Oral appliance therapy is not a new idea. It was in use as far back as the early 1900's. But it was not until the 1980's that physicians and dentists began to work together to study and develop this alternative form of treatment enabling more patients to breathe without obstruction during the night.

There are many oral appliances available to the public. Only a few are accepted by the FDA for the treatment of OSA; these are custom made and fitted, and are only available from a qualified provider. These appliances are similar to orthodontic retainers and can control snoring and OSA in up to 75% of selected patients.

After an extensive evaluation, we will make a custom oral appliance. This appliance fits in to your mouth and opens up the airway by repositioning your tongue and lower jaw and preventing collapse of the tongue and soft tissue in the back of your throat. It relieves your symptoms of snoring, and returns your
nighttime breathing to normal.

Silent Nite™ is an example of an
Oral Appliance Therapy.

Oral appliances come in two major families. Those that hold your lower jaw foreword - Mandibular Advancement Splint (MAS) and others which hold your tongue forward - Tongue Retaining Device (TRD). Most common is the MAS, but this family of appliance requires adequate healthy sound teeth for retention in the mouth. TRDs are not retained by teeth and can be used by people who have no teeth or who have severe facial jaw pain.

Once your oral appliance is complete, it will be fit into your mouth and adjusted over a number of follow-up visits to ensure it effectively treats your snoring and OSA.

After you have been using the appliance regularly, during sleeping hours, for two or three months, you will be referred back to your physician or sleep specialist to determine how effectively the appliance is controlling your snoring and OSA.

Then we will continue to monitor your treatment and evaluate the response of your teeth and jaws and continue to maintain and modify your oral appliance, if necessary, so that it remains effective.