The two most frequently prescribed sleep apnea treatments are a CPAP or a sleep appliance. Both typically work well, helping you breathe easier and sleep throughout the night. Yet many of our patients get a sleep appliance instead of a CPAP.
Here are some reasons they choose an appliance:
- Greater Comfort – The CPAP and the appliance both work by keeping your airway unobstructed while you sleep. The CPAP does so with a stream of air. This can leave your mouth and throat feeling dry. The appliance simply shifts your jaw into a position that keeps the airway clear.
- Easy to Use – No additional supplies are needed to use an appliance. You simply insert into your mouth before turning in for the night. You’ll need electricity or batteries to keep a CPAP running and distilled water to keep its air pressure properly adjusted.
- Travels Well – The lack of supplies also makes it easy to take an appliance with you. You can use it pretty much anywhere, including on a plane or in a tent in the woods. Since it’s about the size and shape of a sports mouthguard, it fits easily into a pocket or purse.
- Less Distracting – You may feel a little like Darth Vader with a CPAP, since a mask covers your face. While it isn’t exactly noisy, the sound it does make may bother light sleepers. The appliance fits inside your mouth. Neither you nor your bed partner are likely to be bothered by it.
To see if you could benefit from using a sleep appliance, call Call Gregory A. Williams DMD at 503-210-9802 for a sleep apnea consultation in our Tigard, OR office.
