Mandibular Advancement Splints

How do Mandibular Advancement Splints work?

Mandibular advancement splints constitute a diagnostic element and also offer a temporary solution for minor to moderate cases of Sleep Apnoea. This is a splint that advances the mandible, the tongue and the soft tissue thus achieving, with this movement, the widening of the airways. The mandibular advancement produced by these splints is always controlled by the maxillofacial surgeon.

The design of the mandibular advancement splints is very simple: the patient’s anatomical measurements are taken and dental impressions are made of their maxillary and mandibular arches, simulating a mandibular advancement.

This type of device allows us to achieve certain improvements in the short term:

  • Interruption to sleep is reduced and quality of life during the day improves.
  • The intensity of the snoring diminishes.

However, the use of these prostheses over the long term could cause alteration of the bite and deterioration of the temporomandibular joint.

This is why the Maxillofacial Institute has developed procedures and techniques such as orthognathic surgery for mandibular, maxillary or bimaxillary advancement that can cure this problem immediately and definitively.