advice of an ENT or Oral and Maxillofacial specilist should be sought.
See Contraindications for more information.
See Contraindications for more information.
Orthodontics
The Somnowell inventor, Visiting Professor Simon Ash, is a Specialist Orthodontist.
See Contraindications for more information.
See Contraindications for more information.
The Somnowell Chrome being made of a cast metal depends and gains support from the teeth spreading the load over the teeth. Retention is mainly gained by virtue of the paths of insertion being different to the moment of forces derived by the function of the device. Thus as the forces applied to the Somnowell Chrome cause the device to become more retentiv. The occlusal balancing of the Somnowell Chrome is designed to spread a the opposing loading forces across the dental arches. Teeth are designed to resist occlusal forces and the Somnowell Chrome takes advantage of this. The gums & mucosa are designed to support the teeth but should not in general be covered and not used for direct appliance support.
Driving Licence
We treat a lot of people with OSA that rely on their licence for their job, such as pilots, train drivers etc. Your Somnowell Dentist is not trained or allowed to verify your fitness to drive, you must return to your doctor or sleep physician for advice.
Plastic Oral Devices
Advantages:
- Tolerated by the patient
- Material has some inherent flexibility
- Inexpensive
- Produced locally and limited reliance on advanced clinical recording techniques
- High device fracture rate when subject to jaw parafunction and Bruxism' at the bottom as a new point.
- Often poor compliance by patients
- Bulky devices, encroachment into tongue space
- Increased vertical jaw opening beyond free way space may lead to mouth breathing and a dry mouth
- Appliances cannot be sterilised, cannot be put in very hot water, often become smelly, unsightly and difficult to clean.
- Materials are porous and harbour oral microflora
- A very hit and miss distribution of loading over the teeth especially where there is wear or deterioration of the materials used.
- A plaque trap possibly aggravating periodontal breakdown
- May have limited scope for adjustments anterior posterior and horizontal
- Often soft tissue as well as tooth borne
- Often fixes the TM Joints unless a two part device is used
- Limits normal saliva flow around the teeth and gums
Advantages:
- Low bulk, limited if any encroachment into tongue space
- Minimal vertical jaw opening allowing lip to lip oral seal
- Can be sterilised in an autoclave and cleaned in a dish washer
- Material is impervious to oral microflora
- Is tooth borne not tissue borne
- Very good patient compliance due to comfort
- Aesthetically once in situ very pleasing
- Patients can take medication and liquids without taking appliance out
- Can talk with appliance in
- Adjustable
- Inexpensive in the long term
- Long life expectancy of device
- Allows free flow of saliva when in place
- A tight snug fit once in place
- Chrome device most unlikely to cause the displacement or loss or movement of teeth
- Can act as a splint where the teeth are periodontally compromised distributing occlusal loads and parafunctional forces
- Better able to resist the forces of occlusion
- Exacting clinical record taking requirements (availability of facebow, high precision impression materials, and bite recording)
- Dependence on off site laboratory production
- Tricky to insert / remove until patient gets used to the device
- Raised patient expectations
- Initial costs
- If the dental anatomy alters, e.g. major restorative work is undertaken, a remake of part or all of the device may be required
- Even these metal devices can be distorted and fractured by the parafunctional and bruxism forces, these causes of device failure are not included in the device warantee
See guarantee for more information.
See Contraindications for more information.
It is Visiting Professor Ash's opinion that the Somnowell Chrome is better for your oral health than plastic devices because the Somnowell Chrome allows the natural flow of saliva around the gums and teeth. Furthermore the Somnowell Chrome does not hold plaque against the teethto neasrly the same extent like plastic devices do.
Surgery
A reduction in the bulk of any soft tissues within the posterior airway may be beneficial to you. Soft tissue obstructions may lead to airway restriction and encourage mouth breathing. This will in turn aggravate snoring and obstructive sleep apnoea.
Orthognathic surgery (surgery to the jaw bones) has been proven to be an effective method of treating snoring and obstructive sleep apnoea. Unfortunately this type of surgery is complex and carries a morbidity / mortality risk.
Any blockage of the nasal airway will encourage mouth breathing and snoring. Correction of the deviated septum and or removal of nasal airway obstructions is usually beneficial.
See Contraindications for more information.


The Somnowell mandibular advancement appliance is also recommended by:
- Sleep Centres
- ENT Surgeons, Sleep Physicians, Respiratory Physicians
- Orthodontists, Dentists
- General Medical Practitioners
All the content within the Somnowell website is provided for general information only, and should not be treated as a subsitute for the medical advice of your own doctor or any other health care professional. Somnowell is not responsible or liable for any diagnosis made by a user based on the content of the Somnowell website. Somnowell is not liable for the contents of any external internet sites listed, nor does it endorse any commercial product or service mentioned or advised on any of the sites. Always consult your doctor if you are in any way concerned about your health.
Contraindications
The device is contraindicated for patients who:





Warnings
Use of the device may cause:




