Apparently there's some issue on this forum about the discussion Dental Devices. Mine works....plain and simple. I don't snore and I don't stop breathing. I don't sell them and am not affiliated with anyone that is even close to that business.... I just believe in the freedom of information that helps other people.

regards,
THERMO

Direct link to Dental Sleep Medicine message board on TAS

There is no problem with approved dental devices, there is a problem with people creating potentially dangerous contraptions and calling them cures.  If yours is an approved dental device, feel free to discuss it.  If it is a homebrew, talk to the FDA, get it tested, get it approved, then tell everyone it is a "cure".

ah... I see.  I missed the other posts. My father is greatly interested in this topic and I have been the guinea pig. My results have sparked more interest from him (and others that don't like using cpap) and he was watching the posts on this board. When they went away, he was a little upset ;) Guess I missed the context as to why certain posts were taken off.

I am seeing a professional Dentist that specializes in this application.... so far, so good..... except for the amount of money he charges. I'm trying to get more people interested so we can get other qualified Doctors/Dentists trying the same approach and drive down the cost.

THERMO wrote:

ah... I see.  I missed the other posts. My father is greatly interested in this topic and I have been the guinea pig. My results have sparked more interest from him (and others that don't like using cpap) and he was watching the posts on this board. When they went away, he was a little upset ;) Guess I missed the context as to why certain posts were taken off.

I am seeing a professional Dentist that specializes in this application.... so far, so good..... except for the amount of money he charges. I'm trying to get more people interested so we can get other qualified Doctors/Dentists trying the same approach and drive down the cost.

Thermo,

Thats great that it is giving you good therapy.  Its unfortunate that some snake oil salesman find the need to prey on those with sleep apnea.     

Which device did your dentist provide you with?  I am sure others would be interested in hearing about it.  Although I have severe apnea, I am very interested in the results folks have. (For the most part folks with severe apnea are precluded from using dental devices according to the experts.)

Mike wrote:

THERMO wrote:

ah... I see.  I missed the other posts. My father is greatly interested in this topic and I have been the guinea pig. My results have sparked more interest from him (and others that don't like using cpap) and he was watching the posts on this board. When they went away, he was a little upset ;) Guess I missed the context as to why certain posts were taken off.

I am seeing a professional Dentist that specializes in this application.... so far, so good..... except for the amount of money he charges. I'm trying to get more people interested so we can get other qualified Doctors/Dentists trying the same approach and drive down the cost.

Thermo,

Thats great that it is giving you good therapy.  Its unfortunate that some snake oil salesman find the need to prey on those with sleep apnea.     

Which device did your dentist provide you with?  I am sure others would be interested in hearing about it.  Although I have severe apnea, I am very interested in the results folks have. (For the most part folks with severe apnea are precluded from using dental devices according to the experts.)

Try this..... place your tounge against the bottom row of your teeth and push forward. See if you notice an immediate increase in breathing. I do.... it opens the pathway. That's what my dental device does for me. It moves my fat tounge forward for me.


I have not heard my device actually called by any name. I was diagnosed with Severe Sleep Apnea by a sleep study done at the Seattle Swedish Hospital Sleep Study Division. I did the overnight stay with the electrodes.... etc. So far, my sleep has greatly improved. I continue to go back for device adjustments. Yesterday I went to get the lower jaw placement moved forward and to have the lower fixture tightened so it won't move as  much during the night.

When the adjustment phase is done, and the provider calls my device "fitted", I plan on doing another sleep study at Seattle Swedish with the device to gather actual sleep data. Until then, all I can say is that I'm sleeping well and my girlfriend is extremely happy that she doesn't have to listen to me gasp for air during the night. Also, the device causes no discomfort, I can talk with it in. There is some minor jaw soreness in the morning when I take it out, but I tend to "clamp down" on it with my jaw at night.  I guess you could say that it keeps me from grinding my teeth at night as well.

btw... if there's enough interest in the device I'm using, I can take some pics of it and post them.

The problem that occurred during the study to determine the effectiveness of the device was that there was a feeling that it worked so they didn't do a followup PSG.  But if you look at the data, even those that said that it worked, only had a 50% reduction in apnea's and still were considered to have OSA.  Dental devices work for some people some of the time.  Just because it solved the snoring, does not mean that it treated the apnea.  I am glad to hear that you are doing the follow up study.  You don't want to be in the group that thinks that its treating your apnea when in fact all it is doing is treating your snoring.

Link To Study

THERMO wrote:

btw... if there's enough interest in the device I'm using, I can take some pics of it and post them.

Yes. I for one am extremely interested in options and alternatives or adjuncts to the CPAP machine.
If this BB does not allow posting of pics, just sent them to my e-mail, which I think is available.
I am new to this OSA diagnosis, and am still "researching" the subject. Although the sleep center people might find some minor offense in this, it seems to me that the whole sleep apnea industry has moved in the past few years from their "stone age" into their "bronze age" but there is still far to go with regard to personal comfort with effectiveness of treatment or appliances. I don't know if there are any dental appliance professionals up here in Alaska, but I am nevertheless interested in any information, especially what form they take, and how comfortable the dental appliances are.
Maybe I am just not yet "adjusted" to it, but so far, from my brief experience so far, this CPAP stuff sucks... But on those few nights when I actually slept through most of the night with it on, I must admit I was much more rested...


