How Long Does It Take for Sleep Apnea Treatment to Work?

You’ve taken the leap and decided to seek treatment for your sleep disorder. You’ve undergone a sleep test, and you’ve visited a qualified dental sleep medicine expert who is now designing your custom-fit oral appliance. You’re on your way to having many restful nights to look forward to! Still, you might be wondering how long it will be before you see results from your new custom-fit oral appliance. Let’s take a moment to discuss what you can reasonably expect from your sleep apnea treatment.

How Oral Appliance Therapy Works

A custom-fit oral appliance works by gently repositioning the jaw at night, thus opening up the airway and preventing the disruptions in breathing that define obstructive sleep apnea. The first night you wear your appliance, your jaw might initially be a little uncomfortable because it is not used to its new resting position. However, the tradeoff is that you should begin to sleep better right away.

After a period of time, you will return to your sleep medicine specialist for follow-up appointments, during which your oral appliance will be adjusted to the optimal position to treat your condition. The goal is to continue to train your muscles to keep your jaw in a place where it allows for maximum airflow. These adjustments will likely take place over the course of several months and a few appointments, as necessary.

When You’ll Notice Results

As mentioned above, you are likely to notice that you sleep better the first night you use your oral appliance. However, you should not expect that a single night of high-quality sleep will undo the effects of months or years of poor quality sleep. This is a process with an amazing outcome, so be positive and patient!

Studies have examined how CPAP therapy gradually eliminates the daytime sleepiness and fatigue that is associated with obstructive sleep apnea. The research revealed that patients started to achieve optimum results after about two weeks of using their CPAP machine. As both treatments for OSA have commonalities, it is reasonable to expect that you will have a similar experience with your custom-fit oral sleep appliance. But, as with all medical treatments, various factors affect the outcomes, so every patient and situation is a bit different.

Getting the Most Out of Your Treatment

The key to effective treatment of any ailment is compliance and that’s the case for sleep apnea treatment, too. Although it may take some time for you to get used to wearing your oral appliance, do your best to use it every single night. When your doctor or sleep medicine expert recommends it, you may need to undergo a follow-up sleep test while you are wearing your appliance. This sleep test will give you insight into how your treatment is working, and it will let your doctor know if further adjustments are necessary to help you conquer your sleep apnea.

Are you ready to discover how oral appliance therapy may be able to help you? Visit a local sleep medicine expert to learn more about this comfortable, effective, and fast-working treatment, and put your sleep apnea to rest!

About the Author

Dr. Kenneth Mogell, a board-certified specialist in sleep medicine with over 10 years of experience treating sleep breathing disorders is the practice’s founder and primary practitioner. The practice has four South Florida locations: Boca Raton, Melbourne, Vero Beach, and Jupiter. To learn more about Florida Dental Sleep Disorders and Dr. Kenneth Mogell, contact our team at 844-294-7559.