I have severe sleep apnea diagnosed with a sleep study.  My designated pressure is not really high (8) and therefore I use nasal pillow system (not face mask).  My CPAP does have a humidifier.  My problem is that with the "stretchy" type chin strap I was issued, my mouth still opens sometimes (dried out tongue, drool--yikes!). I wonder two things:  first has anybody using the nasal pillow system run into this problem and tried using a dental appliance in combination with the CPAP with any degree of success for keeping mouth shut (I have read about several types of dental applicances that deal with jaw position, tongue position but do any also keep your mouth shut)???  Second, I am wondering if a dental applicance alone might work for me to give  me a break from having to use CPAP for my severe sleep apnea???

I am a DME provider but unfortunately do not have much experience/advice with the dental devices.  What I can tell you regarding your dryness issue, though, is that it's indicative of someone who is opening their mouth while they are sleeping.  If you open your mouth while you sleep it leads to the type of dryness you describe but, more important, it can reduce the effectiveness of the therapy.  

First try to increase, if not maximize, the humidity setting.  Since dryness leads to congestion which leads to mouth breathing, it's possible that this could be a quick fix for you.  If that doesn't work you could just be a mouth breather.  What that means is if you need 8cm/H20 to clear the obstruction in your throat and the machine is delivering 8cm/H20 into your nostrils ... some of it may be lost through your open mouth before it ever makes it to your obstruction.  That leads to the worst case scenario where a compliant patient such as yourself doesn't derive the benefits from the therapy. In those cases a full face mask is the best option.  

Hope you get some good answers on your dental device question and hope it's ok to have chimed in with my CPAP comments.  Good luck!

From one severe apneic to another...

I tried the oral device at first, and it worked great. Then my symptoms returned with a vengence, so I went for the CPAP.
Looking back, I wished I would have gone straight for the CPAP. My feelings, from my experience is that the CPAP, which is adjusted under monitored settings is the best treatment for SA.

Treat it, and look at it, as a blessing and not as a curse. Its your best bet.


_________________
painless

Sleep Apnea is a Killer! Get it Tested!
Get it Treated! Use the Treatment!

I use both an oral appliance ans CPAP with good success. However my apnea is very severe and I am going for surgery to improve my situation. My doctor is recommending the surgery because he feels I will have more sucess.

:-)Moderator please delete



Last edited by papahemi on Fri Jun 06, 2008 8:40 pm; edited 2 times in total

moderator please delete



Last edited by papahemi on Fri Jun 06, 2008 8:40 pm; edited 5 times in total

painless wrote:

From one severe apneic to another...

I tried the oral device at first, and it worked great. Then my symptoms returned with a vengence, so I went for the CPAP.
Looking back, I wished I would have gone straight for the CPAP. My feelings, from my experience is that the CPAP, which is adjusted under monitored settings is the best treatment for SA.

Treat it, and look at it, as a blessing and not as a curse. Its your best bet.

Sorry for the duplicate posts above
Painless
Were you able to determine why your symptoms returned?  How long did you use the dental device before ypu went to CPAP? Which oral device did you use?  Xpap not an option for me. Wish it was as the dental device is not covered by my insurance.
 Good luck, live long and prosper  



Last edited by papahemi on Sat Jun 07, 2008 9:35 am; edited 1 time in total

I have tried the CPAP and TAP dental device.  CPAP machine is effective but is harder to get used to.  There are many hassles with the CPAP (mask leaks, mouth breathing, mask coming off when you move etc.)  The dental device took only a couple of days to get used to but several months to be fully effective since you have to slowly protrude your jaw.  I’ve been on the TAP for several months now and finally am back to my old self.  I don’t know why it stopped working for painless, maybe he should see an ENT.  I heard the dental device works only for certain people who have sleep apnea as a result of their mouth/palette structure – i.e. large tongue, etc.  Insurance didn’t cover my dental device so I had to pay $2500 out of my own pocket but it was worth it.