Are oral appliances worth the thousands of dollars?

[elsueno]

x

[ChicagoGranny]

mea culpa

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[Goofproof]

Yes, they are worth it to the fools that are willing to pay that much, not so much to the user of the product.

[chunkyfrog]

They are very useful to those who make and sell them.
It is a living, sometimes quite profitable--often at the expense of others.
Medically, many are something other than actual therapy.
Peddled to the wrong patient, it is borderline malpractice.
And that is being much kinder than it deserves.

[ElusiveSleep]

found this in another thread, fwiw-

CPAP literally brought me back from the depths of despair. I used an oral appliance four years, then it broke. The new one was not properly made and then decided I should go on CPAP. After using CPAP since February, it made me realize the extent of under treatment of my apnea with the oral appliance. I was in a cognitive fog during those four years and now have my brain back to normal function since using CPAP.

Getting the CPAP machine to work optimally requires a lot of tweaking, especially with respect to correct pressure range if you end up on an APAP.

But that's the purpose of a forum like this, where many members have more knowledge of sleep apnea treatment than a lot of medical professionals. So feel free to ask questions about any aspect of sleep and fine tuning of your CPAP machine.

Thanks, Zonker.

My Experience With MAD, Ch. 2:
* The dentist charged $1800 for replacement MAD but health insurance only covered $400. Could have bought at least two CPAP machines and plenty of supplies for the out of pocket $1400.
* After failing CPAP in 2015, my pulmonologist at the time recommended her, so assumed she was well qualified. But suspicions surfaced when after moving to a new office in 2019, saw her framed certificate for a "course" taken in Sleep Dentistry
* During my desperation to have a sleep test in January of this year, and urgency to go on CPAP, went to a local mediocre pulmonologist. One of her staff mentioned that the dentist around the corner was fitting MADs for patients and he was really good. When I checked his website for creds, there was no mention of him doing sleep med.
* MAD is a hot area right now in dentistry. And since no real regulation, anyone with DDS/DMD can get in on it. Very profitable since periodic teeth cleaning/exams don't cut it economically (no offense against dentists here, just the reality of the situation).

[elsueno]

x

[ChicagoGranny]

this brings me back to the question i've asked a few times above.

I'm waiting for you to choke him until he agrees to buy a boil-and-bite.

[elsueno]

x

[ChicagoGranny]

Will that show on OSCAR as an OA or just snoring?

When you finish with him, post a screenshot.

[zonker]

Will that show on OSCAR as an OA or just snoring?

When you finish with him, post a screenshot.

[boxofrain]

My Experience With MAD, Ch. 2:
* The dentist charged $1800 for replacement MAD but health insurance only covered $400. Could have bought at least two CPAP machines and plenty of supplies for the out of pocket $1400.
* After failing CPAP in 2015, my pulmonologist at the time recommended her, so assumed she was well qualified. But suspicions surfaced when after moving to a new office in 2019, saw her framed certificate for a "course" taken in Sleep Dentistry
* During my desperation to have a sleep test in January of this year, and urgency to go on CPAP, went to a local mediocre pulmonologist. One of her staff mentioned that the dentist around the corner was fitting MADs for patients and he was really good. When I checked his website for creds, there was no mention of him doing sleep med.
* MAD is a hot area right now in dentistry. And since no real regulation, anyone with DDS/DMD can get in on it. Very profitable since periodic teeth cleaning/exams don't cut it economically (no offense against dentists here, just the reality of the situation).

As a (retired) dentist I can confirm that ElusiveSleep is right on the money. Many of my "colleagues" are taking weekend courses, getting beautiful framed certificates for their walls, and are now treating patients for sleep apnea as a "profit center" in their practice. The companies that are putting these course on are making a fortune because they in turn sell the dentists very expensive equipment packages. So it perpetuates. Very scary IMO. I am not so sure they understand that they could be dealing with a serious medical condition that could lead to premature death if not diagnosed and treated properly. Be careful out there. It's crazy!

[elsueno]

x

[ElusiveSleep]

My Experience With MAD, Ch. 2:
* The dentist charged $1800 for replacement MAD but health insurance only covered $400. Could have bought at least two CPAP machines and plenty of supplies for the out of pocket $1400.
* After failing CPAP in 2015, my pulmonologist at the time recommended her, so assumed she was well qualified. But suspicions surfaced when after moving to a new office in 2019, saw her framed certificate for a "course" taken in Sleep Dentistry
* During my desperation to have a sleep test in January of this year, and urgency to go on CPAP, went to a local mediocre pulmonologist. One of her staff mentioned that the dentist around the corner was fitting MADs for patients and he was really good. When I checked his website for creds, there was no mention of him doing sleep med.
* MAD is a hot area right now in dentistry. And since no real regulation, anyone with DDS/DMD can get in on it. Very profitable since periodic teeth cleaning/exams don't cut it economically (no offense against dentists here, just the reality of the situation).

As a (retired) dentist I can confirm that ElusiveSleep is right on the money. Many of my "colleagues" are taking weekend courses, getting beautiful framed certificates for their walls, and are now treating patients for sleep apnea as a "profit center" in their practice. The companies that are putting these course on are making a fortune because they in turn sell the dentists very expensive equipment packages. So it perpetuates. Very scary IMO. I am not so sure they understand that they could be dealing with a serious medical condition that could lead to premature death if not diagnosed and treated properly. Be careful out there. It's crazy!

One can truly exemplify these profits as "MAD Money"

[ChicagoGranny]

MAD Money

[zonker]

One can truly exemplify these profits as "MAD Money"