The Sleep & TMJ Group offers appliances to manage your sleep disorder breathing, snoring, and obstructive sleep apnea. Appliance brands and designs come and go, so knowing brand names is secondary to understanding fundamental differences. Seattle sleep dentist Dr. Katharine Christian created this appliance reference guide to educate patients about sleep apnea appliances.
Long-term appliances are stronger, and more stain and odor-resistant. These long-term appliances can last up to seven years. They require a level of impression accuracy similar to that required for a crown or permanent bridge. At our Seattle office, we create one-of-a-kind appliances for each patient. We work with several laboratories that process and build custom appliances that are sturdy, compact, and harmonize with mouth contours. Long-term appliances have specific characteristics and advantages that benefit our Seattle patients seeking sleep apnea and snoring treatments.
The characteristics of a long term sleep apnea appliance:
The advantages of a long term sleep apnea appliance:
Short term appliances are indicated when long term durability is secondary to obtaining a quick, cost-effective appliance for short term wear or testing. They are also great for people who generally like their CPAP but want an appliance for camping. They often consist of a one-size-fits-all, rigid, plastic, u-shaped shell approximating the shape of the jaw. The material inside the shell becomes soft when placed in hot water. The heated material is pressed and adapted over the teeth before it reaches a firm, but slightly elastic state when it reaches mouth temperature.
Short-term appliances are bulkier, less stable, and less customized. However, they require about 70 percent less clinic time than a long-term appliance and require no laboratory processing. Unfortunately, short-term appliances are prone to staining and odor, and they tend to be more fragile. Their durability is measured in weeks or months, rather than years like long-term appliances. Long-term appliances allow for micro adjustments in every direction whereas short-term appliances have limited macro-adjustments. Being able to make adjustments over time is important for long-term wear.
The historic, Gold Standard of sleep apnea appliances is still the CPAP (Continuous Positive Air Pressure) machine. The CPAP is a pneumatic splint that keeps your airway open. It uses a mask secured over the nose with elastic straps. These machines require electricity to work, and are 100% effective for 60-70% of the population. However, 30-40% of sleep apnea sufferers cannot tolerate CPAP for a number of valid reasons. Another third of people who start on CPAP can not tolerate it long term.
Oral appliances that are used to treat sleep apnea resemble two night guards hooked together. They hold your jaw a little bit open and a little bit forward. Seattle sleep medicine dentist Dr. Katharine Christian separates appliances into a variety of types and will work with you to find the best type for your situation.
First generation oral appliances had limited success in treating OSA and earned a poor reputation in sleep disorder medicine. These one-piece appliances held the jaws rigidly and were not adjustable. Technology, research, and creative design have produced two-piece adjustable appliances with higher success rates. These sleep apnea treatments allow a slight lateral jaw movement while holding the mandible in the prescribed forward and vertical position. This feature is critical for people who grind or clench their teeth at night or have histories of TMJ-related problems.
With new materials and processing techniques, oral appliances are smaller, stronger, and enable smaller adjustment increments. A single millimeter can open the airway more than an entire nostril.
Any device must be comfortable and easy to maintain to be effective. This includes CPAP machines, and oral appliances. Dr. Christian does not believe in a one-size-fits-all approach. She will treat you as an individual with unique needs and treatment expectations, and she will customize an optimal plan that fits your lifestyle and your budget. Patients and referring doctors in Seattle, Tacoma, Everett, Redmond and Alaska can contact us now!
We are committed to providing a website that is accessible to individuals with disabilities, in conformance with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1, Level A & AA.
To this end, we regularly test our website in accordance with best practices, using automated and manual testing and with the assistance of accessibility consultant eSSENTIAL Accessibility which is supported by a diverse team of accessibility professionals including users of assistive technologies. We also make available an assistive CX technology application which our customers who have trouble typing, gesturing, moving a mouse, or reading can use for additional accessibility, however it is not required to use our website. The application is free to download and it incorporates tools such as mouse and keyboard replacements, voice recognition, speech enablement, hands-free/touch-free navigation, and more.
We welcome your feedback. If you encounter any accessibility barriers or otherwise have difficulty using our website due your disability, please contact our office and we will make any necessary changes.
© 2024 All Rights Reserved | The Sleep And TMJ Group
We are committed to protecting your privacy and providing a safe online experience. This Privacy Statement applies to our Practice's website and governs our data collection and usage practices. By using this website, you consent to the data practices described in this Privacy Statement.
