Dental Education

Main article: Breathing Easier

Following a diagnosis from an accredited sleep study, and when appliance therapy is recommended by a sleep doctor and selected by the patient, the dentist will construct an oral appliance and manage patient follow-up care and treatment, in collaboration with the patient’s physician. According to Keith Thornton, DDS, a general dentist in Dallas and inventor of the Thornton Adjustable Positioner® (TAP®) oral appliance for sleep apnea, making an oral appliance to manage sleep apnea is similar to making a bite guard. The dentist takes an upper and lower impression and measures the protrusive range of motion, starting from where the teeth come together and then pushing the jaw forward as far as it can go. The patient must be comfortable in this position and the airway must be open.

Anatomical bite issues, range of motion in the joints, mobility of the teeth, small mouths, and recessed chins require evaluation to determine if the patient is a good candidate for appliance therapy. “Dentists can’t learn all of this in a few hours and be ready to hit the ground running,” cautions Dennis Bailey, DDS, FAGD, an AGD member in Colorado who specializes in the treatment of temporomandibular disorders (TMD) and the use of intraoral appliances to manage snoring and sleep apnea. “It takes a series of courses to get it right.” All dentists should be aware of and understand the effect of these oral appliances on the temporomandibular joints, adds Ronald Perkins, DDS, MS, a Dallas orthodontist who focuses on managing OSA with intraoral devices. A correctly fitted appliance for sleep apnea brings the jaw forward and supports the TMJ.

See also: Sleep Apnea – Studio Dentaire