Sleep Apnea II

Treatment options

The American Academy of Sleep Medicine has revised practice parameters and has indicated that the credibility of appliances has increased. The goal of treatment is to improve upper airway resistance to reduce or eliminate snoring. The CPAP, or continuous positive airway pressure, machine is considereed the first line of treatment for mild to moderate sleep apnea. Surgical therapy has continued to evolve in addressing more severe cases or those that struggle with compliance of the non-invasive therapies. These include UPPP and LAUP that involve soft tissue removal in the soft palate area. RFVTR involves using radiofrequency tissue reduction to the soft palate as a more comfortable alternative but it’s use has been reduced to mild snoring. MMA, maxillomandibular advancement surgery, has been determined by some to be the most effective treatment for sleep apnea. This jaw advancement surgery showed a 96-100% success rate in one study.

In the next Blog we will discuss appliance therapy and some of the different types of appliances.