Obstructive sleep apnea is a serious, chronic condition in which the upper airway repeatedly collapses during sleep, disrupting oxygen levels, sleep architecture, and long-term cardiovascular health.
Custom Oral Appliance Therapy as an Effective Alternative to CPAP
While CPAP remains the most commonly prescribed treatment, oral appliance therapy is a clinically proven, comfortable, and highly effective alternative for many patients.
What We Do
We specialize in the evaluation, design, and ongoing management of custom mandibular advancement devices, also known as MADs. These oral appliances are worn during sleep and gently advance the lower jaw to help keep the airway open.
These devices are fabricated to precise measurements using digital impression technology and are carefully titrated over time to optimize therapeutic effect and comfort.
Who We Work With
Oral appliance therapy is particularly well suited for:
- Patients who have tried CPAP and found it intolerable due to discomfort, mask fit issues, noise, or pressure intolerance
- Patients who are unwilling or unable to use CPAP for any reason
- Patients for whom CPAP is contraindicated
- Patients with mild to moderate OSA seeking a less intrusive treatment option
- Patients with positional OSA who may benefit from a combined behavioral and appliance approach
Oral appliance therapy is recognized by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine as a first-line treatment for mild to moderate OSA and as an appropriate alternative for patients with severe OSA who cannot tolerate CPAP.
Diagnosis Comes First
We do not perform diagnostic sleep testing. A formal diagnosis from a sleep physician, pulmonologist, or qualified medical provider is required before we initiate oral appliance therapy.
We are happy to assist in facilitating this referral if you have not yet been evaluated. Following treatment initiation, we coordinate closely with your sleep medicine provider to confirm therapeutic efficacy, typically through follow-up sleep testing, and make appliance adjustments as needed.
A Comprehensive Evaluation
We believe effective sleep apnea management goes beyond simply providing an appliance. Our evaluation assesses contributing risk factors that may improve or complicate treatment, including:
- Body weight and its relationship to airway anatomy
- Nasal and sinonasal pathology, such as deviated septum, chronic congestion, or nasal polyps, that may limit nasal breathing
- Positional components, since many patients have apnea that is significantly worse in the supine position
- Malocclusion or jaw development patterns that may affect airway space
- Jaw joint and dental health, which directly affect appliance design and titration tolerance
Patients leave our practice not just with a device, but with a comprehensive understanding of their condition and a toolkit to support the best possible outcome.