A custom dental oral appliance — the mandibular advancement splint — can reduce snoring for many people and may assist the treatment of diagnosed mild-to-moderate sleep apnoea. Made and fitted by the dentist, after a medical diagnosis.
A dental oral appliance — most commonly a mandibular advancement splint (MAS) — is a small, custom-made device worn during sleep that gently holds the lower jaw slightly forward to help keep the airway more open. It can reduce snoring for many people, and it may assist in the treatment of diagnosed mild-to-moderate obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA). One thing to be clear about from the start: OSA is a medical condition that must be diagnosed by a doctor or sleep physician, usually after a sleep study. The dentist does not diagnose or cure sleep apnoea — the dentist makes and fits the appliance once a diagnosis is in place. At Whitehorse Dental, 129A Canterbury Road, Blackburn, Dr Melissa Huang has looked after local families for over 20 years and works alongside your GP or sleep physician on the dental side of your care. Consultations are available in Mandarin, Cantonese, Teochew, Shanghainese and English, and Saturday appointments are available.
Sleep apnoea is a medical diagnosis, not a dental one. A dentist cannot diagnose OSA and cannot "cure" it — but once you have a diagnosis, a custom oral appliance may be a suitable part of your treatment. The order of events matters, and it looks like this:
Both are recognised approaches, and which one suits you is a medical decision made with your doctor. This is a factual comparison, not a ranking — neither is "better" in every case:
| At a glance | Dental oral appliance (MAS) | CPAP machine |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A custom mouthpiece that holds the jaw slightly forward | A mask and pump that delivers pressurised air |
| Often suited to | Snoring and mild-to-moderate OSA | Moderate-to-severe OSA (typical first-line) |
| Portability | Small, no power — easy to travel with | Machine, mask and hose to pack |
| Comfort / tolerance | No mask; many find it easy to wear | Very effective, but some find the mask hard to tolerate |
| Provided by | Dentist, after medical diagnosis | Prescribed and set up medically |
A mandibular advancement splint works by gently repositioning the lower jaw a few millimetres forward while you sleep. That small change helps stop the soft tissues at the back of the throat from collapsing and narrowing the airway — which is what causes the vibration of snoring, and contributes to the airway obstruction in OSA. Because it's made precisely to your mouth, it's more comfortable and stable than a generic "boil-and-bite" device from a chemist. Once you have a diagnosis and your doctor agrees it's suitable, the process on our side is straightforward:
Australian Dental Association (ADA) item numbers identify each procedure on your receipt and private health-fund claim. They're national identifiers — not fees — so they're the same wherever you're treated, and worth quoting when you check your cover. The codes for a diagnosed snoring or OSA appliance are:
| ADA item | Procedure |
|---|---|
| 983 | Single-arch oral appliance for diagnosed snoring / obstructive sleep apnoea |
| 984 | Bi-maxillary (both-arch) oral appliance for diagnosed snoring / OSA — the typical mandibular advancement splint |
| 985 | Repair or addition to an existing snoring / OSA oral appliance |
Note that a snoring / OSA appliance is a different device from a night guard for teeth grinding and clenching (that's ADA item 965). If grinding or jaw pain is your concern, see our TMJ and jaw pain page.
The figures below are general indicative ranges across Australian clinics (2025), provided as a guide only — they are not a quote and not a statement of Whitehorse Dental’s fees. Your exact cost is confirmed in a written treatment plan after your assessment.
| Type | Indicative range (AUD) |
|---|---|
| Custom oral appliance (mandibular advancement splint) | $1,500 – $3,500 |
Indicative Australian ranges (2025) shown as a general guide only, not a quote. If you hold private extras cover, we can help you check your rebate before you commit.
The figure above is an indicative Australian guide, not a quote — your exact cost is confirmed in a written treatment plan after your assessment. If you hold private health extras cover, part of the cost may be rebated depending on your policy, so it's worth checking your level of cover using the ADA item numbers (983 / 984) above. Please note that Medicare does not cover dental sleep appliances.
Snoring rarely affects just the person doing it. In a settled working suburb like Blackburn — 16 kilometres east of Melbourne's CBD, with a 2021 Census median age of 41 and couples-with-children making up 48.2% of local families — a partner's disrupted sleep, or a whole household's, is often what finally prompts a conversation. For the right patient who has a medical diagnosis, a custom dental appliance is a discreet, travel-friendly alternative to CPAP: no mask, no hose, and small enough to take away for the weekend. From our Canterbury Road practice we look after patients across Blackburn, Blackburn North and Blackburn South, and neighbouring Box Hill, Nunawading, Forest Hill, Mitcham and Vermont South. Both Blackburn and Laburnum stations sit on the Belgrave and Lilydale lines a short walk away, and there's on-site parking.
