TAP 3 Oral Appliance

I'm considering the TAP 3 or similar oral appliance. My goals are to lower my pressure and keep my mouth shut so perhaps I can get good therapy with just nasal pillows or other nasal mask. It's mostly a comfort thing for me, with a little vanity thrown in! I have tried numerous full face masks including the Hybrid. Some work, but I need them pretty tight to seal on my bony face. Besides being uncomfortable, they cause puffiness on my upper cheeks that doesn't go away unless I switch to nasal pillows for a few days. I don't like taping my mouth for various reasons.

So I'm wondering if anyone has any experience with the TAP 3 or other similar oral appliance. I'd appreciate any comments.

Many people have trouble tolerating CPAP long term and many people have trouble tolerating mandibular advancement devices (MAD) long term. I would guess that very few people can tolerate both long term.

So here is what I suggest in order of priority.

1. Avoid back sleeping entirely. Use your ResScan software to see what this does for you and if you can lower your pressure. It has helped me use a lower pressure. This costs no money to try.

2. Try a cervical collar (viewtopic.php?f=1&t=61509&st=0&sk=t&sd= ... cal+collar). I find that a considerably lower pressure will control my apnea when backsleeping if I use a cervical collar. This is a cheap experiment - I bought a collar for $8, although many are around $15.

3. If you feel you absolutely must try a MAD, go to a dentist who fits four to eight of the MAD brands. He will be able to advise you on which brand may work best for you. Have the mindset that any money you put into a MAD is risky since there is a high chance it may not work for you.

I have a MAD but rarely use it because of the discomfort and lack of effectiveness. Avoiding backsleeping and using a cervical collar are better options for me.

Good luck,

Thanks for sharing your experience. I will consider the cervical collar before I decide on an oral appliance. Irene

You certainly should try all other options before spending thousands on an oral appliance that may not work.

I have ordered a cervical collar from Amazon.com. It's definitely worth a try.

I had what they told me was a Mandibular Advancement Device and used it for over a year if memory serves maybe more. I even did a sleep study with it to see if it was effective. It wasn't. It may work for some, but for me even on the most advanced setting (without over distorting the jaw alignment you can only set your jaw so far forward) I had events.

It was expensive, has to be replaced if you have any dental work done (which I didn't thankfully) and insurance doesn't always cover it. It also causes most people to have increased salivation to the point that their pillow is drenched. Another drawback is that it does nothing for centrals. It also doesn't record data to know if it is working for the user. There's more, but well . . .that's my four cents : )

Gasp, my goal isn't to get off cpap necessarily. My hope with a MAD would be two things, to keep my mouth closed, and to lower my pressure some, so I could use a more comfortable mask successfully.

I'm appreciating the feedback. It helps me think through my decision. Thanks.

Irene P. wrote:Gasp, my goal isn't to get off cpap necessarily. My hope with a MAD would be two things, to keep my mouth closed, and to lower my pressure some, so I could use a more comfortable mask successfully.

I'm appreciating the feedback. It helps me think through my decision. Thanks.

As to keeping your mouth closed, the device actually made it a bit harder to keep my mouth closed than I thought it would. I used a chin strap very briefly on XPAP with my mask but soon just taught myself to keep it closed at night, but could never do that with the MADD which I used before XPAP (trying to avoid the whole machine/mask thing). I was never able to accomplish keeping my mouth closed all the time with the MADD. I've attached a picture of my device. This device was custom made for me by a dental specialist and is made with a titanium hinge.

Hi,
I recently had the impressions done for the TAP 3 Elite. I have been wearing the device for about 3 weeks. The device has a screw to advance the jaw forward. I turned my 180 degrees 3 times.
The only thing I forgot to factor in was the follow up dental appointment. You see, every time you advance the device and your jaw moves slightly forward approx. 1mm it also changes how your teeth and your bite touch every turn. Your dentist will have to measure and sand down the areas of the device to get a new proper fit . I had a minor jaw capsule flare up but it was alleviated as soon as my dentist made the proper adjustment.
My boyfriend says that I no longer snore. I am waking naturally at 5:30 am vs. 7:30 . I also seem to pop out of bed easier whereas it used to take me a good 30 minutes to wake. And, I have not taken daily naps of up to an hour during the middle of the day. I work for myself so napping was easier for me than most people.
I just had a Sleep Doctor appt today. He wants me to make sure that the TAP 3 Elite device is exactly where my Dentist and I agree we have made it the most comfortable and effective. With that said
I will follow up with another sleep study with my new oral appliance in hopes that the test will prove to show less or no apneas. I feel as if I am on the right track .
Since I have been non - compliant with the CPAP I figure this is the next best fit for me. The down side is the oral appliance is expensive ( I paid $3500! but includes all the changes ), the device can crack and break. I have had a similar appliance for an overbite without any breakage for 12 years. So hoping this will last awhile.
Hope this info helps.
Kim

kimbociek@gmail.com wrote:Hi,
I recently had the impressions done for the TAP 3 Elite. I have been wearing the device for about 3 weeks. The device has a screw to advance the jaw forward. I turned my 180 degrees 3 times.
The only thing I forgot to factor in was the follow up dental appointment. You see, every time you advance the device and your jaw moves slightly forward approx. 1mm it also changes how your teeth and your bite touch every turn. Your dentist will have to measure and sand down the areas of the device to get a new proper fit . I had a minor jaw capsule flare up but it was alleviated as soon as my dentist made the proper adjustment.
My boyfriend says that I no longer snore. I am waking naturally at 5:30 am vs. 7:30 . I also seem to pop out of bed easier whereas it used to take me a good 30 minutes to wake. And, I have not taken daily naps of up to an hour during the middle of the day. I work for myself so napping was easier for me than most people.
I just had a Sleep Doctor appt today. He wants me to make sure that the TAP 3 Elite device is exactly where my Dentist and I agree we have made it the most comfortable and effective. With that said
I will follow up with another sleep study with my new oral appliance in hopes that the test will prove to show less or no apneas. I feel as if I am on the right track .
Since I have been non - compliant with the CPAP I figure this is the next best fit for me. The down side is the oral appliance is expensive ( I paid $3500! but includes all the changes ), the device can crack and break. I have had a similar appliance for an overbite without any breakage for 12 years. So hoping this will last awhile.
Hope this info helps.
Kim

And if the apneas do not decrease...?

I have the same experience with the TAP 3. It troubles me .

The good thing about a oral appliance is they collect full data on your Sleep Apnea so you can make sure you aren't making your health worse. Opp's Correction:It doesn't do that at all , it's XPAP that can do that every night! Jim

No problem it's only your life!