i found this on the web...in keeping with the powers that be here, will not post a direct link.

basically it is an interface device, no mask, does NOT require any headgear at all. it uses a mouth piece that attaches to your upper teeth...

a friend at work mentioned this to me and i googled 'no mask' and found it...was curious if anyone had used this and could provide some feedback on it.

Do a search for CPAPPRO on this site...you will find plenty of info on it. Most of the feedback has been negative but you may have a different experience.

bdsintx6 wrote:i found this on the web...in keeping with the powers that be here, will not post a direct link.

basically it is an interface device, no mask, does NOT require any headgear at all. it uses a mouth piece that attaches to your upper teeth...

a friend at work mentioned this to me and i googled 'no mask' and found it...was curious if anyone had used this and could provide some feedback on it.

Another one is the Oracle. Works in a similar way.

Haven't heard any good reports. One or two bad ones. Of course if it is working for someone they might not want to share their experience.

Daniel

I asked my doctor about it because I had seen it online as well, and she was against it. She said that the way the bite plate works, it positions your mouth in an awkward way. Imagine having to wear a retainer for your teeth. That's what the CPAP PRO does.

>Another one is the Oracle. Works in a similar way.<

From my web searching on the subject, the Oracle is an oral interface, not a nasal interface. It blows the air in through your mouth instead of through your nose. Use of a heated humidifier with the Oracle is kinda mandatory, as you can imagine...

The CPAP Pro is a nasal interface with no headgear. From what I've seen, it is nasal pillows, essentially attached to a "doctor's night guard" type dental appliance - the kind of thing your dentist would prescribe for teeth-grinders.

I can see the possibility of drooling with it, but I drool now anyway, so "what's the diff?"

I'm currently using (or not, 'cause it's not comfortable and comes off while I sleep) a Breeze with nasal pillows. If I wear it all night, my nostrils are sore. It won't stay put, 'cause I'm a side-and-stomach sleeper.

I've done a search of both "cpap pro" and "cpappro" on this site as suggested, and I see some negative feedback but some very positive.. I don't see that most of the feedback is negative, just that most of the anecdotal references are negative, like "my doctor said it can cause TMJ" or "most of the feedback is negative," but I don't see anyone that posted "I tried it and it gave me TMJ" or "it made me soak my pillow with drool so I had to stop using it." I did see one person say they were a mouth-breather so they needed to wear a chin strap with it. That doesn't sound like negative feedback to me,.

How TMJ or even awkward positioning of your mouth/teeth/jaws could happen from an upper-teeth appliance, I don't know. The jaw is attached to the lower teeth, last I checked. Most you'd have different is your jaws wouldn't close 100%, just like when wearing a "doctor's night guard."

By the way, a site search for "cpap pro" gives a bunch of stuff for things not CPAP-Pro related, and "cpappro" gives 2 hits. I don't see how that translates to "plenty of info."

Plus, I saw at least two posts relating direct experience where they are happy with the device, and none relating direct experience with negative results. The negative ones are, as I said above, anecdotal, like the negative posts in this thread.

I plan on doing more googling before I make a decision, but I had to jump in with my 2 pennies.

I have been using the CPAP PRO for about 2 months now, and have relatively few problems with it. I love the fact that there are no straps around my head, and being claustrophobic, am thankful for the small piece in front of my nose! Since I do tend to grind my teeth at night, the dental appliance works well for me, and isn't as bulky or uncomfortable as I thought it would be. And by the way - I have no problem with drooling, either. The ony problem I have is that the soft rubber nasal pillows are a little large for my nose, and about once a night I have to reposition them back into place. I plan on contacting the company to see if there are smaller nasal pillows for small people like me!
By the way, this is the first time I have posted on this board, but have been reading and learning alot from all of you for several months! I just felt I finally had to add my 2 cents, and hope no one minds me jumping in like this! I hope to post more often, but don't get on the computer as often as I would like.

Hope to meet you all soon

Sue

Sue, thanks for posting your experience.

I was wondering, I've seen mention that the exhaust ports are kinda noisy - not "whisper quiet" like they advertise. Is that true in your experience with the CPAP PRO?

The only other complaint I've found so far is that it's not as easy to get parts as it is for other interfaces. Probably because the manufacturer isn't one of the "big guns" like Respironics or Puritan Bennett so most apnea device providers don't resell it. My provider doesn't, and also said that another patient had talked them into ordering one for them and that patient returned it to them almost immediately. They didn't tell me why, though, but it's not a product they resell so of course they're not about to recommend it.

I suppose it's like anything else - there are folx that will love it and folx that will hate it. I think I'd like it but I'm still not ready to jump.

[/quote]How TMJ or even awkward positioning of your mouth/teeth/jaws could happen from an upper-teeth appliance, I don't know. The jaw is attached to the lower teeth, last I checked. Most you'd have different is your jaws wouldn't close 100%, just like when wearing a "doctor's night guard."[/quote]


TMJ stands for Temporomandibular Joint - it is the joint that attaches your upper and lower teeth together, and helps your jaw move. I have TMJ, and have a specially made dental device I wear every night - it is similar to a retainer, and is worn on my upper teeth. It helps ensure proper alignment of my teeth, to lessen the problems with my TMJ. I will never be completely free of the damage, but I am SO much better!

I can't say if the CPAPPRO would harm or help - just wanted to comment re: TMJ, as I do have experience with that. Because I wear the TMJ dental device, I can't use any of the interfaces that have an oral component. I even found a chinstrap to be awful - made my jaw hurt terribly, and didn't prevent air getting into my mouth. I've resorted to taping my mouth, and am trying to make an Ultra Mirage FF mask work - having trouble with leaks, and after the first night Tuesday night - STILL have red sore spot on the bridge of my nose, and have used my nasal pillows for the last 2 nights. But, the good news is after 4 weeks, I'm finally sleeping through most of the night with a mask on, so I think there's hope!

Karen (kikisue)

"it is the joint that attaches your upper and lower teeth together, and helps your jaw move."

Actually it is the joint that attaches your jaw to the skull, and it's the "floating hinge" upon which your jaw moves, the jawbone being that part of your head that holds the lower teeth, and moves up-and-down and in-and-out and back-and-forth. I know a tad about it myself, having lived with poorly aligned teeth all my adult life. I'm just lucky I never developed full-blown TMJ.

Have you thought of checking with your dentist to see if another version of your TMJ appliance could be made as a custom oral component of the CPAP PRO, to be used instead of the "boil-and-bite" piece that comes with it? Kill 2 birds with one stone, as it were? I believe working with your dentist is even mentioned on the CPAP PRO website, not for TMJ but for other situations where the piece they provide won't work. The designer of the CPAP PRO, IIRC, is a dentist with OSA.

That said, although it may be moot that an interface like the CPAP PRO isn't a workable option for someone presently with TMJ, or some other dental condition that precludes using the CPAP PRO mouthpiece, that certainly doesn't mean that by using the CPAP PRO "boil-and-bite" piece you will get TMJ.

As a TMJ sufferer, I'm sure you know that already. Your TMJ appliance is to help keep your jaw in a position where it's properly aligned, despite the natural alignment of your upper and lower teeth, right? Having the equivalent of a "doctor's night guard" wouldn't help you any with easing your TMJ pain, but it wouldn't cause TMJ - if it did, so many dentists wouldn't be able to sell the "doctor's night guard" for night grinders, would they?

Hi Shine On - sorry it took so long to get back to you regarding the noise of the CPAP PRO. The only time I or my husband really notice any noise from it is when it moves away from my nose - then it sounds sort of "windy"! Other than that, my husband says he can't even hear it, and I only hear a slightly elevated sound of my own breathing, which I think is what wakes me up to reposition the puffs.

As far as parts as concerned, I haven't had the time to contact the company or my RT as of yet, so I don't really know if there will be a problem or not. It did come with an extra set of foam pads, an extra filter, an extra set of the tubing that goes from the main hose to the nasal puffs, an extra mouthpiece, and even a little toolkit for adjustments!

Even if I can't get the smaller rubber pieces, I would still keep using it because it is so lightweight and comfortable for me. I dread the thought of having to wear straps around my head, and with this I can sleep in any position I want, except my stomach (which I can't do anyway due to several back surgeries).

Good luck, and I hope you find one you like as much as I have!

Sue

In a topic at http://www.apneasupport.org/viewtopic.php?p=8397
EFJKnight posted about his unhappy experience with the cpappro mask.

As with every mask -- works for some, not for others.

For the price, that interface is not one I'd be interested in trying.

I think people are more likely to have success with these nasal pillows interfaces:

Swift by ResMed
Breeze by Puritan Bennett
Headrest by Aeiomed
(The "Headrest", my favorite, was formerly called the "Aura".)

