I am a 38 year old, 130 lbs. female diagnosed with moderate to severe sleep apnea in 2007.  I have considered UPPP as recommended by my ENT and decided major surgery as the first line of attack is not the way to go.  Plus I harbor doubts about the effectiveness and the side effects.  Overall, I am just not ready to take such a radical step and go through a two week or more ordeal of a lot of pain.  So my ENT sent me to a dental sleep specialist in the area who appears to be tops in this field - he invented the appliance he prescribes for his patients.  I have been precertified by BC/BS - my insurer - for treatment.  However, BC/BS is unable to tell me how much of this they will cover - even after providing them with the procedure code.  The doctor does not currently contract with BC/BS so he may charge more than BC/BS covers for the appliance - and the difference would be up to me to make up.  Plus, they may treat it as out-of-network.  The upshot is - I don't know how much of the $3000 charge I will be reimbursed for.

My problem is my husband who is less than supportive.  He is very upset about the fact that we could end up paying 1/2 or even more out of pocket for this.  I very much want to work with this doc so I get the best, most knowledgable care.  I was very impressed with him and how he was able to tell me why I have suffered for so many years (I have two ugly allergic shiners and I am tired all the time) - lack of oxygen during day (because I am a mouth breather and my nasal passageways are obstructed) and night (OSA).

Last night we saw an infomercial for a oral device that is supposed to cure snoring - all for the low, low price of two payments of $29.95.  give me a break.  well my husband and I got into a huge screaming match - he thinks I should try the device you can get from the 1-800 number instead of plunking down $3000 with the specialist.  what kind of an idiot would treat a serious condition like OSA with something you see in an infomercial!?!?!

I am looking for help and support in convincing my husband he is an utter fool - and that it is paramount that I see not just a general practice dentist - but rather a specialist in sleep dental medicine.  HELP!!!!  (sorry for the long post)

$3000 for an oral appliance seems a bit high to me. I received a TAP device last week, and the dentist billed a total of $1500 to my insurance (which includes the appliance, fitting etc). He specializes in dental sleep medicine and have made devices for many patients in past with great success.

You may want to consider getting a quote from another specialist. Seeing a better price may also help your husband change his mind.

I'm confused tho' by what I'm seeing on the board re: pricing.  Some people are saying they spent $1500 or less to get the TAP appliance from their dentist - but I've seen other posts from people saying they spent as much as $2500 for the TAP.  Why the big discrepancy in pricing?  I'm wondering if some dentists do more than just fit a patient for the appliance and order it - and that could explain the higher costs.

What are the best websites for locating sleep dental specialists?  I think I'll call around for some other quotes.

acc wrote:

I'm confused tho' by what I'm seeing on the board re: pricing.  Some people are saying they spent $1500 or less to get the TAP appliance from their dentist - but I've seen other posts from people saying they spent as much as $2500 for the TAP.  Why the big discrepancy in pricing?  I'm wondering if some dentists do more than just fit a patient for the appliance and order it - and that could explain the higher costs.

What are the best websites for locating sleep dental specialists?  I think I'll call around for some other quotes.

I am in the process of getting a TAP made. I was charged 750.00 by my own dentist. This included the manufacturing, fitting, adjustments and follow-up visits. Just shop around.

I am currently in the adjustment stage for my dental device.  My dentist specializes in the sleep disorder field also.  My dental device a Somnodent MAS was $1500.00 which includes impressions, fitting, adjustments and two follow-up visits. Because I also had severe sleep apnea I also had a rhinomanometery test along with pulmonary function testing.  I also have had a before polysomnogram and have completed another polysomnogram at 3.5 mm of adjustment.  I still need to adjust more and will have another polysomnogram at the completion of the adjustment phase.  All the testing added another $700.00 to the final total.  The final total was $2200.00 (with a $220.00 discount for paying the total at device delivery.)  My total out of pocket was $1980.00 (not counting gas to and from the dentist’s office)(Kaiser won't cover dental appliances without arbitration decision against them).  So far it is working fairly well and I feel that this may indeed be saving my life.  Ask your husband if he considers your life to be worth more than two payments of $29.95.  That device may help with snoring but I doubt it will have an affect on the causes of sleep apnea.  Ask your sleep disorder dentist for a complete breakdown of the charges. See the "STICKY" post on the main "Sleep Apnea Oral Appliance discussion" screen for websites for sleep disorder dentists information.

Perhaps if your husband were to have a consult with you and your sleep doc, he would understand the seriousness of the issue and get a good explanation of why the device wouldn't work for you. I imagine you've tried the less expensive route of cpap? Your insurance company will probably pay half the cost of the device rental and most of the cost for the mask. It will take you a few years of co-pays to come up to $3000. That said, if that isn't the route for you, I really think that the more information you have for him, the easier it will be for him to understand. If it were me, and my husband still didn't get it, I'd go ahead and throw away the sixty bucks so that he could see that I'd tried the cheap route. Marital peace is worth it.