Sleep apnea is a serious condition, but it is treatable. Many treatment options can help you reduce or eliminate the negative complications of sleep apnea. At Advanced Dental Sleep Treatment Center, we work hard to pair every patient with the best sleep apnea treatment for them. We will help you understand all your treatment options so you can decide whether CPAP, oral appliance therapy, or surgical approaches are best for you.
To talk to a sleep dentist about your sleep apnea treatment options, please call (402) 493-4175 or use our online form today to request an appointment at the Advanced Dental Sleep Treatment Center.
CPAP
Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) is the most commonly prescribed treatment for sleep apnea. In this treatment, an air pump forces air through a tube into a mask that directs the pressurized air into your airway. This pressurized air supports your airway to keep it from collapsing during sleep, which is what causes obstructive sleep apnea. CPAP also ensures you get air even if you stop breathing, which happens in central sleep apnea.
Properly used, CPAP is essentially 100% effective at treating sleep apnea. However, the discomfort, inconvenience, and expense of CPAP mean that many people don’t use it properly. Only about half of people prescribed CPAP use it long-term. Since having untreated sleep apnea has severe consequences for your health, it’s essential to find a CPAP alternative if you can’t tolerate it. For most people, oral appliance therapy, sometimes called OAT, is the best CPAP alternative.
Oral Appliance Therapy (OAT)
Oral appliance therapy is a highly effective treatment for mild to moderate obstructive sleep apnea. You just put the oral appliance in your mouth before bed.
Oral appliance therapy most often operates using the principle of mandibular advancement. Your jaw (mandible) is the main bony support for your airway. Pushing your jaw forward while you sleep helps to support your airway so it doesn’t collapse. The oral appliance is adjustable to find the proper advancement that keeps your airway open but is still comfortable.
Oral appliance therapy is effective on obstructive sleep apnea and can also help with snoring, which is closely associated with sleep apnea. It’s recommended as a primary treatment for mild to moderate sleep apnea. However, people with severe sleep apnea can use it if they can’t tolerate CPAP.
It is also possible to combine oral appliance therapy with CPAP with the use of a TAP-PAP appliance. This appliance repositions the jaw and acts as a CPAP mask for more comfortable and effective sleep apnea treatment.
Overall, oral appliance therapy is about as effective as CPAP. In part, that’s because people are more likely to use their oral appliances, which are comfortable and easy to use.
Surgery
Surgery can treat sleep apnea. There are currently three main approaches to surgical treatment of sleep apnea:
- Soft tissue surgery
- Jaw surgery
- Inspire implant
Surgery is not typically recommended as a primary sleep apnea treatment because people with sleep apnea have an elevated risk of surgical complications. However, for the right candidate, surgery can be very effective.
Soft Tissue Surgery
Soft tissue surgery involves removing some airway tissues that block airflow, such as the soft palate, the uvula, the tonsils, and more. The success rate for this type of surgery is low (typically less than 50%), and often, those who see good initial results see the results diminish over time.
Jaw Surgery
Jaw surgery reshapes the bones of your jaw to widen your airway. This surgery is highly invasive and has a long recovery time, but it’s also quite effective. The success rate is perhaps 90% or more if the objective is to cut sleep apnea severity by half or more. The cure rate for this procedure is probably less than 40%. You may still need sleep apnea treatment after this surgery. The results from this procedure tend to be long-lasting.
Inspire Implant
This surgical procedure is relatively new. In this procedure, your surgeon will place a device in your chest that stimulates your airway to help it stay open at night. The procedure is recommended for people who have moderate to severe sleep apnea but can’t tolerate CPAP. It isn’t recommended if you are obese. According to trials, about three-quarters of people who use the device experience sleepiness and quality of life comparable to people without sleep apnea.
Find the Right Sleep Apnea Treatment for You
If you have sleep apnea, it’s essential to get it treated. Otherwise, you might experience potentially deadly complications. Fortunately, sleep apnea is treatable. There are enough sleep apnea treatment options that you can find the one that will work best for your sleep apnea and your lifestyle.
To talk to a sleep dentist about your treatment options, please call (402) 493-4175 or use our online form to request an appointment at the Advanced Dental Sleep Treatment Center in Omaha.
