Sleep Apnea

Our sleep apnea treatment focuses on the obstructive type (OSA), a disorder in which soft tissues at the back of your throat collapse, sealing off your airway and blocking oxygen flow to your body.

If you have enlarged tonsils or your tongue tends to slip backward at night, the problem can worsen without you even realizing it.

How Can an Oral Appliance Help?

Oral appliances offer an effective way to manage this condition. These FDA-cleared medical devices hold your lower jaw forward, which keeps your tongue from slipping back and prevents soft tissues from sealing off your airway.

This holistic approach naturally improves airflow to your lungs and may even eliminate the need for a CPAP machine.

How They’re Made

Prescription sleep apnea mouthpieces are designed from impressions of your upper and lower teeth. We send these models to our lab, where your custom appliance is made. Then we fit it to your mouth and monitor it for a short time to make sure it’s positioned correctly.

Unlike other mouthguards, these devices cover your upper and lower teeth at the same time. Because they change the position of your jaws, it may take a few nights to get used to wearing them. Some of our patients notice improvement as early as the first night.

Advantages of Oral Sleep Appliances

Unlike noisy CPAP machines, dental sleep appliances are great for traveling. There are no hoses to clean, bulky equipment to manage and they’re extremely discreet. Some people swap out their CPAP machines for oral sleep appliances permanently. Others use their devices for traveling or at the same time as their CPAP.

Not everyone exhibits the same warning signs of sleep apnea. If you’ve yet to be diagnosed with a sleeping disorder, watch for these common symptoms and criteria:

Flattened, worn teeth
Large neck circumference
Frequent headaches or migraines
TMJ disorder
Earaches
Weight gain
Fatigue

Depression
High blood pressure
Cardiovascular disease
Narrow palate
Past orthodontic tooth extractions
Post-menopausal women

If you haven’t yet been diagnosed with a sleeping disorder, we can screen you for the symptoms during your exam. A medical doctor will need to make the formal diagnosis and then prescribe the appliance, which we then fill for you. Depending on who your physician is, you may be able to have a home sleep study conducted.

Although dental appliances made for sleep apnea must be fitted and delivered by a dentist, they’re not covered by dental insurance. However, as a medical-grade prescription device, they are usually included under your medical insurance benefits.

The key is to find a dentist who accepts medical insurance and has specific experience working with sleep apnea patients. Our office is able to coordinate claims on behalf of our patients through their health carrier, minimizing out-of-pocket expenses related to their care.

Our Sleep Apnea Treatment Could Save Your Life

Our sleep apnea treatment helps address a condition that, left untreated, raises your risk of a life-threatening heart attack or stroke. Custom oral appliances can help eliminate the need for a bulky CPAP machine. Contact Juanita Bay Dentist today for more information.

Sleep Apnea

How Can an Oral Appliance Help?

How They’re Made

Advantages of Oral Sleep Appliances

Our Sleep Apnea Treatment Could Save Your Life

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