Are you a Prisoner of CPAP?
You may benefit from a removable oral appliance to treat obstructive sleep apnea.
Dr. Wartell, a member of the American Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine, the Dental Organization for Sleep Apnea, the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, and the National Sleep Foundation, understands that your ability to breathe properly during sleep is necessary for your physical and mental well-being. Research has shown that removable dental appliances are valuable as the first method of treatment for mild and moderate obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).
 When you have been diagnosed by a physician as having OSA, and have had an overnight sleep study, ask for a prescription for a dental appliance, known generically as a Mandibular Advancement Device (MAD). If you have medical insurance, this is a covered service in most cases. After a thorough evaluation, if Dr. Wartell believes that you are a candidate for a MAD, he will select and create the type that is best for you. There are a number of different types, which fit over the upper and lower teeth, and hold your lower jaw in a forward position. Another type of appliance fits over the upper teeth and helps your tongue stay forward, opening your airway. The illustration is one of the several TAP™ brand appliances.
Not everyone will benefit from a dental sleep apnea appliance. Before we create an appliance for you, we do several diagnostic studies that can tell us if an appliance is likely to solve your problem. (If not, we refer you for appropriate medical care.) After some visits to place and adjust the MAD, we will do follow-up studies to determine the effectiveness of the appliance.
Snoring can be disruptive to the sleep of you and your partner. It can also reduce the amount of oxygen your body receives during sleep. Oxygen deprivation causes many changes in your blood chemistry, which affect your body adversely. The most serious effect is cardiovascular disease, leading to heart attacks and death. We make appliances that help reduce or eliminate snoring in many people.
Some people suffering from obstructive sleep apnea do not fit the profile that suggests sleep apnea, are not overweight, do not snore, and may be told by their physician that a sleep study is not needed. Here is a link to the story of one such person. Remember that you are the one responsible for your health, and must sometimes take charge so that your doctors do what is best for you.
If your appliance reduces or relieves your symptoms, you may continue to wear it indefinitely. it will be necessary to return annually for an evaluation of the fit and state of repair of the appliance, and its effectiveness. Sleep apnea appliances last several years for most patients before needing to be replaced. They are made primarily of plastic, and eventually wear out from the forces of your jaws and teeth.
After you have been diagnosed by your physician with obstructive sleep apnea, call the Center For Dental Medicine for an evaluation appointment to learn if you are a good candidate for a sleep apnea appliance.
Learn more about sleep apnea:
More about sleep apnea on this site.
National Sleep Foundation
Sleep Disorders Health Center on WebMD
American Sleep Apnea Association
We enjoy answering your questions. For more information,
please call us at 505-474-4644
Center For Dental Medicine
2019 Galisteo St. • J2
Santa Fe, NM 87505
(Behind Los Alamos National Bank, St. Michael's & Galisteo) Map
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