Oral Appliances
Oral Appliances provide a convenient, comfortable and minimally intrusive treatment for OSA. The Oral Appliance is a small custom fitted dental mouthpiece that holds the lower jaw forward while sleeping. This relieves obstruction of your airway because it moves the most common obstructor of your airway, the tongue, forward. Repositioning the tongue also creates tension in the muscles in your throat, further helping to maintain an open airway. Treating your OSA with an Oral Appliance has many possible benefits including, reduced or eliminated snoring, improved sleep quality, more daytime energy, and improved mood.
CPAP
Obstructive Sleep Apnea can be treated with Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) devices. CPAP is the gold standard and most effective treatment available. If you’ve been prescribed CPAP, please make an honest attempt to use it as instructed. However, CPAP may not be suitable or well tolerated by all patients. It is estimated that 40-50% of patients do not use their CPAP often enough to be treated effectively, or stop using their CPAP altogether. For these instances, Oral Appliance Therapy is often a suitable alternative.
Combination Therapy
CPAP and Oral Appliance Therapy (OAT), can occasionally fall short of expectations. Although CPAP is the most effective way to treat OSA, long-term compliance can be an issue, as many patients stop using their CPAPs or use them infrequently. On the other hand, while the Oral Appliance (OA) is often tolerated better by patients it may not always reduce their apnea as effectively.
Thankfully, you don’t have to choose between one or the other! We have helped many patients succeed by combining their CPAP with an Oral Appliance. This allows for a LOWER PRESSURE which can improve mask fit and reduce air leakage, for more effective treatment and better sleep. Some patients may be able to use the unique TAP-PAP device for a “no mask” CPAP.
Surgery
Surgical treatment is very effective in certain circumstances. Surgery may be the best option if both CPAP and Oral Appliance are not tolerated.
Unsure of which treatment will work best for you? Click the link below to learn more about oral appliance therapy!
