Dental Appliances for OSA

[Hawthorne]

I know this is a CPAP forum but does anyone have any experience wit dental appliances for OSA? AS effective as CPAP? Not as effective? Thanks.

[meister]

Some use them just to reduce snoring. Others use them in place
of a chin strap to keep their mouth closed. Others like them because
it keeps them from grinding their teeth during the night. A few
folks have gotten completely off of their CPAPs by employing a
combination of the Pillar Procedure and a TAP dental device. It
really all depends on where your obstructions are and how bad
they are. A good dental appliance like the Silent Nite can cost
the same as one CPAP mask. Most sleep centers really "push"
PAP boxes on you and don't give out much info about alternatives.
I would recommend you visit the forum at http://www.talkaboutsleep.com
for more information.

[rested gal]

Good advice by Meister. The "Dental Sleep Medicine" forum at TAS has very informative posts from people who have turned to dental devices and "pillars" as an alternative to cpap.

These links will get you to some interesting discussions, Hawthorne:

Pillar Procedure and TAP Dental Device: Topics containing PaulY and Sleepy Stoboy's excellent posts about the Pillar Procedure (3 small inserts placed in the soft palate) and the TAP dental device ("Thornton Adjustable Positioner", a removable device worn in mouth while sleeping to hold lower jaw forward and open the airway more.)

Direct link to Dental Sleep Medicine message board on TAS

Direct link to PaulY's PSG studies before and after the Pillar Implants and TAP device (posted on osaforum/com under the nickname pyounan)

More topics about Pillar and TAP:

Jul 01 200 subject: Sleep study after Pillar & Silent Nite- Goodby to CPAP

Jun 30, 2005 subject: Insurance reimbursement for Pillar starting to happen

Jun 22 2005 subject: pillar procedure newbie ( long)

Jun 21 2005 subject: Does sleeping positions effect Apnea

Jun 16 2005 subject: Getting off of CPAP

Jun 09 2005 subject: MINNEAPOLIS/ST. PAUL PILLAR PROCEDURE DOCS?

Jun 09, 2005 subject: GOOD ENT IN THE TWIN CITIES??

Jun 03 2005 subject: Pillars - Insurance Denied Claim

Jun 03 2005 subject: just had the pillar

May 30 2005 subject: Somnoplasty vs Pillar vs UUUP?

May 24 2005 subject: pillar procedure scheduled questions

May 23 2005 subject: LAUP vs Pillar?

May 18 2005 subject: similar to "Cost of my Pillar procedure $1500"

May 07 2005 subject: Pillar Success Stories

May 11 2005 subject: Pillar and Tap

May 04 2005 subject: pillar procedure

Sat, Feb 27 2005 subject: Open Letter to Restore Medical

Sat, Feb 26 2005 subject: Drumroll Please - Here is your Pillar Implant Pre and Post S

Feb 22 2005 subject: Pillar surgery

Jan 31 2005 subject: Pillar and GA(tongue advancement)

Nov 29 2004 subject: Snoring Questions

[meister]

http://www.talkaboutsleep.com/message-b ... hp?t=11515

[IWannaSleep]

You should also consult with your dentist about these options. I recently was able to speak with mine this week. My dentists' father was also a dentist, they were partners until the father retired. Apparently the father has sleep apnea and uses CPAP.

My dentist is one of the top dentists in the area. They always use the latest most effective techniques and equipment. His strong recommendation was to stick with cpap and make it work if you can. The dental devices have their down side and may not help much if at all. It usually is very uncomfortable to have your jaw held forward and your tongue somehow held up as well. The bottom line recommendation is xpap is the best treatment out there for now.

He did say some new surgical techniques are being worked on, including one where they use microwave radiation in your throat instead of cutting flesh away. this results in an overall shrinkage and tightening of the throat area.


Ron

[Guest]

My dentist is one of the top dentists in the area. They always use the latest most effective techniques and equipment.
He did say some new surgical techniques are being worked on, including one where they use microwave radiation in your throat instead of cutting flesh away. this results in an overall shrinkage and tightening of the throat area.


Ron

Actually, somnoplasty (microwave radiation) is old news. The procedure has been performed since 1997 when the manufacturer, Somnus Medical Technologies, Inc., of Sunnyvale, California, received FDA approval for the treatment of snoring. If you read through all the links above, it appears the dental devices are resulting in a greater long-term success rate than the somnoplasty, particularly when coupled with Pillar implants.