Sleep and snoring concerns are often raised by a partner, and the pathway — diagnosis, appliance, adjustments — is easier to think through in your own language. Blackburn has a large and long-established Chinese-Australian community: 17.7% of residents reported Chinese ancestry in 2021, and across the wider City of Whitehorse it is the single largest ancestry at 26.2%. Around one in ten Blackburn residents speaks Mandarin at home, and across Whitehorse that rises to 16.2%, with a further 5.5% speaking Cantonese. So consultations at Whitehorse Dental are available in Mandarin, Cantonese, Teochew, Shanghainese and English, throughout treatment rather than just at the front desk.
If your real issue is grinding, clenching or jaw pain rather than snoring, a night guard is a different device (ADA 965) — see TMJ & jaw pain. For custom sports and other protective appliances, see custom mouthguards. And whatever brings you in, a healthy mouth is the foundation — a regular check-up and clean is a good place to start, and it's often where snoring concerns first come up.
Whitehorse Dental is at 129A Canterbury Road, Blackburn VIC 3130 — easily reached from across the eastern suburbs by train or car, with on-site parking. If you already have a diagnosis and want to discuss an oral appliance, or you'd simply like to raise snoring or tiredness at a check-up, we're happy to talk through the sensible next steps. Call us on (03) 8838 8820 or book online. Saturday appointments make it easier to come in around work.
A dentist doesn't diagnose or cure sleep apnoea. Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) is a medical condition, and it must be diagnosed by a doctor or sleep physician — usually after a sleep study. What a dentist can do is make and fit a custom oral appliance (a mandibular advancement splint) once a diagnosis has been made and your doctor agrees it's suitable. So the medical diagnosis comes first; the dentist looks after the appliance side, working alongside your doctor.
Yes. A sleep study, arranged through your GP or a sleep physician, is what confirms whether you have obstructive sleep apnoea and how mild or severe it is. That diagnosis is what tells everyone whether an oral appliance is a suitable option for you. We can't provide an appliance for diagnosed OSA without that medical assessment in place — it protects you and makes sure the appliance is the right choice.
A custom oral appliance can reduce snoring for many people by gently holding the lower jaw slightly forward, which helps keep the airway more open during sleep. We can't guarantee it will stop snoring entirely, because everyone's anatomy and cause of snoring is different — but for the right patient it's a discreet, well-tolerated option worth discussing. We'll always be realistic with you about what it can and can't do.
As a general Australian guide, a custom oral appliance (mandibular advancement splint) is indicatively around $1,500 to $3,500. That's a guide only, not a quote — your exact cost is confirmed in a written treatment plan after your assessment. If you hold private health extras cover, part of the cost may be rebated depending on your policy. Note that Medicare does not cover dental sleep appliances. The relevant ADA item numbers are 983 (single-arch) and 984 (bi-maxillary).
The Australian Dental Association item numbers you're most likely to see are 983 (a single-arch oral appliance for diagnosed snoring or OSA), 984 (a bi-maxillary, both-arch oral appliance for diagnosed snoring or OSA — the typical mandibular advancement splint), and 985 (a repair or addition to an existing snoring or OSA device). These are national identifiers that appear on your receipt and health-fund claim — they are not fees, and they're worth quoting when you check your cover.
No — they're different devices for different problems. A snoring or sleep apnoea appliance (ADA 983/984) repositions the lower jaw to help keep the airway open during sleep. A night guard or occlusal splint for grinding and clenching (ADA item 965) is designed to protect the teeth and ease jaw-joint strain, and does nothing for the airway. If your concern is grinding, clenching or jaw pain, see our TMJ and jaw pain page instead.
A CPAP machine gently pumps pressurised air through a mask to keep the airway open, and it's often the first-line medical treatment for moderate-to-severe OSA. A dental oral appliance is a small custom mouthpiece worn during sleep — no mask, no hose, no power — which makes it discreet and easy to travel with. Oral appliance therapy is an accepted option for snoring and for mild-to-moderate OSA, and is often used by people who've been diagnosed but can't tolerate CPAP. Which is right for you is a medical decision made with your doctor.
Once you have a medical diagnosis and your doctor agrees an appliance is suitable, we start with an assessment of your teeth, gums and jaw. We then take impressions or a digital scan, the appliance is custom-made in a laboratory, and we fit it and check comfort and bite. Over the following weeks we titrate — make small, staged adjustments to the jaw position — and review how you're going, liaising with your doctor as needed.
Yes. Consultations at Whitehorse Dental are available in Mandarin, Cantonese, Teochew, Shanghainese and English. Sleep and snoring concerns are often raised by a partner, and it helps to be able to talk through the pathway — diagnosis, appliance, adjustments — comfortably in your first language throughout, not just at the front desk.
Whitehorse Dental is at 129A Canterbury Road, Blackburn VIC 3130, with on-site parking and a short walk from Blackburn and Laburnum stations. We care for patients across Blackburn, Blackburn North and South, Box Hill, Nunawading, Forest Hill, Mitcham and Vermont South, and Saturday appointments are available. Call (03) 8838 8820 to arrange a consultation.