Sleep Apnea Suregey - Oral Appliance

Apnea means "no breathing" in the Greek language, the language of the great hero Achilles as well as many ancient physicians and scholars. Like its name suggests, sleep apnea means the ceasing of breathing activity in the middle of the night because of blockage of the sinus, resulting to disturbed sleep. Sleep apnea like all physical conditions can be treated. In this case, the treatment is done through therapy complemented by a sleep apnea oral appliance.

It is important to have sleep apnea treated as early as possibly as it may lead to complications and even complicated procedures in the future, like a bypass heart surgery since sleep apnea is known to cause heart problems.

Sleep apnea oral appliances are more commonly known as CPAP devices. CPAP is an acronym for Continuous Positive Airway Pressure. These devices come in the form of a mask interface and a pressure unit. The interfaces vary. There are some that are inserted into the nasal oral cavities so air is continually pumped at a predetermined pressure rate so the body is forced to continue breathing and thus prevent sleep apena. A chin or jaw strap may also be used. Being ambulatory, you can carry these devices around and bring these with you in your travels until the therapy is completed. You can go on a vacation from New York to the nearby NJ area or even overseas, and you can still bring these devices with you.

There are many types of sleep apnea oral appliance. Hence, great care must be exercised when choosing the ones that you will use for your therapy. Selection is done through consultations with your surgeon.

The first criterion for choosing apnea oral devices is comfort. The mask must be tight enough but still remain comfortable on whatever sleeping position your body assumes. It might be able to permit you to comfortably sleep on your side, on your back, or face-down while still permitting the same tightness to prevent air from leaking. Fortunately, most of these devices feature a quick release clip so that users can easily detach the mask and wear them again without having to readjust the straps.

The way you breathe is also an important factor when choosing a sleep apnea oral appliance. Some people breathe through their mouth, probably because of obstructions in the breathing passages in the nose. If you are one of these, then you should consider getting a mask that allows users to breathe through their mouths instead of the nose. In addition, it is still possible to use these appliances even if you have an oral cleft. Again, it is important to consult with your physician to determine your breathing arrangement.

Other physical conditions are also considered when choosing a face mask for your sleep apnea devices. For example, if you wear eyeglasses, you may want to find a mask that is placed at a low position on your noise so you can wear them while wearing the face mask. Allergies also play a part in the selection. Most face masks are generally made of a hard plastic body and a silicone seal. Silicone allergy can exist in some people so alternative materials exist to address that, so some face mask seals are constructed out of synthetic rubber or vinyl to address that need.