Do you have problems with your CPAP therapy? Did you know that a sleep apnea dental device can be a good replacement for your CPAP machine?
Let's learn how can you treat sleep apnea with dental devices.
An oral appliance represent a common alternative for patients with sleep-related breathing disorders, who can't get used with continuous positive airway pressure.
There are different types of oral appliances for sleep apnea, but the most common are:
tongue retaining appliances
mandibular repositioning appliances
Let me explain how these appliances work:
The tongue retaining device reposition the tongue in an anterior position, preventing from falling back into pharyngeal airway and in addition may cause mandibular advancement.
A suction bulb is used to anchor the tip of the tongue to the teeth or lips and hold it forwards.This sleep apnea dental appliance has some disadvantages:
increase the production of saliva
soreness of the tongue
poor tolerance of the treatment
moderately effective
Here is a video with this type of dental appliance for sleep apnea:
The mandibular repositioning or advancement devices hold the mandible forwards during sleep and may also modify upper airway muscle activity. You can see this product here
With this type of device, the dimension of the upper airway are increased, particularly at the level of the tongue base.
You should not use sleep apnea dental appliances if you nasal obstruction and epilepsy.
Disadvantages of the mandibular advancement device are:
increased salivation
dental hypersensitivity and gagging
a perception of an abnormal bite
This video will explain how a mandibular advancement device works:
Bottom line...These dental devices for sleep apnea rarely completely stop snoring, but may significantly improve mild to moderate obstructive sleep apnea. There are also evidence of improvements in daytime sleepiness, memory and ability to learn.
If you choose this type of therapy, you should keep in mind that dental devices must be worn every night to have a successful outcome.
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