Oral Appliances Specialist

What are oral appliances?

Oral appliances are discreet devices that you wear at night as you sleep. They push your lower jaw forward by a few millimeters, which helps you keep your throat open so you can breathe as you sleep. 

Some oral appliances include other components and features, like a splint to hold your tongue out of the way of your airway or an adjustable arm that lets you move your jaw slightly while wearing the device. 

At Hibernation Sleep MN, Dr. Cogswell evaluates you to decide if oral appliance therapy is an appropriate treatment option. He also takes impressions to use while creating your oral appliance, and you come back in for a fitting when it’s ready. 

What do oral appliances treat?

Oral appliances primarily treat obstructive sleep apnea, a condition that arises from the inability to breathe with ease at night. More specifically, obstructive sleep apnea happens when tissues or other structures in your throat block your airway and stop the stream of inhaled air when you relax.

Obstructive sleep apnea can cause snoring and dangerous breathing pauses at night. It can also cause you to wake up regularly throughout the night, so you feel unsatiated with sleep in the morning. Some of the daytime effects of the combined low oxygen intake and lack of adequate sleep include:

• Memory problems
• Concentration problems
• Daytime fatigue
• Morning headaches
• Dry mouth in the morning
• Irritability
• Insomnia

In some cases, you can use an oral appliance to treat serious cases of snoring. Even if the snoring isn’t linked to sleep apnea, it can disrupt your partner’s sleep and be unmanageable with other approaches like nasal strips or weight loss. 

Which factors should I consider when getting an oral appliance?

When you come in for your oral appliance consultation with Dr. Cogswell, he helps you consider the different features and components of various oral appliance brands, like Whole You™, Panthera®, ProSomnus®, and SomnoDent®. There are many factors to consider, including the:

• Materials
• Cost
• Comfort
• Longevity
• Cleaning and care
• Number of office visits

You also have to take part in sleep tests before and after the process to make sure your device is working. Dr. Cogswell considers the results of these tests, your anatomy, and your personal preferences while treating you with oral appliance therapy.

An oral appliance can make a major difference in your sleep quality, even if you’ve already tried other treatments like continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) for sleep apnea. To schedule a consultation, request an appointment by phone or book online today.