I also was diagnosed with severe apnea, and am having phenomenal success with the oral appliance. The CPAP worked well too, but I often removed it in the middle of the night, and since we were going overseas, I decided to try the oral appliance. I am so much more comfortable using it than the CPAP, and thrilled that the sleep study confirmed my experience.

Super Takoma! Glad to hear another success story! I do believe more people could benefit from the oral appliances than originally thought. It is very individual and they don't always understand why someone has apnea. You just have to try and see if it is going to work or not. But for those non-compliant cpap'ers, doing nothing....definitely see if an appliance could work....it might change your life!  Have a great trip overseas! (without lugging a machine....lol)

Thank you. We already took our trip, and yes, it was soooo nice to have only the tiny dental device and not the extra piece of luggage. I agree with you, the dental device is not mentioned by most doctors. I switched doctors for other reasons, and the new one mentioned it, and recommended a specific dentist, who was flawless in every way. I do find that the adjustment needs correction sometimes, but that is easy to do. It is also way easier to use, when you have a bad cold, than a CPAP.
The only thing, the dentist said to clean it 2x a week with Polident Partial, (along with daily soap and water) and I could not find that in any drugstore, so I finally ordered it from Amazon. I did clean it 4-5 times with the regular Polident, and now I hesitate to, because apparently the device is laminated and I don't want to damage that. The Partial tablets should arrive soon.

I am 65 and in average shape/weight, but for 10 years+ I snored loudly and proudly. (of course I was single). But recently I found out through an unmonitored sleep study that my REM sleep was about 4% - not good I hear. I wouldn't wear the CPAP because I like to travel too much, and fortunately much research led me to understand the cause of my snoring and resultant OSA. My tongue was blocking the air passage in my throat (x-rays and visuals and computer diagnostics while breathing into a tube device). Once the cause was known, I found an oral appliance that addressed my tongue- in other words, it was a mouthpiece that fit over my lower teeth only and had a small arch across the back of the device. It was custom fitted over a few visits, but in the end it worked flawlessly because the little arch prevents my tongue when relaxing during sleep from obstructing the airway.  Simple. It is quite comfortable because it fits on my lower teeth only and fits in my shirt pocket for travel. It seems that since the tongue is the problem, it must be included in the solution to be successful.  Hope this is helpful to others.

Wow f8....definitely great to hear of your success and I hope will surely inspire others too! I went from a severe 66.2 apneas per hr to totally ELIMINATING my apnea of 00.0/ hr using my oral appliance. Mine is a two piece unit. I would be keen to know what yours is patented under, ie: does it have a device name? I'd love to try it out.

I feel there are so many people that are non-compliant with their cpap machines needlessly suffering, when a simple appliance "might" change everything! My dentist said he has seen amazing results, when the tongue is the major contributing factor in ones apnea. For others with a complex array of issues, like adnoids, neck, tongue, tonsils all in the mix, they have a % reduction, but not a dramatic result like mine or yours. Sometimes when they don't even understand what is the reason for your apnea.....chances are it is your tongue!

Hello LotsofKids, great to know there are at least two of us who have regained their life!  I am familiar with most of the causes of apnea and 95% of the time it is simply the tongue obstructing the air way. MAD devices that only push the jaw forward may help for a short while and in only the most minor cases of snoring. I am not sure they could even work for OSA because the tongue will eventually block the throat again.  My appliance physically prevents the tongue from getting into the throat, hence it always works. This is not rocket science yet I see so much misunderstanding out there. I now have a younger fiance (not to mention my health) thanks to this simple device. And it only covers the lower teeth so there are no mandibular advancement issues in the jaw. I can  even talk and drink with it. What a deal. I am in SOCAL near Disneyland and can be reached at f8baron@sbcglobal.net

hmmm...my dental device has two parts, upper and lower, and I believe it "only" pushes the jaw forward...I hope it works for more than a short while!  My doctor said it will need to be adjusted and checked every year. I"ve had it for a few months and am very pleased. so much better than the CPAP. I can also talk and drink with it.

Hi there Tacoma, hopefully it will continue to work for you. However, my problem was loud snoring and really bad apneas. By merely pushing my lower jaw forward it did not prevent my tongue from blocking my throat.  At rest *(asleep) the tongue relaxes like all muscles. It then blocks the airway. I also heard about something called "TMJ" ?? that can result from abnormally pushing your lower jaw forward.... it is unnatural at the very least. Anyway, oral appliances that are open across the back (open end near your throat) can't prevent the tongue from causing trouble. Or maybe it can for a while if your tongue is a lot smaller than mine, everybody is different. In my case, the tongue has to be physically prevented from sliding back into my throat ... and that's just an inch.  But after a while, on your device, the tongue realizes there is nothing behind it and may bug you again. Keep your fingers crossed.

I did snore loudly, and my apnea is severe, without the device or CPAP. my doctor seems very experienced with these, so I'll turn my questions to him.

I am definitely in interested in your appliance. I will email you a bit later tonight (getting busy now) My apnea was considered horrid/severe...but the appliance DID solve... it for now at least! I have the lower jaw minimally extended (50% of my range) but would certainly opt for a 1 piece deal! I think in my situation I completely open my mouth while sleeping, thereby dropping my lower jaw and letting my tongue block the airway. So I might need the upper & lower to be secured??? Don't know.

Hey....Congrats on your engagement!

I sleep with my mouth closed. does that make a difference, for the type of dental device?

Hi Tacoma, with my device it does not matter what your mouth does haha  because it has a little cross piece that prevents the tongue from getting mischievous. It actually pushes the tongue up and forward a little bit but that is necessary to keep your throat passage wide open. After a while, because of muscle memory, your tongue starts to 'behave' for you and it gets easier.... but I am totally comfortable anyway because the device is smaller (lower only) than the mouthpieces I wear in karate.