mouth exhaling: a solution

I started CPAP therapy about 6 months ago. Like many, I exhaled through my mouth. I tried the various full face masks. While I liked the ResMed UM best, none was really satisfactory. Instead, I've had a dentist specializing in sleep medicine make a custom dental appliance that holds my jaw closed at night, making it impossible for me to exhale. It works extremely well. It's sufficiently loose so that I can open my mouth if I need to in an emergency. The main downside is that I salivate a lot. The cost was $475 (I expect my insurance to cover it). But this was probably made lower by the fact that the dentist already had a mold of my teeth (I had previously tried using a dental device to treat the apnea). The company that makes the device is Davis Lab (lsheppard@dentalservices.net). To find a dentist specializing in sleep medicine, try the website of the American Academy of Dental Sleep medicine (http://www.dentalsleepmed.org).

jrappaport,

Can you post a picture of the aparatus that your dentist made for you?

(you will need to register on the forum)

Thanks for the info.

The dental device I use is essentially the same as the "PM Positioner" except that it is permanently set in a neutral position with the upper and lower pieces sealed together. There is a picture at http://www.dentalservices.net/Source/snore2.html