Mouth Guard and Apnea

Sleep apnea is a disorder where a patient stops breathing repeatedly during sleep anywhere from a few seconds to one minute. This abnormal breathing can cause blood oxygen levels to drop and the patient to choke, snort or snore loudly before resuming normal air intake. According to the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons (AAOMS), a mouth guard is an effective apnea therapy.

Oral Appliances

• Customized oral devices can stop sleep apnea symptoms.

  AAOMS reports that oral appliances inhibit mild or moderate sleep apnea cases and are the primary therapy for patients unable to use airway pressure devices. There are two main types of oral appliances for sleep apnea. Tongue repositioning devices are custom molded to fit a patient's lower jaw and keep the tongue from blocking the airway. The appliance brings the tongue forward and raises the soft palate. Mandibular repositioning devices create more space behind the tongue and settle the pharyngeal airway during sleep. Patients with oral appliances need regular doctor visits to monitor device function and fit.

Effectiveness

• The oral appliance is considered a more recent method of sleep apnea treatment compared to airway pressure devices or surgery. According to a study in the Journal of the American Dental Association, oral appliances have alleviated the severity of sleep-related breathing disorders by about 60 percent.

Side Effects

• Jaw soreness is an initial complaint.

  Upon initial use, patients may complain an oral appliance causes jaw soreness or tooth pain. These side effects usually subside in two to three months. Over time, one in three patients using a mandibular repositioning device develop some movement in the jaw and would benefit from a dental examination.

Candidates

• Apnea sufferers often awaken with a sore throat.

  The ideal candidate for an oral appliance has mild to moderate sleep apnea with symptoms not caused by obesity. These apneas cause ongoing sleep disturbances at least three times a week when the the patient stops breathing for 10 to 20 seconds, up to 30 times an hour during sleep. Snoring is not always a sleep apnea symptom, but part of a larger set of symptoms that make up the sleep disorder. Other apnea symptoms include extreme daytime drowsiness, irritability and waking up with a sore or dry throat.

Therapy

• A sleep study can reveal the best treatment.

  The best therapy overall for sleep apnea is determined by sleep study assessment. While oral appliances can help milder cases of sleep apnea, some of these patients require surgery due to blockages in the nose or throat.