Sleep Apnea Oral Appliance Vs Cpap

Here are the main differences between the oral appliance and the cpap machine.

Sleep apnea oral appliance vs cpap.

Convenience cpap machines although considered very effective have a reputation for being inconvenient. When a patient does not take well to the cpap a dentist who specializes in sleep therapy may recommend an oral appliance. Recommended by the american academy of sleep medicine oral devices also called oral appliances can be used for the treatment of mild to moderate obstructive sleep apnea osa. If you have mild to moderate obstructive sleep apnea and can t tolerate or haven t been helped by cpap oral appliances may be an effective treatment option.

It looks similar to the mouthguard you d wear while playing sports. Meaning that your spouse or partner will be able to get a restful night s sleep. Continuous positive airway pressure therapy is the most commonly recommended treatment for sleep apnea. If you believe that you have sleep apnea visit a qualified medical professional who can assess your condition.

More than 100 different types of oral appliances are approved by. Oral appliance therapy has emerged as an important alternative to continuous positive airway pressure cpap in treating patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome osas. The cpap machine was once the gold standard for treating sleep apnea but now the oral appliance is the go to method for those with obstructive sleep apnea. Unlike cpap an oral appliance does not make any noise.

There s the machine itself a long hose and a mask or nasal pillow. The question of which treatment may be better for someone with sleep apnea depends on a number of factors one of the greatest being their compliance with the treatment. Oral appliances or dental devices in use by sleep medicine dentists for years are now fda approved as a first line treatment for mild moderate obstructive sleep apnea. Health insurance will usually cover costs associated with an oral sleep apnea device.

If you have persistent symptoms of sleep apnea and don t use your cpap you should have a conversation with your sleep doctor to review alternative treatments including potentially using an oral appliance and trying some exercises as long as you do not have severe sleep apnea oral appliances are a good and effective alternative to cpap in treating mild to moderate sleep apnea. In the past physicians would only recommend these apnea mouthpieces as an alternative or secondary treatment for patients who could not tolerate cpap therapy and they are. Travel with an oral appliance is easy. However while extremely effective the cpap does not work for everyone.

The sleep apnea oral appliance resembles a mouthguard. An oral appliance is a less cumbersome alternative to cpap. In this study we report about the subjective and objective treatment outcome of oral appliance therapy and cpap in patients with osas.