Mouthpiece Could Help Ease Snoring(ecommends that patients regularly see a ...),Health

The breathing mask, which costs $400 to $600, is hooked to a machine and sends air through a nasal mask into the throat where it forces the airway to stay open. "The masks do work very well, but they're so uncomfortable that I don't think a lot of patients can wear them, and they don't get the benefit of them," Robertson said.

Eight of the patients preferred the mouthpiece, and five chose the breathing mask. Seven didn't like either treatment.

As compared to Scotland, "a lot of Americans are more keen on the surgery, but they, too, are realizing that they can treat a lot of snorers with a splint or a breathing mask."

Dr. Ronald D. Chervin, a physician who treats sleep disorders at the University of Michigan, cautioned that mouthpieces aren't typically as effective as the breathing masks.

"It would be encouraging if they did even as well" as breathing masks," he said. "But they can be very effective for some individuals."

More information

Learn more about snoring from the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery.

SOURCES: Stuart M. Robertson, MBChB, surgical trainee, Crosshouse Hospital, Kilmarnock, Scotland; Ronald D. Chervin, M.D., M.S., Michael S. Aldrich Sleep Disorders Laboratory, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor; Sept. 17, 2007, presentation, annual meeting, American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Washington, D.C.