• Sleeping Stages and Need
• Airway Pressure Advantages
• Sleep Apnea Diagnosing
• Sleep Apnea Causes & treatment
• Sleep Apnea Treatment
• Causes of Excessive Sleepiness
• Child Settling Problems
• Sleep Disorders
• Sleep Disturbances
• Dreams Psychology
• What Happens During Sleep
• Excessive Sleepiness Trouble Shooting
• Common Factors Producing Insomnia
• Family Bed-Sleeping with Baby
• Teach Child Good Sleep Habits
• Know about How Babies Sleep
• How Long to Sleep and Need
• Idiopathic Hypersomnia Reasons
• Insomnia Causes
• Insomnia Treatment
• Insomnia Definition and Cause
• International Health Problem
• Medications Helps Child Sleep Better
• Medications Improves Sleep Cycle
• Hard to Get up in the Morning
• First Move Against Insomnia
• Narcolepsy Sleep Attacks
• How Narcolepsy is Diagnosed
• Know About Night Waking
• Nightmares & Terrors
• Nightmares to Frightened
• Nocturnal Myoclonus Movement
• Restore Normal Breathing During Sleep
• Oral Appliances Treatment Options
• Overcome Common Aging Sleep Problems
• Parasomnia Exam and Tests
• Pre-School Children Problem
• Factors Reducing Treatments Effects
• Restless Legs Syndrome
• School Age Children Sleep Problems
• Sleep Problems for Elders
• Sleep and Aging Problems
• Relief Social Stress by Insomnia
• Sleep Disorder FAQ
• Sleeping Related Glossary

Oral Appliances: Another Treatment Options

Specially fit oral appliances represent another therapeutic approach to sleep apnea in patients who are not candidates for positive airway pressure. Most of these fit over the upper and lower teeth and pull the lower teeth forward to advance the jaw and expand the size of the airway. These devices can prove very helpful in selected cases.

However, they are best utilized in milder cases of sleep apnea since they tend to be less reliably effective than positive airway pressure, and they are far less likely to improve low blood oxygen levels during sleep to an adequate degree. Other disadvantages include TM joint pain which can cause patients to be unable to use them consistently, changes in dental occlusion and the fact that they typically must be purchased and adjusted, followed by overnight sleep studies to find out if they corrected the patient's sleep apnea to an adequate degree.

At the same time, they represent a valuable alternative in selected patients.