CPAP & Dental Appliances

Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) is the gold standard of treatment for moderate to severe sleep apnea. Andrew R. Freedman, MD, and staff at Pulmonary and Sleep Medicine Group, LLC, determine if you have sleep apnea and whether it disrupts your sleep enough to need CPAP. While their offices are in Monroe, New Jersey, and Evanston, Wyoming, they provide comprehensive care for sleep problems and prescribe CPAP through telemedicine. To learn more, call or connect online to request a telemedicine appointment.

What is CPAP?

CPAP is a treatment that keeps your airways open while you sleep. Your CPAP device sends a consistent flow of pressurized air into your nose and/or mouth. The air prevents tissues from collapsing and covering your airway.

When would I need CPAP?

CPAP treats obstructive and central sleep apnea:

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA)

OSA occurs when muscles relax while you sleep. This lets your tongue fall back toward your throat while the tissues surrounding your airway collapse. As a result, they cover your airway, and you briefly stop breathing 5-30 times or more every hour.

Central sleep apnea

If you have central sleep apnea, your breathing repeatedly stops and starts while sleeping because your brain doesn’t send messages to the muscles that control breathing. Central sleep apnea often occurs due to another health problem, such as cardiovascular disease, a stroke, or traumatic brain injuries.

How do I know if I need CPAP?

The first signs you may need CPAP come in the form of symptoms such as:

• Loud snoring
• Abruptly waking and feeling breathless during the night
• Excessive fatigue during the day
• Difficulty waking in the morning
• Morning headaches
• Restless sleep
• Dry mouth in the morning
• Memory loss
• Difficulty concentrating

The only way to know if you need CPAP is to do a sleep study.  A home sleep study is a simple, convenient way to diagnose if a patient has sleep apnea and to determine the best treatment.

How does CPAP work?

CPAP devices consists of a mask and a tube connected to a machine that sends out pressurized air. Your doctor will order the settings and the most appropriate CPAP machine and mask. Some masks cover your nose; others go over your nose and mouth. 

When you turn the machine on at night, it takes in room air, filters and pressurizes it, and sends it through the tube into your mask. The gentle flow of air stabilizes your breathing and prevents sleep apnea.

How does a dental appliance work?

A dental appliance or a "mandibular advancement device" is a set of retainers that fit on the upper and lower teeth with some type of connector between the two plates.  These plates are adjusted to slightly move the jaw (mandibul) forward, in order to open up the back of the throat and relieve obstruction and stop the snoring.

The mandibular advancement device is made by a dentist with a prescription from the sleep doctor, based on the results of the sleep study.

If you suspect you have sleep apnea, call Pulmonary and Sleep Medicine Group, LLC, or request a telemedicine appointment online today.