Hi.  My ENT has referred me to the dentist who makes the "Full Breath" device.  See [Commercial link deleted] to find out all about it.  I'm waiting on the referral, but I'm just wondering if anyone has heard about it or tried it?  Or, if anyone could look at the website and give me your opinion?  I'm pretty well-versed in CPAP, but the dental device stuff is all new to me.

Thank you!

Oggie


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I always tell my kids....
Just because you CAN, doesn't mean you SHOULD.

I've heard of these devices working only in cases of very mild apnea.  If you get one, let us know how well it works.


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Acronyms and Often Used Forum Phrases
Respironics? M-Series Auto w/ HH & C-Flex; Flexfit? Hybrid? Mask, Encore Pro 1.8i

I don't know what to think, but I guess I won't know for sure until I get one and they do another sleep study.  I have Moderate Apnea, but I've lost a bunch of weight since my study just over a year ago, something my doctor said would help, so who knows...?

I will keep you updated.  Still waiting for the referral to come through.  ENT (whom I adore) said it'll take about a week because he has to battle with the insurance, which he's willing to do.  He said these devices cost about $5000   , but it's a lot cheaper than surgery (which I probably wouldn't do anyway!!).

Oggie


_________________
I always tell my kids....
Just because you CAN, doesn't mean you SHOULD.

I am the office manager for a dental office north of Los Angeles. The dentist I work with here has retired from general dentistry to treat only sleep apnea and he uses the FullBreath Solution appliance almost exclusively. He has tried several different appliances (there are multiple brands on the market) and he found the greatest success with that particular one. It's more expensive than other brands both to fabricate and to titrate, but cost is secondary to results.

There are several different types of intra-oral appliances. They vary in brand name and design. Most are "Mandibular Advancement Appliance"s . They open your bite slightly and pull the lower jaw forward to aid in opening the airway. The TAP and SilentNite are MAA designs. The FullBreath is similar but also has a tongue restrainer which prevents the tongue from falling back. This restrainer seems to be the key difference in terms of patient results.

As for your query on the Fullbreath specifically... our experience thus far has been an average of 75% reduction in apneic events. In terms of results from dental appliances, that's a very good average. And the patient compliance rate is significantly higher than a CPAP just because it's so much easier to wear.

Someone mentioned that dental appliances are successful with only mild apnea. This isn't an accurate statement. An appliance can work for any class of OSA... but only for Obstructive (Central and Mixed will not be improved by a dental appliance). In fact, the Academy of Sleep medicine has recommended intra-oral appliances as the first line of treatment for mild and moderate sleep apnea. An intra-oral appliance is only expected to achieve a 50 - 80% reduction in AHI depending on the design of the appliance and the responsiveness of the patient. However, if you can wear a CPAP, it remains the best available treatment for managing SA.

Hope this answered some of your questions.
Cheers!

~Michelle

Hi, I am new to this group, but by no means to sleep apnea.  I was diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea in 1985 in the Air Force and had septalplasty, along with tonsils, uvula, and upper palat surgery.  That fixed my apnea for about 5 years, then it came back. About 4 years ago I tried both CPAP and BiPAP but could not handle the pressue of air coming in when I exhaled, even when adjustments were made to the levels. Over the last 2 years I have had 2 more septalplasty surgeries, that didn't help. So now I have pretty much given up.  My last sleep test show I still have mild obstructive apnea with more hypopnea episodes, and some central apnea, with over 1,000 episodes of body movement. I am interested in a mouth piece just because I find that when breathing through my mouth I seem to breath deeper.  During some test in the past, I had a MRI of my brain and they found mild ischemia, which they said was normal with age, I am 56 now, was 54 then. I know that apnea eventually causes brain cells to die and the ischemia findings is a concern.  So if anyone can tell me more about websites on mouth pieces for breathing, because I just went through what seemed like a thousand sites, on a search I did, it would be greatly appreciated.  I can't believe I just now stumbled on this site, after all these years.  Thanks in advance.

