Our Treatment
Oral Appliances
Our practice specializes in fitting patients with a custom fabricated oral appliance to manage sleep apnea. The appliance works by holding your mandible (lower jaw) in a precise open and forward position and by doing so all the soft tissues in your throat and neck are no longer able to collapse and cause the nighttime choking and suffocating episodes. The appliance we make will be custom made for your teeth and will fit much like a sports mouth guard. Oral appliances are a very comfortable and easy to use solution for managing sleep apnea and snoring and they are also an excellent alternative to CPAP therapy for patients who find it difficult to tolerate.
In 2015 the American Academy of Sleep Medicine issued updated practice parameters recommending the use of custom fabricated oral appliances made by specially trained dentists for patients with snoring and sleep apnea who prefer the mouthpiece over CPAP or who have tried CPAP and are unable to continue daily use.
Candidates for Oral Appliances
Most people are great candidates for an oral appliance. The only way to tell for sure is to schedule a consultation with one of our expert dental sleep medicine practices. At your consult your APZME dentist will evaluate your airway using the Eccovision system and possibly send you home with a sleep testing device. Once everything is reviewed you can discuss treatment options.
