Posted by rarobinson on February 03, 2011 at 05:14:27:Intraoral devices are a good alternative to the CPAP treatment, but only in cases of mild or moderate sleep apnea. If u suffer severe Sleep Apnea, a combination of both treatments would be the best solution.
In every case you get rid of snoring and with over 300 different appliances in the market it's hard work to make a choice.I normally recommend following these steps:
1. A study by a sleep medicine expert is essential (there are cases in which you suffer SleepApnea without snoring and vice versa
2. After the evaluation of the grade of Sleep Apnea the treatment can start by consulting a specialised dentist (CPAP and/or Appliance)
3. Inform yourself about the different appliances, the dentists are used to their own splints (TAP, Herbst, Orthoapnea...)and often patients are better informed about innovations than the dentists themselves
4. It's important that the appliances have proven their efficiency in studies
5. My experiences have shown me that the most important aspect is that the splint garantees confort to be sure to continue the treatment. First I tried a splint which dropped out of the mouth and hurted nonstop, but I thought that the elimination of the snoring was worth it. I then changed my mind as i think paying so much for a treatment should mean also a perfect solution. In the end I am very satisfied with my Orthoapnea appliance. It is working wonders for me.