Mouth guards

[Route67]

Sorry if this topic has been brought up before.......but has anyone here tried a mouth guard while sleeping?

Most dentists charge about 1000 dollars for them to be fitted, etc......seems like a small price to pay if they work.

Question is; do they work?

[Shastzi]

As far as what I have seen from folks posting results here, they mostly vacuum out your wallet.

Sadly, there are way too many expensive remedies out there that don't work because they are sold by crooks to take advantage of the desparate folks.

CPAP is the therapy we love to hate but until someone comes along with something that really works, its going to be what we have to use for now.

Cheers & good luck!

[surferdude2]

There is a less expensive way to find out. I tried one called SnoreRX (Google that) and found out that it wasn't the answer for me. YMMV and it's worth a shot. The cost is 100 bucks and it will work as well as one that costs 2G's. I found that I had to set the jaw displacement to such a high reading (5 mm.) that it made my jaw very sore. It also caused me to drool so much that I had a problem getting to sleep. To minimize the effect of the drooling, I found it necessary to sleep on my side exclusively. That alone will help reduce apnea events so I'm not sure I can give the mouthpiece all the credit. I plan on testing it further after I get my CPAP dialed in so I can compare results versus sacrifices with each method.

As for testing the efficacy of the device, I used a digital audio recorder placed near my face and found that my snoring was completely eliminated at the 5mm setting but any lesser setting was ineffectual. Previously recorded sessions without the mouthpiece revealed that I snored loudly and periodically made terrible strangling sounds. That scared hell out of me!

Bottom line, I suspect it will work for mild cases of snoring and possibly help reduce apnea events if you are able to adapt to the downside issues. I would have stayed with it if I could have gotten by with a lower displacement setting (like 3 mm). The drooling I could handle but the jaw pain was intolerable at the higher setting required for my condition. Again, YMMV.

[DNB128]

I've never understood why anybody would want to use a treatment device that displaces your jaw. It changes the shape of your face, can change your bite, etc. When I was initially diagnosed I didn't want to do CPAP so I researched alternative approaches. I have too much money invested in crowns, etc to want to risk having to "redo" my mouth or get braces at the ripe old age of 69, so I rejected that idea. I liked even less the idea of MMA surgery for the same reasons. For me, the best and only solution was CPAP. It is non-invasive and for those who can stay with the therapy, it works.

[Terry]

Sorry if this topic has been brought up before.......but has anyone here tried a mouth guard while sleeping?

Most dentists charge about 1000 dollars for them to be fitted, etc......seems like a small price to pay if they work.

Question is; do they work?

My wife got one.

If you want TMJ, headaches, a changed bite, chipped teeth and a lisp, it works great.

If you want to breathe at night, not so much.

There's a reason most insurance companies won't cover it.

Now she has a machine.

Terry

[arttest]

I have tried one and will use it again. I have a problem with a tooth that is bothered by the oral device. This problem is my tooth and really needs to be remedied apart from whether or not I use an MDA again. There are many different models and prices. Best, is if your dentist also makes a morning guard to get your jaw back into place. Some people use a mouth guard and xpap so they can have a lower pressure. I have one friend who likes to travel with her mouth guard but uses xpap at home. I would like to try an MDA that is softer than the TAP (there are different versions) device that I already have. If one MDA does not work for you, another may. If you buy one over the Internet and it does not work for you that does not mean that one made by a dentist will not work. I started with a boil and bite Internet purchase before I went to a dentist. Many of these are clinical devices that have been tested. Some dentists are fitting them and are newbies. Some dentists have been doing this a long time. I went to one who has around 10 yrs experience fitting them and using different brands. I've had since the year 2000 I think 6 different xpaps and over 12 masks (different variety, not replacements)....talk about expensive! Some insurance will cover the MDA if xpap does not work as far as tolerability or something.

[arttest]

There may be other oral appliance forums. Here is one you may get some replies from people who use or have tried them. Look up the 'Sleep Apnea Oral Appliance discussion' on a dot org site.