Mandibular device

[Jrileye]

Hi all, Has ANYONE had a good response to Mandibular appliance? All the posts I've see so far have been negative.

Thanks,

Jim

[Goofproof]

Maybe there are Reasons for that! Jim

[Pugsy]

This is a cpap help forum.
It is not a mandibular device help forum.
Not many people who might be happy using a mandibular device will bother hanging around a cpap help forum.

[ragtopcircus]

I tried many of the mandibular devices on the market before accepting that they were no substitute for CPAP ... so here I am.

For me, mandible advancement is only marginally effective no matter how well the device is made and fit. Tongue advancement devices are significantly more effective, but the problem is keeping them on. Curling your tongue even slightly will break the seal on any of the suction devices.

[Edit: In other words, even if you ignore comfort issues and possible tooth movement, mandible advancement just doesn't make enough of a difference to be worth it. Tongue advancement makes a much bigger difference, but the tongue is just not easy to get a grip on. Nobody is here because we like being tethered to a CPAP machine. We are here because it is currently the gold standard for treating apnea.]

[nee]

Like with the CPAP, mandibular devices are not a one-size-fits-all type of treatment. One current school of thought taught within dentistry is to take patients through a series of different treatments made chairside from one appliance. The first is a mandibular device that opens up the bite, then a maxillary one, then both combined, then a mandibular advancement device, etc. until one works. At the same time as these are being tried, mouth taping and nasal dilators are used.

Of course, how much the bite needs to be opened and how much it needs to be held forward are different for different people. If the jaws are too narrow, treatment is needed to widen them. Same with a high palate. Or too large of a tongue.

Most dentists just throw one appliance at you that may not work for you. Due to the financial constraints of owning a dental practice, its probably difficult to find one who would continuously bring you in to try different therapies until one works. That is not to say that it doesn’t work, however!!

[SleepyPaolo]

My experience:

• Very sore teeth
  Unfathomable volumes of drool
  General discomfort
  Very poor sleep

Picture trying to fall asleep while a dentist perform a check up on you with the lights off.

YMMV

[Janknitz]

My dentist, who could make a lot of money making one for me, told me not to bother. He said in people with mild sleep apnea they help sometimes, but he could tell based on the architecture of my airway and the severity of my apnea it would be a waste of money for me. He also said that TMJ problems are common because it changes the jaw position, unless you are diligent about doing some repositioning exercises in the morning.

That's not to say mandibular devices won't help that person with just mild sleep apnea, but I sure appreciated my dentist's honesty with me.

[zonker]

That's not to say mandibular devices won't help that person with just mild sleep apnea, but I sure appreciated my dentist's honesty with me.

he's a keeper, all right!

[kong]

My dentist, who could make a lot of money making one for me, told me not to bother. He said in people with mild sleep apnea they help sometimes, but he could tell based on the architecture of my airway and the severity of my apnea it would be a waste of money for me. He also said that TMJ problems are common because it changes the jaw position, unless you are diligent about doing some repositioning exercises in the morning.

That's not to say mandibular devices won't help that person with just mild sleep apnea, but I sure appreciated my dentist's honesty with me.

My dentist said something similar. I told him that I had previously purchased a MAD. He said that they shouldn't be used on people like me who have severe sleep apnea.