Oral Appliances Specialist
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RestWell
Board Certified Sleep Medicine Specialist Serving Wake Forest, Raleigh, Chappel Hill, and North Carolina
Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy is the preferred treatment for obstructive sleep apnea. However, if your CPAP machine is uncomfortable and impedes your ability to get a good night’s rest, then you may want to consider oral appliances. Jamila Battle, MD, at RestWell in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, is a sleep medicine expert. She uses one of the most advanced methods for testing, diagnosing, and treating sleep disorders and offers oral appliances as an effective treatment option. To schedule a consultation, call the office, or book an appointment using the online booking tool.
Oral Appliances Q & A
What is obstructive sleep apnea?
Obstructive sleep apnea is a breathing-related sleep disorder. People with obstructive sleep apnea stop and restart breathing several times while they sleep. The breathing problems develop because the muscles in the back of the throat relax too much and block the airway.
When your airway is blocked, blood oxygen levels decrease, and carbon dioxide levels increase. These chemical changes in your blood trigger your brain to wake you up and clear the blocked airway.
You may not remember waking during the night, but the cycle may repeat itself hundreds of times while you sleep, preventing you from getting an adequate amount of rest.
The continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine is the primary treatment for moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea. However, the therapy requires that you wear a mask over your nose or nose and mouth, which many people find uncomfortable.
Dedicated to helping her patients get the sleep they need, Dr. Battle at RestWell offers oral appliances as an option for obstructive sleep apnea patients.
What are oral appliances?
Oral appliances are special mouthpieces you wear at night while you sleep. Some of the oral appliances that help people with obstructive sleep apnea include:
Mandibular advancement device
The mandibular advancement device moves your jaw forward, which increases the size of the airway passage in the back of your throat.
Tongue retaining device
The tongue retaining device uses a splint that prevents the tongue from blocking the airway.
Who is a candidate for oral appliances?
When you visit RestWell for a sleep disorder evaluation, Dr. Battle conducts an in-depth history and physical to determine an accurate diagnosis and develop the most effective treatment plan. She may perform sleep screenings, as well as sleep studies, to assist in the development of your plan.
Though the CPAP is the most effective non-surgical treatment for obstructive sleep apnea, it may not work for you if you find the therapy too uncomfortable to use every night.
Dr. Battle may consider you a candidate for oral appliances if you have obstructive sleep apnea, and the CPAP machine isn’t the right fit for you. She works closely with you and your dentist to determine the best oral appliance for you.
You may also be a candidate for an oral appliance if you have temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorder. RestWell also specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of TMJ.
To learn more about oral appliances for the management of your sleep disorder, call RestWell, or make an appointment online.
Please request an appointment through the “request appointment” button then fill out the patient intake form, which is available in the Klara portal upon request. Upon completion of an intake, the doctor will either offer an appointment if your sleep issue is appropriate for her virtual practice or she will make recommendations for in person practices.
