A great place to start Disorder information source Rated and Reviewed Sleep Links Entrance to all monitored Sleep Forums Search all of Sleepnet.com


Sleep Apnea
Forum131 Posting


Archived Apnea Forum131 viewing only. To post go to the Apnea Forum Homepage.

Re: Denied Health Coverge due to Apnea!

Posted by Bird Watcher on December 19, 2006 at 19:52:01:

In Reply to: Re: Denied Health Coverge due to Apnea! posted by Thunder Bay on December 18, 2006 at 21:32:21:

Sometimes there can be a mystery surrounding apnea patients who can't be helped by treatment with Positive Airway Pressure, whether it be CPAP, APAP, or Bi-Level therapy. Yet when I read about the sucess rates of the MMA jaw advancement surgery, I can't help but conclude that the physical connection of the jaw and tongue play a major role as the apnea obstruction point for many people. As you know, the tongue is attached to the jaw at the chin, and by moving the jaw and chin forward, it has the affect of holding the tongue base slightly more foward out of the airway. Even a little advancement forward of the tongue, thinking of that advancement as the radius of a circle, where the circle is the airway, can provide a great gain in the area of the circle.

I truly believe that if CPAP doesn't work for a person, it's because they can't tolerate the level of pressure (for themselves) to move their tongue forward enough out of the airway to help. If that level of pressure was brought to bear, the person would suffer central apnea from too high a pressure. For most apnea sufferers, there is a level of pressure that splints the airway open far enough and can be tolerated.

If there is no realistic hope of ever considering MMA surgery, whether it be insurance related issues, or a bad underlying health condition, I think patients should be looking to try a dental appliance and use that in conjunction with the CPAP and see if the combination of the two helps more than the CPAP alone.

Follow Ups:


Archived Apnea Forum131 viewing only. To post a new topic go to the Apnea Forum Homepage

  • IMPORTANT : Information not intended as medical advice. If you suspect that you have a sleep disorder you should seek care from a qualified professional. Read Terms of Use. The Sleep Forums are not to be used for commercial purposes. Commercial products and services are not endorsed by Sleepnet.com.
  • Sleep Deprivation due to Sleep Apnea and insufficient sleep are common and can present as insomnia, narcolepsy, or idiopathic hypersomnia. In infants and children sleep problems commonly present themselves as ADD or ADHD.


Copyright ©1995-2006 Sleepnet.com., All rights reserved