How well do dental appliances for sleep apnea work? i have sleep apnea, and my doctor told me to see my dentist in order to get fitted for an oral appliance. how well do these work to stop problems with snoring and breathing?

To : To provide an accurate answer to your question it would be helpful to know the results of your sleep study, in particular the ahi, and suspected location of your obstruction. Oral appliances are not helpful if you have an obstruction at the higher levels of your airway.

There : There is no one treatment that works for everyone but oral appliance can be very effective. Like most treatments for sleep apnea, there are potential short and long term negative side effects. You would be served well by seeing an experienced dentist that specializes in sleep dentistry to discuss pros and cons of oral appliance therapy and also an otolarynoglogist who specializes in sleep surgery to perform a detailed upper airway examination to help guide you on your treatment options.

I : I have had tremendous success treating sleep apnea with oral appliances. While they say it should be used for mild to moderate cases (ahi from 5 to 29) I have had cases much higher than that come down to virtually zero. It is important to seek care from someone trained and experienced, as sometimes the appliance takes the snoring away but leaves the apnea, a dangerous situation. Kent smith is near you and is great.

Can work well: They can be very effective at treating obstructive sleep apnea. The keys are seeing how severe the sleep apnea is, the type of appliance used, and where the obstruction is located. Seeing a dentist with significant experience and education in delivering these appliances can help determine the success of the appliance.

Can work well: Individual results vary. The american academy of sleep medicine recommends these appliances for people with mild or moderate apnea or who have tried CPAP and have failed. There is a new technology called matrx that can test you in a sleep center and show if an oral appliance will help you or not.

Very Well: A custom appliance made by a trained dentist will work very well for mild to moderate and even some severe apnea cases. Given that most people are more compliant with an appliance as opposed to positive pressure machines, they are a very good alternative.

Very well!: According to 2006 american academy of sleep medicine practice parameters, oral appliances are indicated for use in patients with mild or moderate obstructive sleep apnea who prefer them over CPAP and should be completed by a dentist with advanced training in sleep medicine.