For the last nine months, I’ve been wearing aligners to straighten my teeth, a journey I didn’t expect to take in my thirties. I remember a time when I was pregnant with my daughter Reign. The hormonal shifts of motherhood didn’t just change my body, they changed my smile. And my gum shifted which meant I needed to undergo gum surgery.
Wearing aligners has been both exciting and humbling. At first, it felt very strange, the tight pressure on my teeth, the mild lisp when I tried to talk, and the discipline of having to remove them every time I wanted to eat. I would constantly have to excuse myself just to pop them out before a meal. But slowly, I began to see the progress: the subtle shifts, the way my teeth started realigning, and the quiet reminder that consistency always pays off.
More than just a cosmetic fix, the process has been about reclaiming confidence and learning patience. Nine months in, I’ve realized aligners are a metaphor for growth: uncomfortable at first, inconvenient sometimes, but proof that small, daily adjustments can lead to visible transformation over time.
And here is the twist: as I worked on my teeth, I stumbled on a bigger conversation about how our mouths hold the secrets to our overall health. And this struck a sit-down with Dr. Steve Mugabe and this truth came alive in the most unexpected way.
When Snoring Threatens More Than Sleep.
Dr. Steve shared openly about how his own snoring nearly shook the foundation of his marriage. His wife would lie awake at night, listening to his loud, gasping snores. At times, she feared he was fighting for his life in his sleep. The frustration, worry, and sleepless nights almost drove a wedge between them.
Hearing that hit home for me as a wife and a storyteller because behind every health struggle is not just the person experiencing it, but the family that carries it with them.
Not Just Noise
Dr. Steve explained something that forever changed the way I think about snoring:
-Snoring often means the airway is partially blocked during sleep.
-If the airway fully collapses, it leads to sleep apnea where breathing repeatedly stops and starts.
-Each pause triggers the brain to jolt the body awake, flooding it with stress hormones meant for emergencies.
The result? The body is stuck in “fight or flight mode” all night long. Over time, this takes a toll on the heart, weight, hormones, and even life span.
As I listened, I thought about how many couples silently endure this. We shrug it off as “just snoring,” never realizing it could be the reason behind our constant fatigue, our stress, or even our relationship struggles.
And as someone wearing aligners myself, I couldn’t help but smile (literally). What I thought was just about straightening teeth was actually connected to something bigger, breathing, sleeping, and overall health.
Domino Effect
In children, persistent mouth breathing can lead to crooked teeth, poor sleep, and developmental delays. Early intervention could save them from years of dental and health challenges later.
And there's hope: with awareness, intentional care, and sometimes the courage to seek help, we can reclaim our sleep and our health.
Closing Thoughts
Dr. Steve’s story isn’t just his own, it’s for every couple, every parent, every person who has ever dismissed snoring as “harmless.” His honesty reminded me that sometimes the biggest threats to our happiness aren’t loud crises but the quiet struggles we normalize.
So tonight, if you hear a snore, pause. Don’t laugh it off. Listen to it. It may nudge your body to book that appointment with the dentist. To watch the full video, click on the link here. Treating Snoring and how it affects overall Health