webdad,

Good luck with your surgery! I understand your frustration by heart, and pray that your surgery eliminates your OSA completely. It sucks to live with sleep apnea.

Update on my situation: I have been using the TAP device every night (last night was the 10th night), and have no problems tolerating it. I am adding a half turn each night as instructed by the dentist. I feel some improvement every day, and don't remember the last time I had this much energy the whole day! (re: I have been using CPAP since Dec 2005 and have been very compliant)

I had a follow up visit with my dentist this Monday. The device was fairly loose on the upper jaw, and was easily falling off. He fixed the problem by keeping it in hot water for some time and then re-adjusting it on the upper jaw (he also called the lab to report the problem).

I also asked why he made me TAP 1 and not the latest TAP 3. He said that he had less success with TAP 3 and he stopped ordering them when many of his patients complained about it. He decided to stick with the original which is proven more successful.

Logicators,

Thanks for the best wishes, I wish I could be as tolerant of the CPAP as you and some of the others, unfortunately I can't even fall asleep wearing a baseball cap! I wish you luch with the TAP and much success.

Logicators,

I too got the TAP1 instead of the TAP3 about 3 months ago.  My dentist said that the TAP 1 is better at treating sleep apnea then the TAP 3.  I’m surprised that your dentist told you to advance the device that quickly.  When I got my TAP, I worn it at 3 (.75mm)  turns for about 2 weeks, then I would turn it once, wait 2-3 days, then turn it again.  It took about 3 ½ months to get it to its current setting which is 24 turns.  If you feel any jaw tightness or discomfort you can advance more slowly.  Isn’t it amazing how a seemingly simple device can have such an impact on your well-being?  Dental appliances are definitely a viable option for those who are not CPAP compliant.  I just wish more SA sufferers would give them a shot.

phoebe368,

Yep. I knew about what your dentist said when I went to pick up the device, and was expecting to hear something similar. But I didn't have a problem so far with making a half turn each night (I already made 8 full turns...).

Regarding CPAP vs. dental appliances: Having experienced both of them, I would go one step further and say with confidence that CPAP "SHOULD NOT" be considered as the first treatment for OSA. Its not just a compliance issue. CPAP can't be an effective treatement for many OSA patients, especially the ones with large tongue bases, or other mouth related issues, no matter how compliant they are. I used CPAP for more than 2 years, and was very compliant. But it just doesn't work. My days were still miserable, and I felt constant fatigue and excessive daytime sleepiness. In addition, it turns simple colds into nasal infections, even if you use a humidifer. The worst thing is that I constantly complained about these problems but by my ENT or sleep doctor never recommended trying an oral appliance. I wish I have read my sleep study results carefully which clearly show that CPAP was only reducing my AHI from 14 to 9.5. Luckily, I moved on to a new job and had to find a new sleep doctor which atleast talked about the oral appliance.

Hi All!,

This is just an update. My UPPP surgery was on the 17th and I'm doing pretty well, the surgen was able to remove a lot of tissue and went as far to tell my wife that the apnea may be a non issue once full recovery has set in. On a pain level I'm flexuating between 5-7 out of 10, I do have a slight snore still but this is because of the swelling in my throat and will subside later.

Some pleasant side effects have been that my right ear has seemed to unblocked itself and my sinuses have actually drained a little. So far there's been no fever, or extreme discomfort, it's actually been a good experience and judging from the way I feel even when the pain meds have worn off, I do feel as though I am finally rested and don't see a reason at the moment that wouldn't continue.

I know there have been some horor stories out there, I'm just glad not to be a part of that.

logicators wrote:

Update: I used TAP for another 3 nights, and have been advancing it a half turn each night (so its at 1.5 turns at this time). I am now able to tolerate it for the whole night. I also tried to use the CPAP along with it (as it will take me a while to reach a state where it could treat OSA), but I couldn't tolerate them together for any more than a few hours.

Interestingly enough, I already started to feel some improvement. Hopefully it will continue at a steady pace.

Logicators-
You say you couldn't tolerate them together for more than a few hours.  I am curious as to what "problems " you experienced with each device ( i.e. cpap or TAP).  Can you use CPAP or the TAP device alone without problems?  Just curious as to what I may expect if I again try to use a combination of APAP and my Somnodent MAS device.

papahemi,

Yes, I was able to tolerate them separately but not together. I used CPAP for about 2.5 years, and then switched to TAP. As I mentioned earlier,  I tried to use both of them together for the first few nights but could'nt tolerate (it was just too much on my face to sleep with:) ).

Now when I think about, I may be able to tolerate them together (since I am used to with TAP, which was new at that time).