Hi everyone,

It's great that you guys are hosting this forum here, so after the bad news coming to me from the sleep study last week that I have been diagnoised with OSA, atleast we have a group of ppl here speaking the same language.  

I've been reading and lurking from thread to thread, it seems to me that all of you are using CPAP.  has anyone used oral applicance and found it useful?  i visited a company claiming to be a health expert selling month piece which sort of extends the lower jaw a bit.  Could this device be useful?  it's not cheap, but if i can use it instead of the CPAP, i'd rather use it, coz it appears to be alot more convenient.

Mild6,

I decided to go the oral appliance route to begin with because two members of my family had so many problems with the CPAP.  I was fitted for a TAP appliance by a licensed dentist who specializes in this sort of thing.  Luckily my insurance company picked up half of the cost, though it still wasn't cheap.  Now as to my results...I found it didn't work for me.  First of all it messes with your bite.  When I woke up in the morning my jaw was painful as the bite was off.  It took an hour to work it back into the right position.  It didn't help my apnea at all as I was still extremely tired upon getting up in the morning.  Of course, that may have been due to the fact I couldn't keep the appliance in all night.  I somehow worked the bottom part off my teeth.  While it is small and portable, I found it wasn't very convenient as it was hard getting it to fit in at night, it didn't stay in all night, my bite was messed up, and it didn't help my apnea.  
 

There are folks that it seems to work for, and others that have nothing but problems.  The best bet for you is to talk to a Dentist that specializes in it, find out his reputation and ask if it would help you.  Understand that for most people with Sleep Apnea that is classified as severe, you more than likely will not find 100% relief with a dental device.  (I know someone will jump in and say it works for me and I was classified as severe, but realize that they are the exception, and unfortunately not the rule.)  If you do a search on pillar and dental devices you will find a few threads with folks trying alternatives to CPAP.

merlinda,
tks for sharing your experience using the oral gear.  it's a great reference!  i never thought that it would slip during sleep.  the reason i'm considering it is becoz my doctor told me that i have a mild apnea, cpap level = 6, but she still suggested that i buy a cpap.  

mike,
thanks for response!  i'll check out those threads with discussion on oral appliance.

mild6 wrote:

Hi everyone,

It's great that you guys are hosting this forum here, so after the bad news coming to me from the sleep study last week that I have been diagnoised with OSA, atleast we have a group of ppl here speaking the same language.  

I've been reading and lurking from thread to thread, it seems to me that all of you are using CPAP.  has anyone used oral applicance and found it useful?  i visited a company claiming to be a health expert selling month piece which sort of extends the lower jaw a bit.  Could this device be useful?  it's not cheap, but if i can use it instead of the CPAP, i'd rather use it, coz it appears to be alot more convenient.

Hi,

There are up to 40 different types of oral devices which can be used in the treatment of OSA.
They have proven fairly successful in treating mild, mild/moderate OSA, but not so good with moderate/severe and severe OSA.
So, first off what type of apnoea do you have ?
If you want to proceed with this type of therapy you should first discuss it with your sleep doctor, and if he agrees have him refer you to a suitably qualified dentist who can fit a device properly. It is not a one size fits all.

The reason for all of this is that the dentist will act on your doctor's report and can hopefully decide just how far forward he needs to bring your lower jaw.

I would steer well clear of a 'health expert'. This device is going to pull your lower jaw forward. If it is not done correctly it might prove to be of no benefit or you might end up with damage to your TMJ or similar.

Best of luck.

Daniel


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

(Anon)

Daniel,
Thanks for your advice.  I just visited a so-called "Snoring Expert" a couple days ago.  This guys is no dentist but he appears to be quite knowledgeable about OSA.  He said my OSA can be eliminated by using his TAP, showing me alot of temtimonials.  I, of course, was very tempted and doubtful at the same time, so I told him that I would seriously consider it.  The reason why this product looks so attractive is that it takes just a few days to make, including fitting my jaw and all that, and it's not that expensive.  I'm still thinking whether I shd bet on this one.  CPAC should work but as a mild sufferer, I think it's worth a try for other alternatives.  Having said that, I'm still very very skeptical about the TAP though.

mild6 wrote:

Daniel,
Thanks for your advice.  I just visited a so-called "Snoring Expert" a couple days ago.  This guys is no dentist but he appears to be quite knowledgeable about OSA.  He said my OSA can be eliminated by using his TAP, showing me alot of temtimonials.  I, of course, was very tempted and doubtful at the same time, so I told him that I would seriously consider it.  The reason why this product looks so attractive is that it takes just a few days to make, including fitting my jaw and all that, and it's not that expensive.  I'm still thinking whether I shd bet on this one.  CPAC should work but as a mild sufferer, I think it's worth a try for other alternatives.  Having said that, I'm still very very skeptical about the TAP though.

Hi,

I think you should ask the 'Snoring Expert' what his qualifications are. I am quite knowledgable about Sleep Apnoea, but I certainly would not undertake to fit anything into your mouth, and have the hard neck to tell you it will work.

I believe that this device may be a 'one size' type, subject to a few adjustments.

Beware.

Daniel


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

(Anon)

Daniel,
Thanks!  I almost wanted to give it a try, but now still thinking about it.

Mild,
I know people are probably sick of me saying this, but check with a professional that has experience in TMJ/Facial Pain disorders before using any kind of oral appliance or oral cpap mask.  TMD (also known as TMJ or TMJ Disorder) is not something you want to aggravate and dentists who don't specialize in it can often unknowingly do damage.  A dentist who specializes in sleep disorders should also have training in the jaw disorders if they are doing the oral appliances.  Don't assume that they have training, actually ask and ask about their experience with it.  TMD can mask itself as several other problems, to include tension headaches even, so just because you don't have jaw pain doesn't mean you aren't a candidate for jaw dysfunction once you start playing with the jaw.

dusangpyong wrote:

Mild,
I know people are probably sick of me saying this, but check with a professional that has experience in TMJ/Facial Pain disorders before using any kind of oral appliance or oral cpap mask.  TMD (also known as TMJ or TMJ Disorder) is not something you want to aggravate and dentists who don't specialize in it can often unknowingly do damage.  A dentist who specializes in sleep disorders should also have training in the jaw disorders if they are doing the oral appliances.  Don't assume that they have training, actually ask and ask about their experience with it.  TMD can mask itself as several other problems, to include tension headaches even, so just because you don't have jaw pain doesn't mean you aren't a candidate for jaw dysfunction once you start playing with the jaw.

I totally agree with dusangpyong Mild.  Also, if you have insurance call them and ask if they cover dental appliances for sleep apnea.  Mine did and they also had a list of approved dentists that they participated with.  Just a thought.  I hope this works for you, just be careful if you have TMJ.  Good luck and let us know what happens.

Melinda

hi guys,
i ended up trying CPAC (RemStar Lite), simply becoz i don't want to get any part of my body injured. plus, i have no confidence in that oral device, and i don't want to get into another loop of dentist, examination, and all that.  i've used the CPAC for two nites now, feeling alot less tired during the day, yet struggling with the nasal mask during the nite, feeling extremely uncomfortable with it.