Collection of your Personal Information
This Practice collects personally identifiable information provided by you, such as your e-mail address, name, home or work address or telephone number. This Practice also collects anonymous demographic information, which is not unique to you, such as your ZIP code, age, gender, preferences, interests and favorites. There is also information about your computer hardware and software that is automatically collected by this website. This information can include: your IP address, browser type, domain names, access times and referring website addresses. This information is used for the operation of the service, to maintain quality of the service, and to provide general statistics regarding use of this website. Please keep in mind that if you directly disclose personally identifiable information or personally sensitive data through public message boards, this information may be collected and used by others. This Practice encourages you to review the privacy statements of websites you choose to link to from the website so that you can understand how those websites collect, use and share your information. This Practice is not responsible for the privacy statements or other content on any other websites.
Use of your Personal Information
This Practice collects and uses your personal information to operate the website and deliver the services you have requested. This Practice also uses your personally identifiable information to inform you of other products or services available from this Practice and its affiliates. This Practice may also contact you via surveys to conduct research about your opinion of current services or of potential new services that may be offered. This Practice does not sell, rent or lease its customer lists to third parties. This Practice may share data with trusted partners to help us perform statistical analysis, send you email or postal mail, provide customer support, or arrange for deliveries. All such third parties are prohibited from using your personal information except to provide these services and they are required to maintain the confidentiality of your information. This Practice does not use or disclose sensitive personal information, such as race, religion, or political affiliations, without your explicit consent. This Practice will disclose your personal information, without notice, only if required to do so by law.
Use of Cookies
The website uses "cookies" to help this Practice personalize your online experience. A cookie is a text file that is placed on your hard disk by a webpage server. Cookies cannot be used to run programs or deliver viruses to your computer. Cookies are uniquely assigned to you, and can only be read by a web server in the domain that issued the cookie to you.
Security of your Personal Information
This Practice secures your personal information from unauthorized access, use or disclosure. This Practice secures the personally identifiable information you provide on computer servers in a controlled, secure environment, protected from unauthorized access, use or disclosure. When personal information (such as a credit card number) is transmitted to other websites, it is protected through the use of encryption, such as the Secure Socket Layer (SSL) protocol.
Changes to this Statement
This Practice will occasionally update this Privacy Statement to reflect company and customer feedback. We encourage you to periodically review this Privacy Statement to be informed of how this Practice is protecting your information.
Contact Information
Please contact us by phone at 206-770-0260 or by mail at 2101 4th Ave, Ste 2330, Seattle, WA 98121.
We are committed to providing a website that is accessible to individuals with disabilities, in conformance with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1, Level A & AA.
To this end, we regularly test our website in accordance with best practices, using automated and manual testing and with the assistance of accessibility consultant eSSENTIAL Accessibility which is supported by a diverse team of accessibility professionals including users of assistive technologies. We also make available an assistive CX technology application which our customers who have trouble typing, gesturing, moving a mouse, or reading can use for additional accessibility, however it is not required to use our website. The application is free to download and it incorporates tools such as mouse and keyboard replacements, voice recognition, speech enablement, hands-free/touch-free navigation, and more.
We welcome your feedback. If you encounter any accessibility barriers or otherwise have difficulty using our website due your disability, please contact our office and we will make any necessary changes.
This Practice website is offered to you conditioned on your acceptance without modification of the terms, conditions, and notices contained herein. Your use of this Practice website constitutes your agreement to all such terms, conditions, and notices.
MODIFICATION OF THESE TERMS OF USE
This Practice reserves the right to change the terms, conditions, and notices under which this Practice website is offered, including but not limited to the charges associated with the use of this Practice website.
LINKS TO THIRD PARTY SITES
This Practice website may contain links to other websites ("Linked Sites"). The Linked Sites are not under the control of this Practice and this Practice is not responsible for the contents of any Linked Site, including without limitation any link contained in a Linked Site, or any changes or updates to a Linked Site. This Practice is not responsible for webcasting or any other form of transmission received from any Linked Site. This Practice is providing these links to you only as a convenience, and the inclusion of any link does not imply endorsement by this Practice of the site or any association with its operators.
NO UNLAWFUL OR PROHIBITED USE
As a condition of your use of this Practice website, you warrant to this Practice that you will not use this Practice website for any purpose that is unlawful or prohibited by these terms, conditions, and notices. You may not use this Practice website in any manner which could damage, disable, overburden, or impair this Practice website or interfere with any other party's use and enjoyment of this Practice website. You may not obtain or attempt to obtain any materials or information through any means not intentionally made available or provided for through this Practice websites.
USE OF COMMUNICATION SERVICES
This Practice website may contain bulletin board services, chat areas, news groups, forums, communities, personal web pages, calendars, and/or other message or communication facilities designed to enable you to communicate with the public at large or with a group (collectively, "Communication Services"), you agree to use the Communication Services only to post, send and receive messages and material that are proper and related to the particular Communication Service.
