Oral Appliance Therapy – Sparks, NV

Not only can sleep apnea leave you feeling excessively tired during the day, but it might also cause you to snore loudly throughout the night, disturbing your partner and any other unfortunate sleepers nearby. At Vista Dental Care, we can use oral appliance therapy in Sparks to keep you breathing normally throughout the night, letting you – and the people you love – enjoy a peaceful and healthy night’s rest once again. If you’ve been diagnosed with sleep apnea or suspect you might have the disorder, contact our practice today to discuss possible treatment options.

What is Oral Appliance Therapy?

We can give you a custom-made, removeable oral appliance that you can wear whenever you go to bed. It’s similar to a mouthguard worn for sports or an orthodontic retainer, but the way it works is slightly different. Oral appliances designed for sleep apnea are meant to stop your airway from collapsing or being blocked.

There are several different brands of appliances that can be used depending on the patient’s needs, and each one needs to be custom-fitted for your mouth. Always ask your dentist for a sleep apnea appliance instead of relying on an over-the-counter solution.

In general, sleep apnea appliances come in two varieties:

• Mandibular Repositioning Device: These devices will reposition your lower jaw so that it stays in a forward and slightly down position while you’re asleep. This is the type of appliance that will be used to treat most cases of obstructive sleep apnea.
• Tongue Retaining Device: Sometimes the airway becomes blocked while you’re asleep because your tongue has collapsed. You can get a special oral appliance that will hold your tongue in place.

We’ll need to use the results of a sleep study to figure out the underlying cause of your sleep apnea so that we can prescribe an appropriate treatment.

Advantages of Oral Appliance Therapy

For a long time, the “gold standard” for treating sleep apnea has been CPAP therapy. CPAP stands for “continuous positive airway pressure”; basically, it’s a device that blows air into your throat through a mask so that the airway stays clear. This can be effective, but there are also several drawbacks, which is why many dentists will recommend oral appliance therapy as an alternative sleep apnea treatment in Sparks.

Benefits of using an oral appliance include:

• Less Noise: Many patients simply can’t adjust to the noisy CPAP machine; a simple appliance makes it much easier to fall asleep.
• Easier Travel: CPAP machines are bulky, which can be inconvenient when you’re on the go. In comparison, an oral appliance can be packed and carried with little to no trouble.
• Increased Comfort: While it may take a few weeks to adjust to your appliance, many patients find them easier to wear than a CPAP mask.