Oggie, have you gotten your breathing device yet?  I really think something like this might help me, but no one has post on this subject for a while.  Oggie you mentioned a website in your post, but it was taken out. Can you send me that site.  Thanks.  Take care all.

I went for the meeting recently on the Full Breath Solution... It was 5-grand... Having seen what it is, I have no doubt there is price gouging going on. It's a fitted piece of plastic like most of the others and shouldn't cost more than $1500 to 2,000... There is only one tray to custom fit as opposed to two with most others... I recently got the TAP 3 for $1200...  The only reason Full Breath should cost more is because they are advertising it much more heavily than other brands and, I suspect, they are looking for a higher profit margin... Like the guy who sells apples for ten thousand each... "I only have to sell one to make my year."

I have no idea if it works... It does appear to be less cumbersome than others and I would gladly pay for it if I felt high confidence it worked... Have you had success with it?

I also went for a consultation ($50) and was informed the device costs $4,600. So far as I know there is only one dentist offering this device and he has a patent on it. I also consulted another dentist that offers the Herbst device. The difference appears to be that the Full Breath device is only fitted to the upper teeth and a sort of spine to it that keeps the tongue depressed and thereby the air passage open. He said it requires between 7 - 9 fittings to get it right, which in addition to the heavy radio ads may be why it's so expensive since I presume they need to recast it each time they make an adjustment (unlike the Herbst which adjusts more like braces with the screws between the upper and lower appliances. My insurance will not cover any of the cost of a Herbst, but apparently may cover 30 - 40% of the Full Breath (need to verify this). They had a very high tech-looking machine which measures breath flow before and after inserting a wax temporary appliance to simulate the Full Breath appliance. Needless to say, the graph looked much better with the appliance in.

I am interested in this solution as I hate my CPAP machine, and the Herbst did not seem to address the root of the problem (big fat tongue) in the same way. I sure wish someone would let us know if it has worked for them......

When I found out the cost of the Full Breath solution and found out my insurance would only pay for half of it, I figured I'd better get some independent endorsement. I haven't been able to find anyone through this site, or one other site, who has used it and said anything about Full Breath, pro or con... My sleep lab recommends it, but I suspect they will make money from referrals. Therefore I was hesitant to take that expensive plunge.

Instead, I went to an orthodontist who works with appliances for sleep apnea. I had done my research and found a lot of patient endorsements for the TAP-3. When I got in to his office, he said he also thought the TAP-3 would be the best bet... We hadn't discussed it, which made me feel good we came to the same conclusion.

I've had the TAP-3 for two weeks now. I had to go in for a minor refitting in his office, which took about ten minutes. I was gradually able to dial it all the way out (to open my throat fully) and since then have felt much better, so it's obviously helping... How much, or for how long, I don't know yet. Is it better than Full Breath? I don't know that either. I do know it's about a quarter the price, which makes it easier to take the plunge.

dvillard

I know...  I wish someone who had the device would step forward too... I'm very cynical about the whole thing... First, that they wanted to charge us different amound $4600 for you and $5100 for me... Perhaps I have a bigger mouth. I also felt a great deal of pressure to get my credit card out while I was still in the dentist's chair. My TAP-3 has two trays that need to be fitted instead of just one for the Full Breath and it still only costs a quarter the price.

I even am skeptical when they say my insurance will pay 50%. It makes me wonder if they're just coming down to a more reasonable price.

I'll give my TAP-3 another few weeks. I think it's helping, but not enough.

I've also been playing the Didjeridu 45 minutes a day and will start playing the trumpet as soon as the one I ordered comes in... I've only been playing the Didge for a week, but I can feel that my throat muscles are already getting exercised and stronger... Maybe that's helping a bit and the TAP-3 isn't helping at all... Who knows? I'm also losing weight...  Between the 3, maybe I'll be okay.

To revive an old thread, has anyone used the Full Breath?

I cannot find one bit of feedback on this thing on the net.

