Oral Appliance Therapy
If you're interested in an alternative to continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), oral appliance therapy might be a solution. Our office offers various oral appliances that reposition your tongue and jaws to open the airway and promote better sleep. Your sleep specialist can customize a treatment plan and oral device based on your sleep apnea symptoms and the severity of your condition.
CPAP works by pushing pressurized air through a hose and mask that fits over the mouth and nose to maintain steady breathing and prevent apnea episodes. However, the machine can be noisy, inconvenient, costly, and uncomfortable for many patients who simply don't wear them, risking their health. Our dental practice offers oral appliance therapy as an alternative for those who qualify.
What Is Oral Appliance Therapy?
Oral appliance therapy (OAT) is effective for those who snore or have mild to moderate obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). The oral appliance fits comfortably over the teeth, like a mouthguard or orthodontic retainer, while you sleep. This dental appliance repositions the jaw slightly forward, opening the airway and preventing the tongue from blocking the throat so you can breathe freely.
Frequently Asked Questions
The temporomandibular joints (TMJ) take a lot of wear and tear. Besides chewing, swallowing, and talking, the joints can experience overuse from gum chewing, yawning, and teeth clenching and grinding. If TMJ symptoms affect your quality of life, an oral surgery specialist can diagnose and treat the problem.
If you experience headaches, neck or jaw aches, clicking or popping in your jaw, pain around your ear, sensitive teeth, or jaw pain when eating or yawning, you may have a TMJ disorder.
Here’s what can lead to TMJ pain:
- Arthritis is common in older adults and can also occur in your jaw joints.
- Grinding or clenching your teeth (bruxism) tightens your facial and jaw muscles and puts stress on your temporomandibular joints. Bruxism can also cause extra wear on your teeth.
- Poor posture causes the muscles of the jaw, neck, and face to tighten, causing pain and other symptoms.
- Trauma to your jaw can lead to a TMJ disorder later on.
- Misaligned teeth may impact your bite and how your joints fit together.
As you can see, decreasing stress, taking care of your oral health, and wearing a night guard are all ways to prevent TMJ pain. If conservative treatments don’t give you relief, talk to your oral surgery specialist about TMJ surgery.
Benefits of Oral Appliance Therapy
Oral appliance therapy is a non-invasive treatment that effectively and easily fits many patients' lifestyles and offers many benefits compared to a CPAP machine.
- Portable
- Convenient
- Easy to wear
- Comfortably
- Quiet
- Easy to maintain and clean
A custom oral appliance can revitalize your health, improve your sleep, and restore your energy.
Contact Us Today for Sleep Apnea Treatment
Do you have OSA or snore but don't want to use CPAP to treat symptoms? Your sleep specialist can screen and test you for sleep apnea and determine if oral appliance therapy is right for you.
Your doctor will first assess your oral cavity, head, and neck and provide a thorough screening and sleep apnea questionnaire. Depending on your results, they can offer you a sleep test and provide the best treatments for you and your needs.
Don't hesitate to contact us today to learn more about oral appliance therapy and schedule your consultation.
Our Team
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Dr. Lisa Symonds DDS
Lisa Symonds, DDS, is a dedicated dentist at Chinook Family Dentistry. She brings a lifelong passion for oral health and patient care to her work each day. Her journey in dentistry began early; she started working as a sterilization technician for her father in 1992 while still in high school.
During her undergraduate years, she continued to grow in the field by assisting him chairside, experiences that solidified her interest in pursuing a health profession and ultimately led her to dentistry.
Dr. Symonds earned her dental degree from the Northwestern University Dental ...
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