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Sleep Apnea Treatment

Do you have sleep apnea and find your CPAP or BiPAP is driving you nuts? If so, please see Dr. Bradley Jordan for an evaluation of a custom-made sleep apnea appliance. There is an alternative to the loud, bulky, uncomfortable machines that prevent you from getting a good night’s sleep.

What Are the Symptoms of Sleep Apnea?

Signs and symptoms of sleep apnea include daytime sleepiness, high blood pressure, acid reflux, snoring, and your spouse or partner noticing that you stop breathing for a period of time while sleeping. Obstructive sleep apnea is not a harmless condition; if left untreated, it can lead to high blood pressure, stroke, automotive and industrial accidents, and possibly even death.

How Is Sleep Apnea Treated?

Once your medical doctor has diagnosed you with obstructive sleep apnea, the first line of treatment is often an appliance that is worn at night, such as a CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure) or BiPAP (Bilevel Positive Airway Pressure). These devices force air through your respiratory tract, keeping it open and preventing the soft tissue from falling backward and collapsing. However, many patients describe wearing one of these devices as claustrophobic, restrictive, drying, cumbersome, loud, and an intimacy killer.

Fortunately, dentistry has developed an alternative treatment using devices that reposition the mandibular. These custom-made devices hold your lower jaw forward, helping keep your throat open. If you have been diagnosed with mild or moderate sleep apnea, a mandibular repositioning device is an effective way to reduce or eliminate sleep apnea.

What Happens During Treatment?

After consulting with your referring physician, we can begin the fabrication process for your device. Since a dental-made repositioning device attaches to teeth, you must have at least 8 teeth per arch and no active gum disease. Making one of these appliances requires that we get impressions or molds of your upper and lower teeth and a registration of your bite. After two to three weeks, you will receive the appliance from our office and learn how to use it and care for it.

Most mandibular repositioning devices are adjustable by either the patient or the dentist. This allows the jaw to be advanced to the point at which you are no longer snoring and wake up feeling rested. For most patients, this is as far as the lower jaw needs to be moved forward. Since we work with your referring physician and want to make sure that the device is adequately treating you, your physician will likely order a second sleep study in which you will wear the device.

Treat Your Sleep Apnea and Get Some Rest!

Many couples cannot sleep in the same room as each other due to one partner’s snoring or the loud noise that comes from their sleep apnea machine. You owe it to your marriage and your partner to get evaluated for obstructive sleep apnea and the treatment options that go with it.

Don’t waste another good night’s sleep – contact Lone Oak Dental today!

Frequently Asked Questions

My CPAP just isn’t working for me, what are other options?

For most people with obstructive sleep apnea, the most effective treatment is a CPAP or BiPAP machine. However, some patients cannot tolerate these devices due to their noise, discomfort and how much dryness they cause. For these struggling people, a mandibular repositioning device may be the solution.

A mandibular repositioning device is a mouthpiece worn during sleep. These oral appliances work by holding the lower jaw forward which opens the airway allowing for oxygen to reach the lungs. In addition to treating sleep apnea and reducing daytime sleepiness, these devices often fix snoring!

Before a device is made, Dr. Jordan must evaluate you to see if you are a candidate for oral appliance therapy. In order to be a candidate, you must have at least 8 teeth in each jaw, not have gum disease and not have significant TMJ pain. After you are evaluated and we have the approval from your physician, we can fit you for an appliance. This involves taking impressions or molds of your teeth and capturing your bite. After about 3 weeks, the appliance will be given to you with thorough instructions on its use.

Once a device is made, it is crucial that you have follow-up appointments with your dentist and physician so that the maximum result can be achieved.

Why do I keep breaking teeth?

Breaking teeth can be painful, costly and frustrating. When a patient comes to our office with multiple broken teeth, we examine several areas: tendency to clench and grind their teeth, size of previous fillings and how stable their bite is. People that clench and grind their teeth can generate enormous amounts of force which can chip or crack teeth. For those that clench or grind, we would recommend a splint to be worn at night or even during the day to reduce the amount of force put on your teeth. Unfortunately, cavities and fillings weaken teeth. When a dentist has to fix a cavity, the resulting tooth is more prone to breaking than if it had never had a cavity or filling. Lastly, a stable and protected bite evens the chewing forces out among teeth. If a tooth is taking more force than designed to, it is more likely to break. Crossbites, missing teeth, excessive overbites and underbites increase your chances of broken teeth. We believe that prevention is the best medicine and hoped you learned something from this FAQ!

Meet Our Doctor:

Dr. Bradley Jordan
Dentist and Owner

I grew up in Stillwater, Minnesota. My dental degree is from the University of Minnesota, where I graduated third in my class. After dental school, I had the privilege of completing an Advanced Education in General Dentistry residency in San Antonio, Texas. This intense program gave me the training needed to confidently complete difficult procedures such as implants, cosmetics, full mouth reconstructions, and sedation dentistry. One of the greatest aspects of this program was that we treated U.S. Veterans and it allowed me to give back to those ...