Oral Appliance Therapy For Sleep Apnea

Oral appliance therapy for obstructive sleep apnea.

Oral appliance therapy for sleep apnea.

An alternative treatment is oral appliance therapy. Oral appliance therapy is commonly used today in the treatment of mild to moderate obstructive sleep apnea osa. Oral appliances are a good and effective alternative to cpap in treating mild to moderate sleep apnea. If you have persistent symptoms of sleep apnea and don t use your cpap you should have a conversation with your sleep doctor to review alternative treatments including potentially using an oral appliance and trying some exercises as long as you do not have severe sleep apnea.

For patients who suffer from severe osa and are utilizing a cpap machine gold standard for severe cases an oral appliance can be used in conjunction with the cpap for maximum benefit to the patient. They should be custom fitted by your dentist to ensure both comfort and effectiveness. Despite their double retainer like appearance oral appliances are said to be comfortable to use. The device fits much like a sports mouth guard or orthodontic retainer.

The preferred method of treating obstructive sleep apnea osa is the cpap machine. One appliance looks like a mouth guard. For people who can t tolerate a cpap machine dentists may recommend an oral appliance. If you and your doctor decide that oral appliance therapy is the best treatment option for you then your doctor will write a prescription for you to receive a custom made oral appliance.

Research shows that oral appliance therapy is an effective treatment option for snoring and obstructive sleep apnea. It involves wearing a removable oral appliance in your mouth as you sleep. Worn only during sleep an oral appliance fits like an orthodontic retainer. Another dental device stabilizes the tongue.

It supports the jaw in a forward position to help maintain an open upper airway.