Custom Oral Appliance for Sleep Apnea at Home

Get a Custom Sleep Apnea Oral Appliance without Leaving Your Home

Historically, if you wanted to get custom oral appliance for sleep apnea you had to see go through the following steps:

1. Find a dentist who specializes in oral appliances for sleep apnea.
2. Go for an initial consultation to find out if you are a candidate for a custom mandibular advancement device. 
3. If you are a candidate, get impressions and a bite registration made at the dentist's office. 
4. Wait! Usually it takes 2-3 weeks for the device to get fabricated. 
5. Go back to the dentist's office for an initial fitting of the sleep apnea mouthpiece. 
6. Have 1-3 more checkups with the dentist to adjust your device. 

TOTAL TIME: Typically 4-6 weeks

TOTAL COST: Usually between $3,000-6,000 when made by a dentist who is board-certified in dental sleep medicine. 

The New Option: Make Your Custom Oral Appliance at Home

1. Review our criteria below to make sure that you are a good candidate for a custom dental appliance for sleep apnea.
2. Order a Sleep-Well device through our website. 
3. We will send you an easy-to-do home impression kit. Send it back to us. 
4. Get your custom dental device for sleep apnea in 2-3 weeks with instructions about how to adjust it at home to best treat your sleep apnea and remedy your snoring. 

Benefits to our program: 

• Save money: the entire process costs $1500. This includes the impression kit, the Sleep-Well appliance, a morning repositioner device to help prevent any long-term teeth movement, and all shipping. Compare to the average cost of $5,000 for the same appliance from a board-certified sleep dentist. 
• Reduce hassle and stay safe: no visits to a dental office required.

Are You a Candidate for a Custom Oral Appliance for Sleep Apnea?

Make sure that you meet all of the "inclusion" and "exclusion" criteria below:

Inclusion Criteria for an Oral Appliance for Sleep Apnea

• You have had a sleep study and have been diagnosed with mild to moderate obstructive sleep apnea OR you have severe obstructive sleep apnea (AHI ≥ 30) but cannot tolerate a CPAP. 
• You have a prescription for an oral appliance for sleep apnea (if you don't have one, we can help). 
• You have all of your teeth (except wisdom teeth). 

Exclusion Criteria for an Oral Appliance for Sleep Apnea

• You have significant temporomandibular joint dysfunction (TMD)
• You have significant periodontal disease, e.g. bone loss putting your teeth at risk of falling out. 
• You have dental work that needs to be done, e.g. fillings, crowns, bridges etc. 
• You don't have obstructive sleep apnea but a more complicated sleep breathing problem such as central sleep apnea, complex sleep apnea, or sleep related hypoxemia.

NOTE: If you have any questions about whether your teeth are healthy enough for a mandibular advancement device, check with your general dentist. 

About the Sleep-Well Oral Appliance for Sleep Apnea

• Invented by noted authority in dental sleep medicine, Dr. Steven Lamberg, DDS
• Includes a series of inserts to allow you to gradually move the lower jaw forward, opening up your airway to the optimal position to treat snoring and sleep apnea. 
• FDA-approved for the treatment of mild to moderate obstructive sleep apnea. This means that the device has been tested and proven by the governing body of medical devices to be effective. 
• The device allows lateral jaw movement (unlike many other oral appliances) which is much more comfortable than devices that lock your jaws in place. 
• Includes a free morning repositioner to prevent tooth movement.  
• Read the user instructions here. 

FAQs:

1) Are these appliances approved for sleep apnea or just snoring?

Sleep-Well is FDA-approved as a first-line treatment for mild-moderate obstructive sleep apnea and is considered a second-line treatment for patients with severe obstructive sleep apnea who cannot tolerate CPAP. 

2) Is this the same type of device that I would get from a sleep apnea dentist?

The Sleep-Well is one of the most popular oral appliances for sleep apnea made in dental offices. 

3) Are these devices "mandibular advancement devices"?

Yes, these devices are the most commonly used type of oral appliance for sleep apnea called mandibular advancement devices or M.A.D. The device pulls the lower jaw forward, opening up space in the back of the throat. 

4) What does my prescription need to say?

It needs to say, "oral appliance for sleep apnea," "dental appliance for sleep apnea," sleep apnea oral appliance," "sleep apnea dental appliance," "mandibular advancement device for sleep apnea," or "sleep apnea dental device."

5) I think that I might have sleep apnea but haven't been tested. Can you help me?

Yes, if you suspect that you might have sleep apnea and are motivated to pursue oral appliance therapy, you can order a home sleep study through Singular Sleep. 

6) Are these devices the same as over-the-counter devices like the Zyppah? 

No - over-the-counter devices are only approved for snoring. They are much less comfortable and effective than a custom, adjustable oral appliance built for your mouth. 

7) What happens if I don't do the impressions correctly for the Sleep-Well?

Most people have no difficulty getting impressions that are good enough for our lab to make the Sleep-Well. If you had trouble with the impressions, we will send you another kit for an additional $50 charge. 

8) What is a morning bite repositioner and why is it important?

In the morning after using an oral appliance for sleep apnea, you may feel like your bite is slightly off. Morning bit repositioners help get your teeth and jaws back into normal alignment. Your oral appliance from Singular Sleep comes with a free morning bit repositioner. 

9) How do I know how to adjust my dental device to make sure my sleep apnea is fully treated?

The device comes with a series of inserts of escalating width. Over several weeks, you will slowly swap out a smaller insert for a bigger one to further open up your airway without irritating your jaws until your snoring has resolved and your sleep quality is good. 

11) Why does this device require a prescription? 

Our sleep apnea device is FDA-approved medical device for the treatment of sleep apnea and as such requires a prescription from a licensed healthcare provider. This process is to be differentiated from purchasing an over-the-counter oral appliance that is not approved for the treatment of sleep apnea.  

12) Who can prescribe an oral appliance for sleep apnea?

An appropriately licensed physician, osteopath, nurse practitioner, physician's assistant, dentist, naturopath, or chiropractor can prescribe a sleep apnea device. In some states, psychologists may also be able to prescribe a sleep apnea oral appliance for you. 

 13) What are the potential side effects of oral appliances for sleep apnea?

You have to make sure your oral health is sufficient for an oral appliance. Advanced gum (periodontal) disease and loose fillings, crowns, or other dental work are a contraindication for oral appliances for sleep apnea. Dental devices for sleep apnea commonly cause or exacerbate "TMJ" (temperomandibular joint dysfunction) - custom-fit oral appliances that allow lateral jaw movement, such as the Sleep-Well, are less likely to cause this problem. Often when TMJ occurs it is short-term. Long-term use of oral appliances has the theoretical use of moving the teeth and mandible forward and causing "occlusal" problems (the teeth don't come together in proper alignment). This risk can be minimized with regular use of a morning bite repositioner for a short-period of time after taking out your oral appliance in the morning.