Office Hours Monday – Thursday 8am – 5pm   362 New Byhalia Rd. Suite 3 Collierville, TN 38017   TREATMENT RATIONALE Oral Appliances for snoring and sleep apnea work by repositioning the lower jaw and tongue more forward during sleep. This helps open the airway by moving the tongue and all the structures attached to it forward. For many obstructive sleep apnea sufferers, the restriction to breathing is centered in the area behind the tongue, from the uvula down to the vocal cords. A small repositioning forward can make a substantial change in amount of open airway. More air flowing brings less noise, more restful sleep, and happier bed partners.
EFFECTIVENESS Research in Dental Sleep Medicine has found that if someone has a problem that involves snoring only, oral appliance therapy is approximately 85% effective. When treating apnea, oral appliances are 65-70% effective, depending on the severity of the apnea. The oral appliance tends to be more effective for mild to moderate obstructive sleep apnea than for severe. While CPAP is the hallmark treatment for severe OSA and is effective virtually 100% of the time, many people can not tolerate wearing it all night or every night. Those who become non-compliant with their CPAP use can benefit from Oral Appliance Therapy. According to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, "although not as efficacious as CPAP, oral appliances are indicated for use in patients with mild to moderate OSA who prefer OAs to CPAP, or who do not respond to CPAP, are not appropriate candidates for CPAP, or who fail treatment attempts with CPAP or treatment with behavioral measures such as weight loss or sleep position change." (from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine journal SLEEP, February 2006) 901-853-8116 Collierville Dental Sleep Medicine  901-853-8116  Treatment Rationale and Effectiveness   |
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