How does oral therapy for sleep apnea work?
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Oral appliance therapy is an appliance that the patient wears in their mouth while they sleep at night and it positions their lower jaw down and forward a little bit. By bringing their lower jaw down and forward we are actually holding the tongue a little bit forward so it doesn't drop back into the airway keeping the airway open for them. Also changes the position of the hyoid bone which helps the muscles of the pharynx around the tonsils and where everything sits, and the uvula to stay a little more toned so they don't collapse and close the airway as easily.