grinderfrank

Oh, wow. ok thanks so much for the reply!

Going on two years wearing a tap device. They have been effective in stopping my bruxism and pain. My question is has any one had success with insurance coverage? My insurance says they are covered, the sleep doctor says "they all say that and then do not cover them" . I have an appointment for a third device as they seem to only last year. thanks

it is a form of muscle release. Check it out on the web. the way I understand it, tightened bands of muscle are located, and a thin needle (acupuncture needle ) is inserted and this action causes the muscle to twitch and then release. it worked great for me.

PT, including massage, stretching and dry needling helped me. It took a while to get things calmed down. Hang in there.

That seems to be the issue. It is the adjuster "knob" and also where it mates up with the top half of the tap device. The trays are fine, no odor.

Thanks Dr. Demko. The vodka was for the appliance! I have noticed where the issues are on the device. Seems the odors are coming from partial holes in the device. I am now leaving the adjuster in a position after the cleaning to allow it to dry completely. Seems to be working.

thanks Wiredgeorge. I have tried hydrogen peroxide, maybe not long enough soak though. I figured it was safe, as the prodentclean contains peroxide. Last night i did a quick soak in vodka, that seemed to help a bit.

I clean my tap device daily with dish detergent and a toothbrush rinsing with water. The adjustable part, the hook and the part "nut" part that is plastic got really nasty smelling. So I bought a bottle of the prodentclean, it really has not helped much with the hardware part. I have also tried exposing as much as of the threads as possible, adjusting minimum to maximum. This removed a lot of gunk, but it still does not smell good and clean. Would an ultrasonic cleaner be a safe way to clean the device? As a side note, I am not experiencing any more jaw pain, facial pain or headaches! go to see the sleep doctor at the end of the month, hoping for a follow up study.

Thank you both for the suggestions and support. Dr Tony, yes i did wake up feeling better for the time i did wear the device. Good to know that relief is likely possible. I have a pt appointment with a staff of talented providers that have helped me with the facial,neck and shoulder issues that have been chronic with me due to the bruxing. I am hopeful they can help with this and help me along towards feeling better . Thanks for the contact information as well. I have'not contacted the dentist that made the device yet. Should I ask her about the am aligner, bite guard? thanks frank

Dr Tony, I am a lifetime bruxer, new to wearing a TAP device by airway management. I had TAP device for 10 nights before developing very a very sore jaw. Hurts to open, close and chew. stopped wearing the TAP. was told by dispensing dentist when i recieved it, device was set to minimum. It was not, looking at it closer, it can be backed up quite a bit. it has been a torture device as far as i am concerned. not wearing it till i get the jaw pain calmed down. have made pt appointment to get it looked at. also not sure why i did not receive an am adjuster. wished i would have found this forum to learn about these appliances before getting one.