PATIENT STORIES

Kerrie’s story

“ I just wanted to say that’s I am so amazed by my splint. I was told by another hospital that as I did not get on with the CPAP device that there was nothing else that could be done for me. I was desperate to be referred to someone else as my extreme tiredness was leading to be falling asleep almost anywhere, dreading going to sleep as night, having no energy and questioning how I could go on like this. The UCLH and Dr Thomas’ team have been amazing and so have Somnomed. When everyone else gave up you all found a solution. I no longer dread going to sleep, I can stay awake all day and have started to get my life back. Thank you all!  ”

Giles’ story

“I wanted to thank you for your specialist help in understanding my apnea issues and for measuring and fitting my somnomed device. It has made unbelievable improvements to both my sleep and also my wife’s sleep. I am not snoring and sleep through the night even after a glass of wine. 

It may be quite large and looks like it will be uncomfortable but it’s not. Its taken many years to get to this point and probably the device was not available when I first saw some consultants 15+ years ago but glad I didn’t give up pestering my GP and hope you get to help many more people, who like me didn’t really understand they had an issue that could be solved. 

Thanks again  ”

Simon’s story

“My name is Simon Wilsdon I am a general dentist in York with a special interest in dental sleep medicine. Over several years I have experienced mild sleep apnoea and, unfortunately for my wife, loud snoring.  I have tried several different mandibular advancement devices over the years. These have given initial improvement but nothing long lasting and were uncomfortable over time.

After investigating different options, I decided to give the new SomnoMed® Avant™ appliance a try. I have now been wearing it for just over a year. The results have been very good. My wife now knows when I have forgotten to put the device in as I will be snoring!  It is very easy to use and very comfortable, especially to the inner cheeks. The appliance can be simply adjusted by using the additional straps, which are included with the device. My sleep patterns are much improved. The only drawback is that it can make you salivate (dribble) when sleeping, but to be fair all of the appliances I have tried have done this.

I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this for anyone who has problems with snoring.”

Mohammed’s story

Mohammed was diagnosed with Severe Sleep Apnoea in 2018.“For the first year after my diagnosis, I had a CPAP machine in the home, but I really struggled with it, due to the anxiety of the mask being on my face all night.When I saw my Sleep Consultant, I was advised that I should not drive, and my driving license has now been revoked for more than 2 years. I have a family at home, with four children, so having no driving license has really affected our day-to-day lives. Little things like food shopping and trips out are much more difficult.Sleep Apnoea also affected my work. I used to fall asleep and snore loudly in team meetings, which was obviously very embarrassing in a work situation.I spoke to my manager about my condition and she was very supportive, allowing me to have more breaks when I got really tired.When I found out about SomnoMed’s SomnoDent® device, I had to give it a try. I’ve now had this device since October 2020, and I’ve found that my sleep problems and my snoring have completely stopped. I don’t get tired during the day, and my life is much improved. I always feel refreshed after having a good night’s sleep.’

Michael’s story

“I have been using my SomnoMed® device for about two years now. It has completely improved the quality of sleep that I get and consequently certain aspects of my life for the better. On the rare occasion that I forget to put it in the device my sleep deteriorates immediately. It’s invaluable.”

Liz’s story

“Having suffered jaw and tooth pain over several months and following several appointments with my GP and regular dentist to no avail, I asked April (dentist) if she could give me a second opinion. After careful consultation April suggested that sleep apnoea and teeth grinding might be behind the issues and recommended a SomnoMed® device to wear at night.  It is now just under a week since I started using the device and the effects have been fantastic. I can now get a nights’ sleep, the pain has almost gone! Thank you April for taking so much care to get to the bottom of things, your help has made such a difference.”

April’s comments: “I was recommended the Avant SomnoMed® device from a colleague of mine as I had a few TMD (temporomandibular disorder) patients who were parafunctioning (includes bruxism and clenching) due to sleep apnoea. I asked my colleague for advice on appliances as I wanted to treat sleep apnoea with a mandibular advancement splint without exacerbating the TMD symptoms. After an initial chat with Alison Bell, one of the SomnoMed® reps, we organised impression appointments and fit appointments where she could attend and guide me if necessary. The patient could not be happier with her device and I couldn’t be happier with the quality of the Avant and professionalism shown from both Alison and SomnoMed®. I couldn’t recommend them more!”

 

Roy’s story

Like many people, l became aware that l was snoring during the night and feeling tired in the morning. This led me down the route of seeing my GP who felt l may have obstructive sleep apnoea and referred me to the hospital for further tests. There, l was given the Epworth Sleep Study questionnaire to complete which indicated l had daytime sleepiness but not severely. However further investigation was necessary and an overnight hospital stay was arranged where l had a sleep study conducted.  

This led me to using a continuous positive airway pressure device (CPAP). I found this device to be of benefit but not entirely satisfactory. For me, the noise generated by the machine initially kept me awake. The escape of air from the naturally ventilated area of the tubes worn meant more noise and the escape of air towards the area of my eyes was uncomfortable. The tubes and facial headwear meant when l was moving about at night it caused discomfort. I experienced a dry mouth whilst using the CPAP but this was overcome by having a small water reservoir tank connected with the airflow to my mouthpiece.

I tried over a long period of time to overcome the problems l experienced with the CPAP, those being the noise, natural air ventilation being a discomfort, and wearing it being uncomfortable and cumbersome. Although l gave up on CPAP I wanted to get my sleep apnoea under control so discussed other options when having a routine hospital checkup. An operation was considered but l am reluctant to have one as l am not convinced there is a suitable long-term solution if l pursue this route. The other solution due to my condition was a mandibular splint. Possibly not suitable for everyone but my diagnosis allowed this to be tried.

I initially had an NHS-prescribed mandibular splint. It worked well for a while but over a period of time l encountered two broken teeth, one molar tooth on both sides of my lower jaw. Both subsequently needed extraction. So when l went back to have a hospital outpatients appointment the SomnoMed® mandibular splint was mentioned to me. This was a superior product to the initial hospital-supplied device. It also fitted better and was more easily adjustable. Home sleep study results have proved that a mandibular splint product has kept my sleep test results within an acceptable medical range so l now use it nightly. I get no discomfort or side effects. The only maintenance l need to do is to clean it as advised, which is simple and quick. Taking it away on holiday with me is another bonus to having it, as l only need to place it in a small container which was provided initially with the oral device.