How Patients Find the Right Oral Device
Custom oral devices are indicated in patients with:
Mild & Moderate Obstructive Sleep Apnea As First Line Treatment
Severe Obstructive Sleep Apnea When CPAP Intolerant
Primary Snoring
Key in treatment success is our Doctor’s ability to know who is a good candidate for treatment, which is the most effective device, and what is the minimal device/jaw position required for treatment success.
Below you will see BEFORE (pre-treatment) and AFTER (post-treatment) treatment success on actual patients using a custom oral device by Spark Sleep Solutions. Patients fall into 4 categories of normal, mild, moderate, or severe.
AHI = Apnea Hypopnea Index (The most common scale used to measure
severity of sleep apnea)
Min O2 = Minimum blood oxygen saturation
Tx = Treatment
Maria F
Min O2: 86%
Min O2: 88%
Janis T
Min O2: 91%
Min O2: 93%
Karen B
Min O2: 84%
Min O2: 81%
Nancy B
Min O2: 81%
Min O2: 90%
Sheaun T
Min O2: 87%
Min O2: 93%
Brenda S
Min O2: 71%
Min O2: 92%
Michael B
Min O2: 86%
Min O2: 90%
Talha D
Min O2: 87%
Min O2: 92%
Thomas T
Min O2: 83%
Min O2: 87%
Carrie R
Min O2: 87%
Min O2: 93%
Jimmy H
Min O2: 73%
Min O2: 88%
Tony M
Min O2: 77%
Min O2: 93%
Mary P
Min O2: 86%
Min O2: 91%
Elaine R
Min O2: 87%
Min O2: 87%
Real Patient Experiences
Case Study #1
Ken
Severe Apnea (AHI 43.2) → very Mild Apnea (AHI 6.6)
Ken presented to our office having unsuccessfully tried several other oral devices from other providers. You can hear Ken’s excitement in the video as he shares the success he achieved with our oral device and approach. He reported significant improvement in quality of life and snoring. His Sleep Physician referred him to Dr. Shah when he struggled with the CPAP mask and felt it worsened his sleep. His diagnostic sleep study showed moderate to severe sleep apnea with an AHI of 43.2.
When he came to his Initial Consultation his spouse complained of Ken’s loud snoring, & gasping for air; and Ken spoke of his daytime sleepiness, mental cloudiness/lack of concentration, weight gain and teeth grinding with concerns these symptoms were having on his overall health.
With our evaluation and airway testing Dr. Shah determine Ken was a good candidate for the oral device. With the Oral Device, Ken’s follow-up sleep study showed a much-improved AHI of 6.6 (mild apnea).
Case Study #2
Brenda
Severe Apnea (AHI 39; 18 apneas, 66 hypopneas) → Mild Apnea (AHI 9; 0 apneas, 6 hypopneas)
Brenda presented to our office with very poor quality of sleep, fatigue, snoring and unable to tolerate the CPAP mask despite numerous attempts with various masks. Based on Dr. Shah’s airway testing and in-depth evaluation at the initial consultation, Brenda was deemed to be a good candidate for the custom Oral Device.
Brenda is now very compliant with her “easy to use” Oral Device for sleep apnea. She reported significant improvement in her quality of sleep and life. She was most surprised by the benefit an Oral Device had on her dreaming during sleep and memory during the day; whereas before she was afraid she was developing Alzheimers or dementia.
Since then, Brenda has referred two other family members who have seen benefit in their sleep with our oral device therapy.
Case Study #3
Anne
Moderate Sleep Apnea (AHI: 22.8/hr) → Normal/No Apnea (AHI: 3.7)
Anne presented to our office with extreme fatigue during the day and unable to function at work due to her sleep apnea. She was unable to tolerate her CPAP mask, but found substantial relief with her oral device, to the point where she feels it has changed her quality of life by giving her more energy throughout the day. Anne especially found the device comfortable and convenient compared to her experience with CPAP and encourages everyone who is a candidate to “give it a try!”