How Does a Dentist Treat Sleep Apnea?

After a sleep apnea diagnosis, you may wonder whether there’s an option you can wear in your mouth at night. TAP devices for sleep apnea hold the lower jaw forward to help keep the airway open while you sleep. We fit the appliance to your teeth and guide its adjustments, while your medical team checks how well it controls the breathing interruptions.

At Mountain to Sound Dental in Shoreline, Washington, we offer custom TAP devices for patients whose medical treatment plan includes an oral appliance. Dr. Megan Jones and Dr. Brian Mills examine the teeth, gums, and jaw that will support it. We also coordinate follow-up with your sleep clinician, because feeling more comfortable at night doesn’t show on its own whether the apnea is controlled.

Oral Appliances Help With Obstructive Sleep Apnea

With obstructive sleep apnea, the upper airway repeatedly narrows or closes during sleep. Because breathing keeps being interrupted, your sleep may be disrupted and oxygen levels can fall. You may hear about the snoring or pauses from a partner, or notice that you’re still sleepy after a full night in bed.

If someone has noticed breathing pauses or you keep waking with a gasp, a medical sleep evaluation is the next step. Your physician or sleep clinician uses testing to check what is happening while you sleep and diagnose the condition. Once you have those results, we can review them along with any treatment you already use.

If CPAP is hard to tolerate, or you want to explore another option, discuss that with your sleep clinician. A custom oral appliance may be recommended after they consider the type and severity of your apnea. We then check whether your teeth and jaw can support it. TAP helps with airway blockage in obstructive sleep apnea, while other forms of apnea need a different treatment approach.

How TAP Devices for Sleep Apnea Position the Jaw

TAP stands for Thornton Adjustable Positioner. It fits over the upper and lower teeth, with an adjustable connection that holds the lower jaw forward. In that position, the jaw helps keep nearby tissues from collapsing into the airway while you sleep.

We begin with a jaw position that fits your treatment plan and guide changes as you adapt. However, moving the jaw too far can make it sore without improving breathing enough to justify that discomfort. Follow the adjustment schedule we give you so we can check both your response and the fit.

You may already have a guard for grinding, but a TAP device does a different job. A grinding guard protects tooth surfaces from pressure, while TAP uses jaw positioning to help keep the airway open. If you wear another appliance, bring it to the visit so we can explain how it differs from the device being recommended for sleep apnea.

Checking Your Teeth and Jaw

The TAP device fits over your teeth, so those teeth and their supporting gums need to hold it securely. We check for loose teeth, decay, gum disease, and dental work that could affect the fit. If an area needs treatment first, we explain how that changes the fitting appointment.

If your jaw is already sore when you wake or you have trouble opening, include that during the exam. We check the muscles and joints as well as the teeth, since moving the jaw forward can affect those areas. From there, we can explain whether TAP is an option or whether your medical team needs to consider another approach.

We look at your sleep-treatment recommendation alongside your health and dental history. You may have an older bridge, missing teeth, or other changes that limit how the device can fit. If it won’t have enough support, we explain why and work with your medical team on the next option.

Fitting and Adjusting Your TAP Device

We take records of your teeth and bite so the device can be made to fit your mouth. When it’s ready, we check the fit and show you how the upper and lower pieces connect. You can practice putting it in and taking it out at the visit before using it overnight.

After you start wearing the device, we guide any changes to how far it holds the jaw forward. Follow those steps instead of turning it farther because you still hear snoring. If a change leaves your jaw sore or the device stops fitting closely, contact us before making another adjustment.

The first nights may bring extra saliva, a dry feeling, or an unfamiliar feeling in the jaw. Some of that may settle as you get used to the device, but ongoing soreness needs a check. If the fit feels wrong or pain continues, we can adjust the appliance or discuss a change in treatment with your sleep clinician.

Checking How Well Treatment Is Working

A partner may notice that you’re snoring less, and you may feel more rested. However, those changes can’t confirm that breathing pauses are controlled. Your medical team may arrange another sleep test while you wear the device to measure how well it is working.

At dental follow-ups, we check the appliance, teeth, gums, and how your bite meets after wearing it. Your medical provider checks whether your breathing and sleep are improving. If your weight, health, or symptoms change, both teams may need to reassess whether the current treatment is still working well.

If you already use CPAP, keep using it as prescribed until your sleep clinician changes the treatment plan. We can coordinate fitting and testing if you’re moving to oral appliance therapy. That lets your medical team check the new treatment before deciding whether CPAP should stop or be used differently.

Cleaning the Device and Watching the Bite

We show you how to clean the TAP device and which products to use with its material and moving parts. Keep it away from heat, and check with us before trying a different cleaner. If buildup remains or a connection becomes hard to clean, bring it to the appointment so we can check it and help with that area.

After removing the device in the morning, follow the jaw and bite routine we provide. If your teeth keep meeting differently or the change lasts, bring it up at a follow-up visit. Over time, oral appliances can move teeth or change the bite, so we check those contacts as well as how the device fits.

If a connection loosens or the device stops seating fully, check with us before wearing it again. A new filling or crown can also change the fit, so bring the TAP device when you have dental work done. We can check its support and connection and explain whether an adjustment or repair is needed.

TAP Appliance Care in Shoreline

If you’ve been diagnosed with sleep apnea and want to explore a TAP device, bring your sleep-study results and questions about your current treatment. We can examine your mouth and explain what fitting, adjustment, and follow-up would involve. Schedule with our Mountain to Sound Dental team in Shoreline, Washington, and let’s talk through whether TAP treatment could work for you!

Categorised in: Preventive Dentistry, Sleep Apnea