Grosse Pointe & Shelby Township
Sleep Apnea Treatment Options
Oral appliance therapy for obstructive sleep apnea is now covered by most medical insurances in Michigan. Contact us today for your snoring or sleep apnea treatment!
Modern dental sleep medicine offers several sleep apnea treatment options. If you’ve been diagnosed in Michigan, contact us to learn how you can achieve sleep apnea relief.
Oral Appliance Therapy
Oral appliances are worn in the mouth to treat snoring and Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA).
Oral appliances for sleep apnea are excellent for those with CPAP intolerance.
These devices are similar to orthodontic retainers or sports mouth guards. Oral Appliance Therapy involves the selection, design, fitting and use of a custom designed oral appliance that is worn during sleep. This appliance then attempts to maintain an opened, unobstructed airway in the throat.
Oral appliances work in several ways:
- Repositions the lower jaw, tongue, soft palate, and uvula
- Stabilizes the lower jaw and tongue
- Increases the muscle tone of the tongue
Advantages of Oral Appliance Therapy
Oral Appliance Therapy has several advantages over other forms of therapy:
- Oral appliances are comfortable and easy to wear. Most people find that it only takes a couple of weeks to become acclimated to wearing the appliance.
- Small and convenient making them easy to carry when traveling.
- Treatment with oral appliances is reversible and non-invasive.
- Oral devices for sleep apnea are excellent for those who are CPAP intolerant.
Follow Up Care
On-going care, including short- and long-term follow-up, is an essential step in the treatment of snoring and Obstructive Sleep Apnea with Oral Appliance Therapy. Follow-up care serves to assess the treatment of your sleep disorder, the condition of your appliance, your physical response to your appliance, and to ensure that it is comfortable and effective.
Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP)
Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) is pressurized air generated from a bedside machine.
This is how CPAP clears your airway:
- The air is delivered through a tube, connected to a mask, covering the nose.
- The force of the pressurized air splints the airway open.
- The CPAP opens the airway like air into a balloon; when air is blown into the balloon, it opens and gets wider.
Surgical Procedures
Oral and ear, nose, and throat (ENT) medical doctors may consider a variety of methods to evaluate, diagnose, and treat upper airway obstruction.
These specialists treat upper airway obstructive disorders by utilizing both minimally invasive procedures as well as more complex surgery, including jaw advancement.
Additionally, an ENT specialist may evaluate you for other types of surgery, mainly the removal of the excess tissues in the throat. It may be necessary to remove tonsils and adenoids (especially in children), the uvula, or even parts of the soft palate and the throat.