CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) can be a highly effective treatment for sleep apnea. However, it’s not for everyone, and it may take a long time to determine if it’s right for you. It can take several weeks before you get your CPAP machine, and then it may take months to select the right mask, titrate the pressure, and see if you can adapt to the machine.

If you’re exploring alternatives, you might be interested to know that Dr. Pribyl, a member of the American Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine (AADSM), offers specialized dental sleep medicine treatment through oral appliance therapy. This approach can be as effective as CPAP for many people and can circumvent the delays associated with CPAP treatment.

Want to learn whether you are a candidate for oral appliance therapy in Lee’s Summit? Please call (816) 795-1000 today for an appointment at the Center for TMJ & Sleep Apnea.

Why Starting CPAP Can Take a Long Time

Several factors can delay your CPAP treatment. When your doctor diagnoses sleep apnea, you might receive your CPAP machine relatively quickly, in a few days or weeks.

However, CPAP is a complicated treatment. It involves not just the machine but also the mask and any other accessories you need. Finding a comfortable mask can be hard, and once you find one, you might find out that it’s not in stock. You might have a similar problem with different accessories, such as a humidifier.

Once you have assembled all these parts, you can schedule a CPAP titration. A CPAP titration is a sleep study in which sleep physicians help you determine the proper settings for your CPAP machine to achieve the desired results.

90 Days to Try CPAP

Once you start CPAP treatment, your insurance company may want you to try it for 90 days before deciding you can’t adapt to the machine. The insurance company mandates this trial period to ensure you’re giving CPAP a full try. This is necessary because many people immediately decide they don’t like it because of the discomfort, the noise, and the inconvenient maintenance. However, some people can adapt to the machine with enough time.

Ensure you understand how this trial period works for your insurance provider, including when the clock starts and how you can return the CPAP machine for a refund if you decide to try other treatment options.

Can You Get Oral Appliance Therapy Instead?

People waiting on CPAP machines continue to suffer the negative effects of untreated sleep apnea. This can include low energy, depressed mood or irritability, falling asleep at work or behind the wheel, and more. These impact your quality of life every day and can make the time trying to get a CPAP machine to work for you seem a dreadfully long time.

However, dental sleep medicine offers an alternative to CPAP: oral appliance therapy.

You should consider oral appliance therapy if you have:

  • Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA)
  • Mild to moderate sleep apnea
  • Severe sleep apnea but couldn’t adapt to CPAP

Oral appliance therapy only treats obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). OSA occurs when your airway collapses during sleep. Oral appliances for sleep apnea help hold your airway open during sleep so you can keep breathing. However, oral appliances don’t treat central sleep apnea, which occurs when your brain doesn’t tell your body to breathe.

Oral appliance therapy is most effective for people with mild to moderate sleep apnea (apnea/hypopnea index (AHI) of 5-30). It is considered a front-line treatment. You can get good results, and your insurance will generally cover getting an oral appliance for this level of sleep apnea.

People with severe sleep apnea (AHI greater than 30) should try CPAP before getting oral appliance therapy. However, for people who find it hard to adapt to CPAP, switching to oral appliance therapy is still effective.

Benefits of Oral Appliance Therapy

For many people, oral appliance therapy is a better fit than CPAP. Like CPAP, insurance covers most mandibular advancement oral appliances, but tongue-retaining devices may not be eligible.

In addition, with oral appliance therapy, you will enjoy:

  • One-time custom construction: no delays from mixing and matching parts
  • Manage bruxism and TMJ while treating sleep apnea
  • Sleep comfortably in any position
  • Convenient for travel
  • No need for Power
  • Noise-free

Dental sleep medicine has developed extensive expertise in fitting oral appliances for comfort and effective treatment. This core dental skill includes sports mouthguards, orthodontic aligners, and bite splints for TMJ. We can sometimes also combine TMJ and sleep apnea treatment.

Unlike CPAP, an oral appliance does not have wires or hoses, so it’s easy to sleep in any position you want while wearing it.

Oral appliances are convenient for travel. You don’t need a separate bag for your sleep apnea treatment; you can slip it in your pocket. Oral appliances don’t need any power, so you don’t have to worry about finding the right adapter at your destination. They’re noise-free, so you can even pop an appliance in for dozing off in public.

Treat Your Sleep Apnea Now In Independence, MO

This is a perfect time for many people to consider dental sleep medicine treatment in the form of oral appliance therapy. With Dr. Pribyl’s expertise as an AADSM member, you can explore this effective alternative to CPAP and potentially find a solution that works for you more quickly. Research suggests that oral appliance therapy can be just as effective as CPAP for many people and can help avoid the delays associated with traditional CPAP treatment.

Want to learn whether you are a candidate for oral appliance therapy in Lee’s Summit? Please call (816) 795-1000 today for an appointment at the Center for TMJ & Sleep Apnea.