ApneaAnswer.com

Dental Appliances -                                    A convenient effective alternative to CPAP and surgery:

Dental Appliances are designed to specifically manipulate the tongue, the lower jaw, or both so that excess soft tissue is kept from impinging the airway. 

These devices are made in such a way that any manipulation or repositioning of the jaw or tongue is maintained throughout the night, no matter if the patient changes positions while asleep. 

On another page in this site, we had you try an exercise to mimic snoring.  If you tried this exercise, you may have noticed that the tongue and soft tissue of the throat play a major role in snoring.  This is the essential premise on which dental appliances work.

Click here to watch Dr. Gupta explain the role of jaw repositioning in the treatment of snoring and sleep apnea.

Most appliances are made of rigid acrylic material that locks onto the teeth, similar to mouthguards or bitesplints.  

There are several different available dental appliances for the treatment of sleep apnea.   The way they work varies widely, so it is important to discuss the different treatment options with your dentist to find the most appropriate dental appliance for you.  Here are links for some of the most common OSA dental treatment options:

 Respire Appliance- uses an upper and lower mouthpiece that guides the lower jaw forward, but still allows you to open and close your mouth

 FullBreath Solution- uses an upper mouthpiece with bars attached to restrain the tongue from falling backwards.  Can be used with dentures.  Allows you to open and close your mouth

 SnoreFree Appliance- a lower mouthpiece that repositions the lower jaw

 Klearway Appliance- an upper and lower mouthpiece that repositions that lower jaw.  Can be ajusted for effectiveness and comfort

 Oasys Oral Airway System- an upper and lower mouthpiece that repositions the lower jaw, and also acts to open the nasal airway. 

 Aveo- a tongue repositioning device that does not lock on to either the upper or lower jaw

 Silent Nite - an upper and lower mouthpiece that repositions the lower jaw using non-adjustable bars. 

 TAP Appliances- upper and lower mouthpieces that allow the patient to adjust the extent of lower jaw repositioning

 Myerson EMA- an upper and lower mouthpiece that repositions the lower jaw using varying elastic bands

Surgery:

OSA is often caused by excessive soft tissue pushing against the throat.  Several surgical techniques have been introduced to remove tissue that would otherwise impinge upon the airway.  If you would like to learn more about the different surgical techniques, please enter the following terms into your web search engine:

• Nasal reconstruction for sleep apnea
• Uvulopalatopharyngoplasty (UPPP)
• Laser assisted uvulectomy (LAUP)
• Somnoplasty 

Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP):

This is the "Gold Standard" for treatment of sleep apnea.  This treatment modality involves a mask worn over the nose.  An air compressor then pushes air through the mask and actually forces the airway open. 

If worn regularly, this treatment is extremely effective.  Many patients are thrilled as they get better sleep, and more energy.  The problem is that the CPAP mask is not always worn regularly.  Currently, studies show that CPAP has only a 50% compliance rate.  Patients complain that this treatment option is difficult to comply with, as:

• The mask feels uncomfortable
• The machine is difficult to travel with
• The mask causes rash or acne on the skin
• The forced air dries out the throat
• The machine makes it difficult to move around while sleeping