By way of example, and not as a limitation, you agree that when using a Communication Service, you will not:
This Practice has no obligation to monitor the Communication Services. However, this Practice reserves the right to review materials posted to a Communication Service and to remove any materials in its sole discretion. This Practice reserves the right to terminate your access to any or all of the Communication Services at any time without notice for any reason whatsoever.Materials uploaded to a Communication Service may be subject to posted limitations on usage, reproduction and/or dissemination. You are responsible for adhering to such limitations if you download the materials.
LIABILITY DISCLAIMER
THE INFORMATION, SOFTWARE, PRODUCTS, AND SERVICES INCLUDED IN OR AVAILABLE THROUGH THIS PRACTICE WEBSITE MAY INCLUDE INACCURACIES OR TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS. CHANGES ARE PERIODICALLY ADDED TO THE INFORMATION HEREIN. THIS PRACTICE AND/OR ITS SUPPLIERS MAY MAKE IMPROVEMENTS AND/OR CHANGES IN THIS PRACTICE WEBSITE AT ANY TIME. ADVICE RECEIVED VIA THIS PRACTICE WEBSITE SHOULD NOT BE RELIED UPON FOR PERSONAL, MEDICAL, LEGAL OR FINANCIAL DECISIONS AND YOU SHOULD CONSULT AN APPROPRIATE PROFESSIONAL FOR SPECIFIC ADVICE TAILORED TO YOUR SITUATION.THIS PRACTICE AND/OR ITS SUPPLIERS MAKE NO REPRESENTATIONS ABOUT THE SUITABILITY, RELIABILITY, AVAILABILITY, TIMELINESS, AND ACCURACY OF THE INFORMATION, SOFTWARE, PRODUCTS, SERVICES AND RELATED GRAPHICS CONTAINED ON THIS PRACTICE WEBSITE FOR ANY PURPOSE. TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, ALL SUCH INFORMATION, SOFTWARE, PRODUCTS, SERVICES AND RELATED GRAPHICS ARE PROVIDED "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTY OR CONDITION OF ANY KIND. THIS PRACTICE AND/OR ITS SUPPLIERS HEREBY DISCLAIM ALL WARRANTIES AND CONDITIONS WITH REGARD TO THIS INFORMATION, SOFTWARE, PRODUCTS, SERVICES AND RELATED GRAPHICS, INCLUDING ALL IMPLIED WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, TITLE AND NON-INFRINGEMENT.TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, IN NO EVENT SHALL THIS PRACTICE AND/OR ITS SUPPLIERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, PUNITIVE, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES OR ANY DAMAGES WHATSOEVER INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, DAMAGES FOR LOSS OF USE, DATA OR PROFITS, ARISING OUT OF OR IN ANY WAY CONNECTED WITH THE USE OR PERFORMANCE OF THIS PRACTICE WEBSITE, WITH THE DELAY OR INABILITY TO USE THIS PRACTICE WEBSITE OR RELATED SERVICES, THE PROVISION OF OR FAILURE TO PROVIDE SERVICES, OR FOR ANY INFORMATION, SOFTWARE, PRODUCTS, SERVICES AND RELATED GRAPHICS OBTAINED THROUGH THIS PRACTICE WEBSITE, OR OTHERWISE ARISING OUT OF THE USE OF THIS PRACTICE WEBSITE, WHETHER BASED ON CONTRACT, TORT, NEGLIGENCE, STRICT LIABILITY OR OTHERWISE, EVEN IF THIS PRACTICE OR ANY OF ITS SUPPLIERS HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF DAMAGES. BECAUSE SOME STATES/JURISDICTIONS DO NOT ALLOW THE EXCLUSION OR LIMITATION OF LIABILITY FOR CONSEQUENTIAL OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES, THE ABOVE LIMITATION MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU. IF YOU ARE DISSATISFIED WITH ANY PORTION OF THIS PRACTICE WEBSITE, OR WITH ANY OF THESE TERMS OF USE, YOUR SOLE AND EXCLUSIVE REMEDY IS TO DISCONTINUE USING THIS PRACTICE WEBSITE.
COPYRIGHT AND TRADEMARK NOTICES
All contents of this website are Copyright © 2023 The Snoring & Sleep Apnea Center. All Rights Reserved. All logos are trademarks and service marks of The Snoring & Sleep Apnea Center. All other trademarks, service marks and logos used in this website are the property of their respective owners.
TRADEMARKS
The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.The example companies, organizations, products, people and events depicted herein are fictitious. No association with any real company, organization, product, person, or event is intended or should be inferred.Any rights not expressly granted herein are reserved.
NOTICES
Please contact us by phone at 206-770-0260 or by mail at 2101 4th Ave, Ste 2330, Seattle, WA 98121.