Oral appliances
A custom oral appliance, made for you after a physician has diagnosed sleep apnea and recommended one. You wear it at night, and it holds your lower jaw slightly forward.
Services
What happens
Usually three or four visits before follow-up begins.
- 01
Step 1: Bring the referral
Your physician's recommendation and your sleep test report. We read them, and we ask you what you'd like to know.
- 02
Step 2: Scan and bite record
We scan your teeth and record how your jaw sits. The scan is what the appliance is made from.
- 03
Step 3: The appliance is made
A dental lab makes it from your scan. It usually takes a few weeks, and we call you when it arrives.
- 04
Step 4: Fitting and a first adjustment
We fit it, show you how to wear and clean it, and set up your first follow-up.
Services
Before you decide
Comfort
Most people feel pressure on their teeth or jaw while they get used to it. Tell us what you feel and we adjust the fit, and we stop whenever you ask.
Alternatives and waiting
Your physician can talk through CPAP and other treatments with you. Choosing none leaves the condition your physician diagnosed untreated, and your physician can explain what that means for you.
Risks and after-care
Jaw or tooth soreness, extra saliva or a dry mouth, and slow changes in how your teeth meet can happen. We check your bite at every follow-up. Call us if a tooth feels loose or your jaw feels stuck.
How it's billed
An appliance is billed to a medical plan more often than a dental plan, and your plan decides. You get a written estimate before any work starts, and we never quote a price over the phone.
How fees workWho provides it
Care here is provided by a general dentist: Dr. Beverly Bellamy or Dr. Tatiana Lozano. Each one's license is listed in the footer.
Meet the dentistsWhat it isn't
An appliance is one option among several, and it doesn't replace your physician's follow-up. A repeat sleep test, ordered by your physician, shows whether it's working for you.
Questions about oral appliances
Can I get one without a diagnosis?
No. We make an appliance only after a physician has diagnosed sleep apnea and recommended one.
How long does it last?
That depends on how you wear and clean it, and on what your teeth do. We check its wear at every follow-up and tell you when it needs replacing.
Is it the same as a night guard?
No. A night guard protects your teeth from grinding. An oral appliance for sleep apnea moves your jaw forward, and it's made after a physician's diagnosis.
What if it doesn't work for me?
Tell your physician and us. Your physician decides about a repeat sleep test and about other treatments, and we adjust the fit as far as it can go.
Ask for a visit
Send a request and we'll call, text or email you back with a time. Please leave out health details; for anything urgent, call us.