Sleep apnea treatment with oral appliance in India

[IndianApneaPatient]

Hi friends,

I live in South India and have just been diagnosed of severe sleep apnea. My doctor recommended a CPAP trial but I could not adjust to the mask even after two days of use. I read online that oral appliances are an alternative for sleep apnea treatment. However, these appliances are only available in the US. In India no oral appliances are available. There is only one company names Omnisleep Solutions that has the EMA for sleep apnea treatment in India. The only way I can get it is over the internet. Can some of you who has some experience with oral appliances (preferably the EMA) take a look and suggest it is something worth trying as the appliance is pretty expensive at about $400. Any other suggestions?

Thanks,
Apnea sufferer

[nanwilson]

It takes a heck of a lot longer than 2 days to adjust to the mask. If I were you I would go back to the cpap machine. I went through 8 masks before I found the one that I like the best.

[IndianApneaPatient]

Are oral appliances not effective to treat sleep apnea then? Thanks.

[jamiswolf]

Are oral appliances not effective to treat sleep apnea then? Thanks.

Some people have had improvements in their apnea...but it's not the difinitive therapy. CPAP is...so hang in there and give CPAP a longer trial. Your alternative is serious health issues from untreated severe apnea.

What was the issue with the mask? Discomfort? Leaks? You may need a different mask. Perhaps you had the straps too tight (a common mistake). But those issues occur to many/most cpap users and can be solved.
J

[So Well]

Are oral appliances not effective to treat sleep apnea then? Thanks.

It is a gamble - works for some, doesn't work for others.

CPAP can be troublesome, but sleeping with a mouth full of metal and silicone and your mandible pulled forward is often problematic. I know people who could not tolerate their oral appliance and have ended up with ruined health from untreated apnea.

It takes a heck of a lot longer than 2 days to adjust to the mask. If I were you I would go back to the cpap machine. I went through 8 masks before I found the one that I like the best.

Yes, two days is not a trial. You need to make a commitment to CPAP, get yourself educated by reading this forum, get all aspects of your CPAP therapy optimized, and quit looking for greener grass.

Good luck,

[avi123]

As I understand it, Oral Appliances are successful only in cases of low levels of sleep apneas such as snoring and UARs:




See also how to check if Oral Appliances are for you:

http://braebon.com/docs/BRAEBON_Dental_ ... mation.pdf

[rested gal]

I personally don't think "severe" (measured by AHI) sleep apnea completely rules out the possibility of an oral appliance providing effective treatment for obstructive sleep apnea. I realize that most sites and studies talk about an oral appliance being an option only for "mild-moderate" sleep apnea. But.... I really believe an individual's airway anatomy has more to do with whether a dental device (oral appliance) can be effective, than by considering AHI only.

The only way to know for sure if an oral appliance can take care of the problem, whether a person's OSA had been diagnosed mild, moderate, or severe, is with another PSG sleep study done while the person is actually wearing the oral appliance during the study.

And of course, there are many different kinds of oral appliances -- MADs (mandibular advancement devices) -- to move the jaw (and the tongue with it) forward to try to keep an airway that relaxes too much during sleep more open. Can be a lot of trial and error there, too....just as with trying to find a suitable mask.

[jonnybee]

As a last resort, I started to use a "boil & bite" mouthpiece in conjunction with a chin strap and Swift FX. The mouthpiece is a both upper and lower type that I ordered online for about $25. My AHI dropped from +/- 10 using a pressure of 12 without the mouthpiece to an AHI of <1 with a pressure of 7 after starting to use the mouthpiece. I attribute the success to the fact that the mouthpiece stabilizes and pulls my lower jaw very slightly forward, thereby helping to clear my airway. I believe it also helps position my tongue properly. Can't say others can expect the same results, but to find something that works for me after 14 months of trying is fantastic. I can sit here and type this post without going to sleep, lol.

[IndianApneaPatient]

Thanks everyone for the responses. It appears from your comments that oral appliances are definitely a viable option. Does anyone have experience with the EMA that they provide? You can see it here EMA for sleep apnea treatment. I am going to try it anyway as the cost is much lower than CPAP and it is much easier to use. I will report my feedback after a week of use. Thanks, again.

[Goofproof]

You can always go back to true treatment, (XPAP) once you decide to make treatment work for real. Jim

[patsy]

I wore an oral appliance for about 4 years and it helped ... however, and this is big - it totally screwed up my bite and jaw and I am now wearaing invisaline braces to get my bite stabalized.

Once I no longer wore the oral appliance my snoring went into overdrive. I've been a cpap wearer for only a month now and every morning I wake more rested and am so thankful to have this "machine" (gotta figure out a name for it) and so is my family.

I traveled this past week and had zero problem at the airport. No one examined it and I was greatly relieved.

Suggest you be cautious when wearing an oral appliance and have six month follow-ups with your dentist so you don't end up in any sort of trouble. Good luck.

[chunkyfrog]

I've heard of these gadgets causing TMJ--or at least contributing to it.
In view of all the pain my former co-worker suffered due to TMJ; I would never chance it.
I thought de-Nile was in Africa--now we see it passes through India as well.
PS: is the OP advertising?

[Lizistired]

You might also look at this... http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q= ... 7Ew4WF4RYQ
The aveoTSD, another member has had luck with it.

Jonnybee, Nice pic but, Where is your dog!!??

[jonnybee]

[quote=
Jonnybee, Nice pic but, Where is your dog!!??[/quote]

He's outside barking. Just took in a cute stray Chow Chow about a month ago......I'll take his picture and make him my avatar.

[RandyJ]

Is it just me or does this seem like a bogus thread to sell an oral appliance? Two separate posts with a link to the website, with the OP concluding that the oral appliance is a "viable option" and "a lot cheaper than cpap..."

Edit: I see chunkyfrog wasn't fooled either...