New Oral Appliance for OSA (Only Needs Heat to Fit)

A new sleep apnea oral appliance can be fitted and used at home without going to a dentist called ApneaRx!

Oral appliances to treat obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) have an upper and lower component that fit into the upper and lower jaws. A mechanism within the device than allows for the lower jaw to be thrust forward to some degree which pulls the tongue and anterior airway forward thereby enlarging the airway and preventing obstructive apneas during sleep. It can also help with snoring.

Typically, such OSA oral appliances must be fit by a dentist and cost upwards of $300 or more.

Most patients or loathe to spend that kind of money if they are not sure if:

1) It will actually help
2) It will be something they can actually tolerate or use

That's where this new OSA oral appliance called ApneaRx comes in which is considered a "transition" device to try and see if oral appliances will work for a given patient before going with an expensive dentist-fit customized oral appliance.

In essence, the device is heated and bitten into for fitting. The device can than be adjusted in 1mm increments by squeezing from the sides.

If this device "works" for a patient, they can either continue to use this device, or now take the time and expense of getting a customized device from a dentist.

Best of all, you can get it on Amazon!

However, please be aware that there's only one size currently available which may be too large for 20% of patients, especially women. There will soon be a smaller version for those with a smaller mouth by the end of 2012.

Read brochure.

"Sinus Lift" Procedure - The Return of Intra-Oral Sinus Surgery

I saw a patient today who informed me that she underwent a "sinus lift" procedure in the past.

This statement made me realize that though ENTs are generally considered the sinus surgery experts, dentists and oral surgeons perform some sinus surgery as well like the "sinus lift" procedure. As far as I know, there is no ENT surgeon that does that specific sinus operation.

In essence, the "sinus lift" procedure is when the floor of the maxillary (cheek) sinus cavity is raised with bone graft material in order to accommodate a dental implant. Though there are many approaches to accomplish this task, most require entering into the maxillary sinus cavity. See image below:

It is somewhat strange when considering that back in the old days (like a few decades ago), ENTs routinely performed a similar intra-oral approach (Caldwell-Luc) in order to enter into the maxillary sinus cavity when performing sinus surgery for chronic sinus infections. However, with the advent of endoscopic techniques, this approach is now very rarely performed. Indeed, we try to avoid any incisions if at all possible.

So while ENTs have significantly decreased the use of intra-oral approaches for maxillary sinus surgery, the dental world has brought this approach back!

Who knows? Perhaps ENT and oral surgery will join forces at some point in the future in order to perform an endoscopic "sinus lift" procedure in order to avoid making any incisions in the mouth!