Sleep apnea appliances
For snoring, and for mild to moderate sleep apnea a physician has already diagnosed.
A sleep appliance is a custom mouthpiece worn at night that holds your lower jaw slightly forward so the airway stays open. It is an option for snoring and for mild to moderate obstructive sleep apnea, and it is made on a doctor's diagnosis, not on a guess.
Any of these sound familiar?
- Your partner says you snore loudly, or that you stop breathing and then gasp.
- You sleep a full night and still wake up tired, with a dry mouth or a headache.
- A sleep study has come back showing mild or moderate obstructive sleep apnea.
- You were given a CPAP machine and cannot get on with the mask.
- You have been told to lose weight and change your sleep position and want to know what else there is.
Start to finish.
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01
A sleep study first
An appliance is fitted on a diagnosis. If you have not been tested, ask your family doctor about a sleep study; it is done at home or in a lab and comes back graded mild, moderate or severe.
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02
The dental exam
Dr. Malik checks your teeth, gums and jaw joint, because an appliance pulls on all three. You need enough sound teeth to hold it and a joint that tolerates the jaw sitting forward.
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03
Impressions and bite
We take impressions of both jaws and a record of how far forward your jaw can sit comfortably. Those go to the lab, and the appliance is built to fit only your mouth.
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04
Fitting and advancing
The appliance comes back in a few weeks and you start wearing it every night. Over the following weeks it is advanced a fraction at a time, until the snoring settles and you wake up rested.
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05
Back to your doctor
Your physician usually repeats the sleep study with the appliance in, to confirm it is doing what it should. We keep checking the fit, your bite and the joint at your regular cleanings.
What it costs, and who pays.
Expect three visits over a month or so, then short adjustment visits while the appliance is advanced. Coverage varies more here than for most dental work. Some dental plans pay part of it, some extended health plans treat it as a medical device, and many ask for the sleep study report first.
Ask for a written estimateSleep apnea appliances, answered.
Does a mouthpiece actually work for sleep apnea?
For mild and moderate apnea it often reduces snoring and the number of breathing pauses, and it is a recognised alternative when CPAP cannot be tolerated. Severe apnea is usually treated with CPAP, and that call belongs to your physician, not to us.
Can I get a sleep appliance without a sleep study?
No. We can talk about snoring at any visit, but an appliance for apnea is made against a diagnosis, so we need the report before anything is ordered.
Is it more comfortable than CPAP?
Most people find it quieter and far easier to travel with, since there is no mask, hose or power. It has its own downsides: a tight jaw and extra saliva in the first couple of weeks, and it needs teeth healthy enough to hold it.
Will wearing one change my bite?
It can, slowly, over years of nightly wear. That is why the bite and the joint get checked at every cleaning, so small changes are caught early and the appliance adjusted.