Though it is expensive, I am not as concerned about the $$ as I am about the effectiveness compared to more traditional jaw advancement devices.  I have slipped discs in my TMJ and although i have no TMJ disorder symptoms I am at risk for developing them if I have to wear a mandibular advancement device for an extender period, so the Full Breath device looks particularly appealing.

Any info would be appreciated.

Thanks for your reply Jon.  What was your AHI before using the device?  Have you had a sleep test since?

I do not know how to interperet your post given that you joined the forum today and have posted the same message 4 times, promoting a website and conference call.

However I would be glad to hear any more information that you have regarding this device and your experience with it.  If Dr. Greenburg would like to post on the www.apneasupport.org forum I know there are a lot of people who would read what he has to say.  As for listening in on a conference call I am not sure that my schedule permits.  Perhaps a forum discussion would be a more efficient and effective means of communication.

Thank you Mr. Oizo,

I am not aware of my AHI but will follow up with a post of my results. I should have paid more attention but was really focused on finding an answer, not necessarily analyzing it. Also, I have not had my follow-up sleep test yet so stay tuned. I know that I am exchanging almost three times the air volume with my retainer in than without it but that is measured through some sort of new machine they use that has echo-location capabilities. I'll have to get the specifics for you or have Dr. Greenburg post his findings. All I remember from the original study was that they defined me as having moderate-severe sleep apnea. I am now sleeping through the night and my wife says my snoring is rare. When she does hear me, she says it is much quieter- nothing like it was before and that it's because "I'm sleeping on my head" (my wife's words). I guess I'm sleeping in some sort of weird angle. Which brings up an interesting side note: our "spontaneity" has seen a dramatic improvement because I am no longer tied to the "Darth Vadar machine". At least that's what my kids called it ;) I travel a lot and it's no different than packing my toothbrush. I was carrying my CPAP around before and it was quite problematic.

I will be meeting with Dr. Greenburg tomorrow and I will introduce him to the forum. I am glad to have found this community and I agree with the forum discussion opportunity.

Sorry for the repeat posts - I started reading everybody's stories last night and they just pull on my heart-strings because I can relate so well to them.

Another poster wanted me to clarify that the online teleseminar tomorrow is at 7pm PST (Pacific Standard Time). I forgot to mention the time zone. I know that they monitor questions from those that sign up so you may want to pre-ask at <link removed> I'm more comfortable referring technical questions to them. I'm not a doctor- I just know it works for me. Regardless, I'll get some specifics of my case and post them if you are interested.

Thanks! Jon

Thanks for your response Jon.  I have a question maybe you or the doctor can answer.  I posted this in another thread but since you're 'here' I'll repost it here.

When I sleep, I often breathe through my mouth, which means that my mouth is open.  From what I understand, the Full Breath has a bar in the back that clamps down on your tongue when your mouth is closed.  But what happens when your mouth is open?  Wouldn't it become totally ineffective, not holding the tongue down anymore?

It seems like the mandibular advancement devices have an advantage in this respect given that they are 2 pieces that work even when your mouth is open (for those devices that actually allow you open your mouth).

The only way I could see the Full Breath device solving this problem of open mouth is if you wore some type of chin strap that kept your mouth shut.  Is this a fair assesment?  Or does the mouth somehow stay shut with the device in, or does the 'tongue bar' hold the tongue down even when the mouth is open?

Great question - I can only respond from my experience. I have never used the two-piece mandibular device. My one piece retainer is quite effective with my mouth open or closed, however, I believe it is most effective when my mouth is closed (it's hard for me to tell when I'm asleep). That said, I try to go to sleep with my mouth closed and it works all night long. I'm pretty sure my mouth opens now and then but it is not very noticable to me. I can feel the tounge bar even with my mouth open. This is only my experience though - anything like a chin strap would remind me too much of the CPAP which I am through with forever! I'll ask me wife to pay attention and then I can give you a more precise answer. That is also a good question that I can ask the doc to address.

All my best, Jon