3 Reasons To Choose Chrome Cobalt Over Plastic For Your Next Mandibular Advancement Device
Lately chrome cobalt alloy has begun to be utilized as a material for making mandibular advancement devices that help patients stop snoring. Significantly the Somnowell from the United Kingdom. Traditionally thermoplastic and acrylic plastic has been the material of choice for manufacturing mandibular advancement appliances. Be they over the counter one-size-fits-all devices, semi bespoke boil-and-bite devices, or bespoke devices fitted by a dentist.
So what are the 3 reasons to select chrome cobalt over plastic?
1. Lifespan
Plastic however has a limited lifespan. Oral devices suffer lots of damage in the oral environment. A plastic oral device will last anything from some weeks to 1 or 2 years. Snoring and sleep apnoea typically become worse as patients age and routinely require lifetime treatment. Chrome cobalt alloy does not degrade or deform in the oral environment and can last for decades.
2. Hygiene
Plastics absorb water and harbour micro-organisms and bacteria. After a little time the plastic oral appliance will discolour and become unsightly and smelly. This infestation can be slowed by using special cleaning agents, however it can’t be stopped. The oral appliance remains in the mouth for many hours each night. Chrome cobalt on the other hand is an inert metal like gold. And like gold it is ideal for long-term use in the oral environment. Chrome cobalt does not absorb water and its surface is very resistant to colonization by micro-organisms and bacteria.
3. Comfort
Plastic mandibular advancement splints have to be very bulky in contrast to chrome cobalt. This is due to the material strength required to make the appliance retentive and strong enough to hold the lower jaw forward. The mouth is very sensitive to bulk in the mouth. This inherent bulkiness of the plastic oral devices has been their major drawback with many patients finding them intolerable. Chrome cobalt alloy is very strong in thin section and mandibular advancement devices made of this material appear almost like mouth jewellery. They take up very little space in the oral cavity and therefore are much more comfortable for patients to wear.
Loran Simon is a director at Somnowell. Somnowell is the first chrome cobalt oral device used in the professional management of snoring. The Somnowell is the leading anti snore device.