My edit: Now that the ComfortLite 2 by Respironics has come out, I'd add that to my list of good nasal pillows interfaces. In close second place to my still-favorite -- the "Headrest" (Aura.)

This type of nasual pillow I have found is not condusive to sleeping on your sides. I have one here that is free for the asking.

I bought it, and have had a different experience that EFJKnight did.

The boil&bite mouthpiece was not a lot of fun to fit, but it worked. It did make that little bump of skin behind the upper incisors a tad sore for a few days, but not any worse than a bite of hot pizza would. There are warnings on the CPAP Pro site that if you have tooth sensitivity issues the boil&bite may not work for you and you could have the mold done by a dentist, so that shouldn't have been a surprise to EFJKnight.

The mouthpiece does keep your teeth apart a bit more than I'd like, but hasn't bothered me greatly. It did make me salivate a lot before my first night using it, but I followed the directions and wore it for a few hours to get my mouth used to it being there, and haven't had excessive salivation since.

It does seem a bit more fragile than you'd hope, for the money you pay, but it works! As more than one person mentioned, the nasal puffs are extremely comfortable, you don't have to grease up your nares, and it's great being able to sleep in just about any position I want without it shifting and breaking seal at all. AT ALL! (not yet anyway).

It would be nice if the tubes to the nasal puffs weren't best used with the hose down by your chest - I like having the hose kinda hanging from the headboard - but I'm getting a good night's sleep for the first time in a long time, in a bed. I had to sleep in a recliner to use the Breeze, to keep the nasal pillows from breaking seal every time I shifted position.

I haven't tried the Swift, but I have a Puritan-Bennett Breeze. It's not too bad, as far as it goes, and is more sturdy-looking than the CPAP Pro in that it has that headgear with the metal to keep it stiff and the straps to hold it in place. I see the new version of the Breeze has reconfigured the "halo" headgear so the strap is more likely to keep it on your head. If that works for you, go for it. I've had my fill of it. Maybe I'll try it again in a few months, but I'm happy with my CPAP Pro for now.

The Swift looks like it would be uncomfortable, to me, with the air hose coming in from one side, and those straps holding it against your upper lip. Its pillows look like they are too much like the ones in the Breeze for me to see it not giving me soreness, or having to "lube up," and I could imagine breaking seal several times a night as I shift position.

I've not looked into the "Headrest" so I can't fairly say anything about it one way or another.

Anyway, for me, I'd give it an 8 out of 10, while the "Breeze" only rates a 5 or 6 for me.

And, it works great sleping on my side. Either side. Don't know why Arthur had problems side-sleeping with it..

I'll throw in a mostly favorable response also. I have been using the CPAPPRO interface for 2 months now and it is the most tolerable device for me. I am a mouth breather so the chin strap is still a necessity. I have also tried many other masks (Nasal and FF). My two top choices are the CPAPPRO w/chin strap and the F&P 431 FF Mask. I prefer the CPAPPRO because of my nose profile. Nasal and FF masks really irritate the bridge of my nose… my nose is naturally sharp, pointy and boney across the bridge. I have trouble getting them to seal and I end up getting air blasted into my eyes all night which is terrible. Then there is the perpetual sore that I had on my nose that took 4 weeks to heal due to one bad night (NO JOKE). At 14cm H20 the CPAPPRO is a little louder than whisper quiet, but I no longer have the lingering sore on my nose or halter marks on my face (HAHA). It isn’t perfect, but then from what I gather none of them are. I do switch to my others masks occasionally depending on my mood.

I will echo all the other issues aforementioned by my esteemed and beloved fellow hose-heads... (1) preparing the boil and bite mouth piece is terrible... definite pizza burn syndrome on roof of mouth (healed in about 4 days). (2) The exhalation ports are noisy at 14 cm H20 (but it is a good sort white noise for my wife -- I took some getting used to for me). (3) I had some drool, but it has subsided a bit. (4) My mouth still pops open so chin strap is a must. (5) It costs too much for the rinky-dink little parts they used to put it together.

The pluses... (1) I can sleep in any position but face down. (2) I usually only wake up once or twice at night. (3) I can itch my nose without having to overhaul and realign the head gear and silicon face seal (cause there isn't any). (4) I have never awoke in the morning to find it lying on the floor... it is always still on my face (5) The bridge of my nose has healed and looks back to normal now (well... normal for me anyway -- haha).

All in all, I find it better than anything else I've tried... and in the end the price is high but worth it for me.

-mesocosm