We now have an oral appliance for sleep apnea that is comfortable and effective. In Greenville, SC for treating sleep apnea rather than the traditional CPAP machines such as the mandibular advancement devices (MAD). We provide various FDA-approved dental sleep devices at Dental Sleep Medicine.

Dental sleep oral appliance therapy comes in a variety of Types of Oral Appliances in various sizes and shapes for the treatment of obstructive sleep apnea. Once you have received your appliance you will need a follow-up sleep study at a Greenville sleep center.

These oral appliance devices can be divided into three categories: tongue retaining devices, mandibular advancement devices, and a combination of CPAP and a dental device (termed as hybrid sleep apnea therapy)

The most commonly used appliance or dental devices for sleep apnea treatment and snoring is the MADs. Also called oral appliances, the airways are opened by;

1) preventing the lower jaw from falling back and down and

2) keeping the lower jaw slightly open and forward.

Due to the fact that the tongue is attached to the jaw, your airway is made larger by the forward movement of the tongue as the jaw moves forward.

We use custom made, titratable Mandibular Advancement appliance Devices at the Dental Sleep Medicine of Greenville, SC.

Any non-custom or boil and bite devices or any device that cannot be adjusted are not recommended for sleep apnea.

There are more than a hundred dental appliance devices that are FDA approved for treating sleep disorders and sleep apnea. Wow, that’s a lot. Find out which dental device would be best for you and check. They vary in what types of materials they are made from and the mechanism used to adjust or move your jaw forward. As shown in the pictures, some consist of adjustment screws in the front, while others on the side, some use rubber bands or telescoping bars. We assess several things to determine which device would be best for you during sleep.

The MADs and the TRDs function similarly, by holding the tongue forward. The difference between these two is that TRDs directly control the tongue rather than the lower jaw. In the same vein TRDs have been known to minimize certain therapeutic complications, they were more of a challenge to get used to and wear regularly.

They are several reasons which hinder a person from wearing the Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP). It’s too loose; the mask is too tight; I often feel claustrophobic; it prevents me from moving around; it makes me feel bloated; the air also makes me feel like I’m drowning; it dries out my mouth, throat, etc.

If you’ve tried it before, you will understand exactly what we’re saying.

So sometimes CPAP refuses to work for you, and sometimes, our dental devices don’t take your number low enough.

Thanks to the hybrid therapy option. Sometimes we can combine PAP and a dental oral appliance device via a custom mask when neither therapy works by itself. We now have a therapy that works and seems to provide our patients with the best of both worlds for treating obstructive sleep apnea.

Our team can work perfectly with your sleep physician to design a combination dental appliance sleep device that will pair with your PAP delivery system.

This custom-made device or oral appliance will pair with your CPAP machine.

Combining your machine with this device will let you control your CPAP at a much lower pressure setting.