What Is Oral Appliance Therapy For Sleep Apnea?

Oral appliance therapy utilizes custom fit devices, used at night while you sleep to gently move your lower jaw forward with the tongue, opening your airway, and allowing you to breathe more comfortably. Perhaps, some of you may have tried, or found difficulty using a CPAP. The advantages of an oral appliance, or others, is more comfortable and convenient, it’s non-invasive, there is no surgery, it’s silent, and less noticeable than the CPAP is. And unlike the CPAP, oral appliances are small and portable, and they reduce or even eliminate snoring. I’d like to show you an oral appliance. It has a top portion at the bottom, and it’s connected by a band that allows you to advance the lower jaw gently in small increments that are comfortable, moving the tongue forward and opening your airway. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine recommends as a first line treatment choice, the use of oral appliances for treatment of all mild and moderate sleep apnea, as well as for people who are intolerant of CPAP.