Patient Information
Treatment OptionsWhat are the usual options for treatment?
Continuous Positive Air Pressure (CPAP), surgery, or oral appliance therapy.
CPAP: is considered the gold standard of treatment. It consists of a face mask or nasal tubes that blow air into the mouth and/or nose while you sleep, keeping your airways open with air pressure. Although research has reported that patients' compliance is very low, CPAP is successful in treating severe Obstructive Sleep Apnea.
Surgery: estimates say surgery is 30%-50% effective. None of the options listed below have been found to be effective treatment by the American Academy of Sleep Disorders (AASD).
Sleep Disorders Dentistry with Oral Appliance Therapy: An oral appliance looks much like an athletic mouth guard, but not as bulky. Oral Appliances come in varied designs and many are FDA-approved. They must only be worn at night. Some patients do report oral appliances cause jaw soreness and excessive salivation in the first few nights they are worn, but these side effects usually subside as treatment progresses.
- tonsillectomy/adenoidectomy
- uvulopalatopharyngoplasty (UPPP)
- tracheostomy
- gastroplasty
- nasal surgery
- radiofrequency palatoplasty
- tongue base suspension
- maxillomandibular advancement
