TonySoileauDDS

Yeah something is not fitting correct. It may be that the appliance is too tight on your teeth so it is not sitting all the way down. Just needs to be opened up a bit. Or it may simply bee too thick. Thats harder to adjust in the office. May need to send it back to lab. Or it may be too far forward for your muscles to handle. Treating sleep apnea with a dental appliance IS MUSCLE THERAPY as well as sleep apnea therapy. Three options here. Back the appliance all the way back and start again. This is the simplest option. Make sure the appliances fits first. It it does not fit it wont work. Second option is have the dentist take a new bite record in a more comfortable position and have the appliance remade. Third option is to see a massage therapist or physical therapist, or chiropractor to "loosen up" you jaw muscles. This is best option over all but does make for extra appoints. We have an in house massage therapist but not many dental offices do. Hope this helps. Dr Tony

I would try addressing the muscle issues along with the sleep appliance. Most dentists, not all, are not great at working on muscles. I know I am not talented in this area. Its why I have an in house massage therapist work on all my patients instead of me! Also other diet issues could cause headaches and facial pain. OK I am gonna get a little bit geeky here. Just bare with me. REM sleep is a stage of sleeping where you are paralyzed. This is a stage where a lot of healing can occur because the body is not moving. Can't fix a car while its driving down the road. Gotta turn off the engine first. Same with the body. But to enter and stay in REM sleep you need something called Acetylcholine. Just hang with me here. No acetylcholine, no REM sleep, no really great healing. To make Acetylcholine you need Vitamin D and all the B vitamins but especially B5. Ok turning off the geek now. So maybe you need to see a doctor to test to see what chemical, hormones, and other stuff you may be lacking to get good restful sleep. When my patients have pain like you describe I send them for complete workup to see what missing or too much of or just whats not functioning right with their body chemistry during the day and sleeping. It almost always turns out they have issues with Vitamin D and Bs. And this is such a simple fix. But often over looked. Maybe this can help you.

Dr Tony

Well its kinda tough to give you any great advice without seeing you. Lots of variables now that you have shared your story. The TMJ issue does not keep you from being a good candidate for a sleep appliance. Just means we need to keep it in mind during treatment. My best advice to see if I can help you would be to come have an evaluation by both myself an my ENT/Sleep Specialist to see just what we are dealing with. Would you consider driving to Lafayette?

Dr Tony

Prosomnus is only allowing a limited number of these appliances to be made at this time. They are doing quality control and beta testing. They already have FDA approval. I have made 4 so far. I am holding one in my hand right now and comparing it to the multi appliance design. It is slightly more bulky but not enough to make a difference and still less bulky than the other wing (some call it fin) designs I am familiar with.

Dr Tony