{"id":94,"date":"2020-03-12T14:18:00","date_gmt":"2020-03-12T14:18:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thewoodlandssleepdentist.com\/blog\/?p=94"},"modified":"2020-03-12T14:18:02","modified_gmt":"2020-03-12T14:18:02","slug":"cpap-and-mad-two-reliable-solutions-for-sleep-apnea","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thewoodlandssleepdentist.com\/blog\/2020\/03\/cpap-and-mad-two-reliable-solutions-for-sleep-apnea\/","title":{"rendered":"CPAP and MAD: Two Reliable Solutions for Sleep Apnea"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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If you\u2019ve heard\nabout sleep apnea in The Woodlands, it probably sounds pretty frightening; not\nonly do you stop breathing during the night, but you could eventually end up\nsuffering from a possibly fatal heart attack. Fortunately, treatment for this\ndisorder exists, and in fact you have a few different options; the question,\nthough is: are they reliable? Read on to learn more about CPAP and MAD \u2013 two treatments\nthat could be essential for letting you enjoy a full night of quality rest\nagain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

What are CPAP and MAD?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

CPAP is short for continuous positive airway pressure. For\nthis treatment, you\u2019ll wear a special mask that has been connected to an air\npump, which will provide a constant stream of oxygen while you sleep. This prevents\nthe airway from becoming blocked, thus stopping sleep apnea episodes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

MADs, or mandibular advancement devices, are often simply\ncalled oral appliances. They\u2019re worn like mouthguards, but instead of simply\nprotecting the teeth, their main function is to hold the jaw forward so that\nthe soft tissues in your mouth and throat don\u2019t fall back on the airway and\nstop the flow of oxygen. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

How Reliable are CPAP and MAD?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A recent\nstudy<\/a> in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine<\/em> looked at the\nlong-term effectiveness of these treatments as measured by results, patient\ncompliance, and overall satisfaction after 10 years. Patients who used either CPAP\nor MAD tended to see a significant reduction in sleep apnea symptoms, meaning\nboth types of therapy could be considered to be highly successful. In general,\nCPAP machines are considered the \u201cgold standard\u201d of sleep apnea treatment,\nthough nowadays oral appliances are also widely recommended to address sleep disorders\nand snoring in The Woodlands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So Which Treatment is Right for You?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Normally, the kind of sleep apnea therapy you receive\ndepends largely on how severe your individual case is in addition to how well\nyou tolerate one treatment over the other. MAD therapy is normally most\neffective for mild to moderate disorders, and it\u2019s usually a good alternative\nfor those that can\u2019t tolerate the noise of a CPAP machine. However, CPAP will\nmost likely be the better option if you have severe sleep apnea. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In some cases, combined\ntherapy<\/a> is recommended. You\u2019ll wear an oral appliance while also using a\nCPAP machine whenever you go to bed. Since the appliance helps keep the airway\nopen, you can put the CPAP machine on a lower setting so that it\u2019s not as\nnoisy, and the required nasal mask will be smaller and more comfortable.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whether you need CPAP, MAD, or a combination of the two, the\nmost important thing is to find an appropriate treatment and stick with it. Don\u2019t\nlet sleep apnea stop you from having a refreshing night\u2019s sleep. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

About the Author<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Dr. Robert Dernick received his DDS degree in 1979 and\nopened is practice in The Woodlands in 1980. He\u2019s excited to be able to improve\nhis patient\u2019s lives by treating their sleep apnea. He can offer custom-made\noral appliances as well as combined therapy to keep you breathing easily\nthroughout the night. To schedule an appointment, visit his website<\/a> or\ncall (281) 363-2770. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

If you\u2019ve heard about sleep apnea in The Woodlands, it probably sounds pretty frightening; not only do you stop breathing during the night, but you could eventually end up suffering from a possibly fatal heart attack. Fortunately, treatment for this disorder exists, and in fact you have a few different options; the question, though is: […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-94","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thewoodlandssleepdentist.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/94","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thewoodlandssleepdentist.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thewoodlandssleepdentist.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thewoodlandssleepdentist.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thewoodlandssleepdentist.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=94"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.thewoodlandssleepdentist.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/94\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":96,"href":"https:\/\/www.thewoodlandssleepdentist.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/94\/revisions\/96"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thewoodlandssleepdentist.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=94"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thewoodlandssleepdentist.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=94"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thewoodlandssleepdentist.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=94"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}