The Oral Appliance Therapy Process

Learn more about the Oral Appliance Therapy process, it just takes a few steps and is very simple for the patient.

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So when they come into the office we'll go through a full evaluation, a complete history and a comprehensive examination. If x-rays are needed, we'll take a full PanoramicX-Ray and then usually a lateral head x-ray to look at the throat andAirway. We will do digital scanning or it's digital Impressions which is a camera that scans the teeth to allow us to really see how the upper and lower teeth are related. Then I'll sit down with them and go through a comprehensive consultation just to explain their sleep apnea problem, what's some of the consequences of that are and what the options are for treating it. We'll talk about Oral Appliance therapy, how it works, what the probabilities are that this will help them and help them make a decision about whether or not this is the right option for their situation.  

 

Once they've decided, if they decide to go ahead with treatment, then we will send their information off to a Dental Laboratory. They will custom make the appliance fort hem and appliances come in many different shapes and sizes and have different mechanisms on it. We customize treatment to each person's situation based on their history and what we find in the examination. They will come back into the office we'll place the appliance. We'll adjust it and fine tune it so it's fitting properly and customized well for them. We'll go through instructions on how to use the appliance and how to care for it. They will see us for a follow-up visit in about six weeks. During that six-week period they will gradually advance the jaw position in the appliance to what we call the sweet spot where their symptoms are managed effectively. When we see them at that six-week follow-up visit then we will update their progress. We'll check their appliance we'll confirm that they're progressing well, or we will modify the plan if we need to see more Improvement and if things are going well then, we will refer them back for a follow-up sleep test and to confirm whether or not the position that we have them treated in is effective enough.

 

After that if everything is going well and the testing shows effectiveness then we'll see them in six months for a similar type of follow-up visit. Then yearly thereafter those yearly appointments are critical because we want to extend the life of this appliance as long as possible. We want to make sure that the bite and the jaw and that their function is still ideal throughout the course of treatment.

If you are tired or exhausted do not operate a vehicle or machinery.
The information contained in this document is for educational purposes only, Sleep Apnea can only be diagnosed via a medically approved sleep study. A sleep study must be ordered and reviewed by a professional provider trained in Sleep Medicine.

GEM Sleep is focused on treatment and support of Sleep Apnea, not other sleep conditions.

Written by:
Dr. Jon Parker
Chief Dental Officer

So when they come into the office we'll go through a full evaluation, a complete history and a comprehensive examination. If x-rays are needed, we'll take a full PanoramicX-Ray and then usually a lateral head x-ray to look at the throat andAirway. We will do digital scanning or it's digital Impressions which is a camera that scans the teeth to allow us to really see how the upper and lower teeth are related. Then I'll sit down with them and go through a comprehensive consultation just to explain their sleep apnea problem, what's some of the consequences of that are and what the options are for treating it. We'll talk about Oral Appliance therapy, how it works, what the probabilities are that this will help them and help them make a decision about whether or not this is the right option for their situation.  

 

Once they've decided, if they decide to go ahead with treatment, then we will send their information off to a Dental Laboratory. They will custom make the appliance for them and appliances come in many different shapes and sizes and have different mechanisms on it. We customize treatment to each person's situation based on their history and what we find in the examination. They will come back into the office we'll place the appliance. We'll adjust it and fine tune it so it's fitting properly and customized well for them. We'll go through instructions on how to use the appliance and how to care for it. They will see us for a follow-up visit in about six weeks. During that six-week period they will gradually advance the jaw position in the appliance to what we call the sweet spot where their symptoms are managed effectively. When we see them at that six-week follow-up visit then we will update their progress. We'll check their appliance we'll confirm that they're progressing well, or we will modify the plan if we need to see more Improvement and if things are going well then, we will refer them back for a follow-up sleep test and to confirm whether or not the position that we have them treated in is effective enough.

 

After that if everything is going well and the testing shows effectiveness then we'll see them in six months for a similar type of follow-up visit. Then yearly thereafter those yearly appointments are critical because we want to extend the life of this appliance as long as possible. We want to make sure that the bite and the jaw and that their function is still ideal throughout the course of treatment.

So when they come into the office we'll go through a full evaluation, a complete history and a comprehensive examination. If x-rays are needed, we'll take a full PanoramicX-Ray and then usually a lateral head x-ray to look at the throat andAirway. We will do digital scanning or it's digital Impressions which is a camera that scans the teeth to allow us to really see how the upper and lower teeth are related. Then I'll sit down with them and go through a comprehensive consultation just to explain their sleep apnea problem, what's some of the consequences of that are and what the options are for treating it. We'll talk about Oral Appliance therapy, how it works, what the probabilities are that this will help them and help them make a decision about whether or not this is the right option for their situation.  

 

Once they've decided, if they decide to go ahead with treatment, then we will send their information off to a Dental Laboratory. They will custom make the appliance fort hem and appliances come in many different shapes and sizes and have different mechanisms on it. We customize treatment to each person's situation based on their history and what we find in the examination. They will come back into the office we'll place the appliance. We'll adjust it and fine tune it so it's fitting properly and customized well for them. We'll go through instructions on how to use the appliance and how to care for it. They will see us for a follow-up visit in about six weeks. During that six-week period they will gradually advance the jaw position in the appliance to what we call the sweet spot where their symptoms are managed effectively. When we see them at that six-week follow-up visit then we will update their progress. We'll check their appliance we'll confirm that they're progressing well, or we will modify the plan if we need to see more Improvement and if things are going well then, we will refer them back for a follow-up sleep test and to confirm whether or not the position that we have them treated in is effective enough.

 

After that if everything is going well and the testing shows effectiveness then we'll see them in six months for a similar type of follow-up visit. Then yearly thereafter those yearly appointments are critical because we want to extend the life of this appliance as long as possible. We want to make sure that the bite and the jaw and that their function is still ideal throughout the course of treatment.

If you are tired or exhausted do not operate a vehicle or machinery.
The information contained in this document is for educational purposes only, Sleep Apnea can only be diagnosed via a medically approved sleep study. A sleep study must be ordered and reviewed by a professional provider trained in Sleep Medicine.

GEM Sleep is focused on treatment and support of Sleep Apnea, not other sleep conditions.

Written by:
Dr. Jon Parker
Chief Dental Officer