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The Fine Print for Oral Appliance Therapy
What is the fine print? There isn’t any. It really works.
Our doctors are specifically trained in Oral Appliance Therapy for TMD, snoring and sleep apnea. We have helped thousands of patients stop snoring and ease the dangers of sleep apnea. Your treatment will not be considered complete until testing verifies success.
Because snoring negatively impacts your health, you have every reason to ask wise questions when seeking an effective solution. Here are three of the most common questions we’re asked:
If Oral Appliance Therapy Is So Good, Why Is CPAP Therapy Still Prescribed?
Simply put, out of habit. The CPAP was the only ‘real’ treatment for years. Slowly but surely doctors are being educated about the benefits of oral appliance therapy. Sometimes change is slow even when it makes complete sense. Take a look at some of the testimonials from the doctors we have treated, and the results their patients have received from us.
We have over 400 physicians we work with.
Even Medicare is looking at this differently.
Patients who are prescribed, or have chosen, CPAP are now monitored to verify they are using their CPAP machine as directed before Medicare will allow and pay for continuing treatment.
Medicare knows that the majority of patients do not follow CPAP treatment properly, if at all. Other insurance companies usually follow the example set my Medicare.
Another reason CPAP is still prescribed is, unfortunately, money. CPAP is a multi-billion dollar industry and these companies want to protect what they have. In our society when an industry gets so large, that industry will do just about anything to hold their position. Look at the recent Wall Street mess and the airline industry. It oftentimes takes an act of Congress to change how things are done. This is especially true in the health industry.
We have over 400 physicians we work with.
Even Medicare is looking at this differently.
Patients who are prescribed, or have chosen, CPAP are now monitored to verify they are using their CPAP machine as directed before Medicare will allow and pay for continuing treatment.
Medicare knows that the majority of patients do not follow CPAP treatment properly, if at all. Other insurance companies usually follow the example set my Medicare.
Another reason CPAP is still prescribed is, unfortunately, money. CPAP is a multi-billion dollar industry and these companies want to protect what they have. In our society when an industry gets so large, that industry will do just about anything to hold their position. Look at the recent Wall Street mess and the airline industry. It oftentimes takes an act of Congress to change how things are done. This is especially true in the health industry.
What’s The Difference Between Your Appliance And The Ones You See On TV For Less Than $100.00?
Appliance “gadgets” you see on TV or the net may look the same, but are they? This is your health we are talking about. There is a reason the premier medical academies are saying go to an expert to get fitted for an oral appliance.
First, a buyer of these products is usually self-diagnosing. Or a loved one has said, “You snore.” What if you suffer from sleep apnea? It’s important to get an accurate diagnosis from a trained sleep medicine doctor.
Second, do you trust yourself with determining the optimum positioning of you lower jaw with a boiled piece of plastic? The positioning is very important to outcome of the treatment, and wrong positioning can cause even more problems with your jaw joint and facial muscles.
Third, you’ve heard the saying, “buyer beware.” The fine print on these gadgets’ brochures and websites give these companies an out for just about any complication.
We have no fine print. And we stand behind our appliance.
If Oral Appliance Therapy Is A Medical Solution, Why Do Others Claim I Can Go To Any Average Dentist?
The top authority in this field, the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, does not say that all dentists are qualified to provide treatment for snoring and sleep apnea.
Their guidelines state that, “Oral Appliance Therapy should be fitted by qualified dental personnel who are trained and experienced in the overall care of oral health, the temporomandibular joint, dental occlusion and associated oral structures. Dental management of patients with oral appliances should be overseen by practitioners who have undertaken serious training in sleep medicine and/or sleep related breathing disorders with focused emphasis on the proper protocol for diagnosis, treatment, and follow up.”
Unfortunately, these guidelines are not fully followed by the dental industry today. General dentists, who have little or no training in these specific areas, are providing appliances to their patients.
We continue to meet and exceed all industry standards, which is why we’re the largest provider in Northern California.