Sleep Apnea Appliance Jaw Pain

Jaw opening exercises your patients can use.

Sleep apnea appliance jaw pain.

At the center for sleep apnea and tmj we focus our practice solely on the treatment of sleep apnea snoring tmj disorders head and facial pain. Oral appliances are a possible treatment for snoring and obstructive sleep apnea that work by holding the lower jaw in a forward position during sleep. To help your patients with tmd pain try recommending some exercises. The standards which are set forth by the american academy of dental sleep medicine are rigorous and only the most qualified offices are able to attain such accreditation.

If you have persistent symptoms of sleep apnea and don t use your cpap you should have a conversation with your sleep doctor to review alternative treatments including potentially using an oral appliance and trying some exercises as long as you do not have severe sleep apnea oral appliances are a good and effective alternative to cpap in treating mild to moderate sleep apnea. Oral appliances for snoring or sleep apnea have risks too. I myself wear an anterior positioning obstructive sleep apnea appliance the moses and use a jaw re positioner every morning for about 30 minutes to re align my jaw back into a comfortable position. This tmj appliance is not covered by insurance so i would have to pay the full cost of it out of pocket.

Online study groups and cohorts of other sleep dentists are great when it comes to identifying the cause of your patient s ailment. The incorrect appliance can force patients into a headache jaw pain spiral. Ask your patient if they changed any sleeping habits such as a new pillow or mattress. If you have mild to moderate obstructive sleep apnea and can t tolerate or haven t been helped by cpap oral appliances may be an effective treatment option.

Studies have shown that they can work well for some patients. It is a hard thermoplastic positioner that forces my jaw back into maximum intercuspation proper bite. She said the sleep apnea dental appliance could make the tmj worse. Here are a few examples.

I declined to do this since my understanding is that there is no guarantee that the dental appliance will help with my sleep apnea. Research published in 2009 indicated that more than 50 percent of osa patients had symptoms of tmj. With all of the latest data i feel the proper approach to treating tmj disorders and obstructive sleep apnea is with the use of precise muscle measuring and monitored therapy not simply an oral appliance continues dr. Though oral appliances are effective in treating snoring and sleep apnea doctors and researchers picked up on some patient complaints of jaw discomfort.

It isn t just the mandibular advancement device that could be at play.