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CPAP VS Oral Appliance | Which One is Better For You?

CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure) VS Oral Appliance – Which One is Better For You?

Koala® Center For Sleep & TMJ Disorders Offers Alternative to CPAP. Oral Appliance Therapy is Covered by Most Medical Insurances. Serving Patients From All Over the USA. Locations in Bloomington IL, Peoria/Dunlap IL, Mishawaka IN, Kansas City MO, El Paso TX and Wausau WI.

CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure) VS Oral Appliance – Which One is Better For You?
CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure) VS Oral Appliance – Which One is Better For You?

Comfortable Alternative to CPAP

A CPAP machine uses pressurized air to prevent the airway from collapsing at night. An oral appliance is a small, mouthguard-like device that repositions the lower jaw in a way that prevents airway obstructions. CPAP machines can be intrusive. 

Sam, a retired utilities supervisor had struggled with snoring, headaches, daytime fatigue, and high blood pressure for years. His job required him to be on call 24/7 which only increased his fatigue.

“I guess I learned to adapt to the constant fatigue,” says Sam. “Every Wednesday we would have a meeting, and I would doze off in the middle of the meeting,” he continued. “Somehow I would still answer the questions my manager asked, but had no recollection of doing so.”

Sam’s snoring got so bad, his wife had to sleep in another room. “Our pet parrot would even mimic the sound of my snoring, but on a much louder note,” says Sam.

“When Sam would struggle to breathe at night, it really worried me,” his wife says. “He would even doze off while driving, which really scared me.”

With the advice of his physician, Sam decided to have an overnight sleep test. The results confirmed that he had severe sleep apnea and stopped breathing over 60 times an hour.

Sam’s physician suggested that he try Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) to treat his sleep apnea.

“I always felt tense when sleeping with the CPAP machine, and could never relax,” says Sam. “The pressure of the CPAP made it hard to breathe. I never felt like it was that sanitary either when I would get sick.”

“When I complained to my wife about the CPAP, she thought I wasn’t giving it a chance, so I said she should try it on,” he says. “She put it on, but only lasted 15 seconds or so, and admitted that it was pretty difficult to wear.”

After 3 months of battling with the CPAP, Sam knew he needed something else. “Because I had a deviated septum, my physician said I could try a surgery to remove the uvula in the back of my throat and move my soft palate forward. The surgery sounded awful, and I decided against it,” says Sam.

“My blood pressure was out of control, even with continual increases in my medication,” says Sam. Sam’s physician referred him to a cardiologist who recommended he see Dr. Rod Willey at a nearby Koala Sleep Center, for a dental sleep appliance since he couldn’t wear the CPAP.

“Within the first month of using the dental appliance I noticed a huge difference in my energy levels and quality of life!” he says. “My wife is so happy because I don’t fall asleep immediately after dinner,” he continues. “We can actually enjoy spending some time together.”

“I know both of my brothers have sleep apnea, as well as some of my kids,” says Sam. “It really concerns me, because I know just how serious sleep apnea can be. Both of my parents died from heart problems at an early age, and I suspect they had sleep apnea too,” he continues. “I have told my family about the great results I have received from the appliance, and hope they can experience the same!

Oral Appliance therapy is covered by most medical insurances and Medicare. For more information on oral appliance therapy contact a Koala® Center For Sleep & TMJ Disorders near you. As a general dentist with a Diplomate from the Academy of Clinical Sleep Disorders Disciplines, Dr. Willey who is founder and CEO of the Koala Center For Sleep & TMJ Disorders has mentored many dentists in the treatment of snoring, sleep apnea, and TMJ Disorders with oral appliance therapy.

Are you a Philips Respironics user who has been affected by the CPAP Recall?

If so, and you are looking for a safe, effective CPAP alternative, Koala® Center For Sleep & TMJ Disorders can help! We provide custom-made, FDA approved, oral sleep appliances for the treatment of obstructive sleep apnea. Please Request An Appointment today for a consultation to discuss your sleep therapy needs with a Koala® Center near you.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is alerting people who use Philips Respironics ventilators, BiPAP, and CPAP machines and their health care providers that Philips Respironics has recalled certain devices due to potential health risks. The polyester-based polyurethane (PE-PUR) sound abatement foam, which is used to reduce sound and vibration in these affected devices, may break down and potentially enter the device’s air pathway. If this occurs, black debris from the foam or certain chemicals released into the device’s air pathway may be inhaled or swallowed by the person using the device. Please click here to read more.

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