_________________
Geoff T. in Alaska

I have had several sleep studies done. Had the surgery, had another sleep study. Went on a CPAP, took myself off a CPAP. All I can say is this: the only thing the CPAP ever did for me was cause me to remember waking up and it took me from Obstructive Apnea to Central Apnea. Before and after my surgery I was at an average of 50 incidences per hour for an average of 30 seconds. Longest recorded: 2:32 with many incidents over 2 minutes!

My sister called me this morning and told me that there was a story on the news last night that covered Apnea and a new mouth guard type device made for those with severe sleep apnea. Has anyone heard of this? I intend to do some checking into this and will post if I find anything.

Apparently the oral appliances have 2 or 3 different designs, and are made (or specified) by dentists specializing in that field. The idea, if I understand correctly, is to physically prevent certain types of airway blockage from occurring. It is represented to be an alternative to the various Continuous Air Pressure devices. Each oral appliance is custom made to fit each individual's anatomy; it somehow temporarily fastens to the teeth so it will be held securely in place. It seems as though not everyone can successfully use an oral device, so if I were seeking one, I would identify and locate a dentist who has made many many of them, and "interview" that person prior to having that (probably quite expensive) service and device made. You can probably search this website for good information, as well as use Google to search "Sleep Apnea" +"oral appliance". One link besides this website that looks potentially informative is: http://www.quietsleep.com/oralappliancetherapy/oralappliancetherapy.htm. Good luck in your quest.


_________________
Geoff T. in Alaska

THERMO wrote:

Mike wrote:

THERMO wrote:

ah... I see.  I missed the other posts. My father is greatly interested in this topic and I have been the guinea pig. My results have sparked more interest from him (and others that don't like using cpap) and he was watching the posts on this board. When they went away, he was a little upset ;) Guess I missed the context as to why certain posts were taken off.

I am seeing a professional Dentist that specializes in this application.... so far, so good..... except for the amount of money he charges. I'm trying to get more people interested so we can get other qualified Doctors/Dentists trying the same approach and drive down the cost.

Thermo,

Thats great that it is giving you good therapy.  Its unfortunate that some snake oil salesman find the need to prey on those with sleep apnea.     

Which device did your dentist provide you with?  I am sure others would be interested in hearing about it.  Although I have severe apnea, I am very interested in the results folks have. (For the most part folks with severe apnea are precluded from using dental devices according to the experts.)

Try this..... place your tounge against the bottom row of your teeth and push forward. See if you notice an immediate increase in breathing. I do.... it opens the pathway. That's what my dental device does for me. It moves my fat tounge forward for me.


I have not heard my device actually called by any name. I was diagnosed with Severe Sleep Apnea by a sleep study done at the Seattle Swedish Hospital Sleep Study Division. I did the overnight stay with the electrodes.... etc. So far, my sleep has greatly improved. I continue to go back for device adjustments. Yesterday I went to get the lower jaw placement moved forward and to have the lower fixture tightened so it won't move as  much during the night.

When the adjustment phase is done, and the provider calls my device "fitted", I plan on doing another sleep study at Seattle Swedish with the device to gather actual sleep data. Until then, all I can say is that I'm sleeping well and my girlfriend is extremely happy that she doesn't have to listen to me gasp for air during the night. Also, the device causes no discomfort, I can talk with it in. There is some minor jaw soreness in the morning when I take it out, but I tend to "clamp down" on it with my jaw at night.  I guess you could say that it keeps me from grinding my teeth at night as well.

Hi Thermo,

Firstly, you are taking a very responsible and correct approach to this type of device. A sleep study to start with and a follow up when you are 'fitted'.

Oral devices are still technically in their infancy, that is compared to what they were originally and have now become more user friendly. Your policy of going back to the dentist for minor adjustments is terrific as it allows a gradual 'getting used to' type of fit.

In Ireland our support group have an annual conference each May. In May of this year we had a 'qualified' dentist as one of our speakers. He advocates your exact approach and will not see any patients without a referral from a sleep clinic. I hope that this approach continues. He also advocated that once the fitting is right the patient should return to the dentist at least every 12 months for a check up. Apparantly because of grinding etc they take quite a lot of abuse (while you sleep) and might need a small adjustment or repair.

I believe that there are now up to 40 different types of oral devices, ranging from the MAD (Mandibular Advancement Device), which is suitable for those with decent teeth, TRD (Tongue Retaining Device) for those with little or no back teeth to a combination device which is retained by the teeth but also permits the use of CPAP through a hose connector at the front of the mouth (not unlike the Oracle device, but more secure).

Oral devices (as explained in another post) got a bad name, not alone through misguided advocates, but also through some quick fix dentists who hadn't a clue what they were at.

An increasing number of sufferers use oral devices as a back up to CPAP, particularly while camping or maybe on a romantic or golf week end away from home.

The increasing number of sufferers using these devices either full or part time, not to mention the extensive range is proof enough of their acceptance as a first line treatment, or an option.

Best of luck

Daniel


_________________
The untreated Sleep Apnoea sufferer died quietly in his sleep.......
Unlike his three passengers who died screaming !!!!!!

(Anon)

I wish I could say mine worked - most miserable week of my life!  Tried it alone, and with CPAP.  All I got was a lousy night's sleep and a sore mouth!


_________________
Measure life by its good times.

I'm sorry Gradyguy that you had a bad experience..... Like the forum has said, there are a number of different "dental devices" around. I only have data on what I have.... and that is only based on my sleep and my girlfriend's perception. I will get some actuall data for you all, I promise!

What mouth device?  I just talked with a surgeon today who recommended UPPP and Somnoplasty.  When I asked about other options he mentioned wiring the jaw forward - another sugrical procedure.  Thanks