Dental Devices for Obstructive Sleep Apnea

This information was reviewed and approved by Sheila Tsai, MD (3/1/2017).

Dental devices are designed to open the airway so that patients can breathe more easily at night. They are custom-made by dentists with specific expertise in sleep medicine. These devices are a good alternative for sleep apnea patients with claustrophobia or CPAP intolerance. While dental devices are not as effective as CPAP, they are often easier to use. Dozens of dental devices are available to treat obstructive sleep apnea and most fall into one of two types. Some are FDA-approved to treat snoring only, and some are approved to treat obstructive sleep apnea as well. A follow-up sleep study is recommended to confirm that the device is effective.

Hello, my name is Anne Cartright. I'm a physician assistant in the sleep medicine division of National Jewish Health. In the following video segment, we'll discuss alternative therapies for treating your sleep apnea. One option we have for treating obstructive sleep apnea is dental appliances. These are also known as mandibular advancement devices. These devices are usually 60 to 80% effective in terms of treating sleep apnea. These dental appliances work best for patients who have mild to moderate sleep apnea and don't often work well for people with severe sleep apnea. Sometimes we'll use dental devices and CPAP together, regardless of what treatment you choose for your sleep apnea.

There are other things that you can do that will help. Obviously one of the best things you can do is lose weight. For every 1% of your body weight that you lose your AHI, or the number of times per hour you stop breathing goes down by 3% and in some cases if you lose enough weight the sleep apnea will go away completely.

You should avoid alcohol, particularly before bed. Stop smoking and if you can avoid the medications that make sleep apnea worse, such as muscle relaxing or narcotic pain medications.

You can avoid sleeping on your back. Now, as long as you're on CPAP treatment, it's usually not a problem to sleep on your back but if you're not adequately treated or if you haven't yet started some kind of therapy, you should avoid sleeping on your back.

National Jewish Health has been ranked the number one respiratory Hospital in the United States. We are here to assist you with any of your sleep or respiratory needs. For more information, visit our website or contact the National Jewish Health Sleep Clinic.

The type of dental device most commonly used for obstructive sleep apnea is called a mandibular advancement device (MAD). The device looks similar to the mouth guards that athletes wear. It moves the lower jaw slightly down and forward, which may help hold the airway open. Worn at night, the device widens the throat and increases the size of the airway.

Another kind of dental device is a tongue-retaining device or splint, which holds the tongue in a forward position that lets the airway remain open.

Dental devices should be fitted by dentists. It may take several weeks to get used to the device. Many find them comfortable for sleeping.

A dental device may cause pain at the temporomandibular joint, where your jaw attaches to your skull, and can damage your teeth, gums, or jaw; be sure to follow up with your dentist, who can look for any side effects.

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