“Sleep doesn’t just restore the body—it rebuilds your life. And everyone deserves better sleep.”
For people living with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), restful sleep can feel like a thing of the past. And if you’ve ever tried using a CPAP machine, you know that the solution can feel almost as disruptive as the problem. The bulky mask, the pressure, the noise—it’s a lot. That’s where oral appliance therapy (OAT) comes in.
More and more patients are turning to oral appliances as a non-invasive, portable, and effective way to manage sleep apnea. And dentists trained in dental sleep medicine are leading the way in offering this life-changing treatment.
At Ohl Practice Consulting, we help dental teams integrate airway care and oral appliance therapy into their practice in a way that’s streamlined, compliant, and successful for both the team and the patient. This article breaks down everything you need to know about OAT—what it is, how it works, who it helps, and why it might be the missing piece in your patient care model.
What Is Oral Appliance Therapy?
Oral appliance therapy is a treatment option for obstructive sleep apnea that involves wearing a small, custom-fitted device in your mouth while you sleep. It looks a bit like a mouthguard or orthodontic retainer. But this isn’t just a bite guard—it’s a precisely designed medical device that repositions the jaw or tongue to help keep the airway open.
Unlike CPAP machines, which use air pressure to prevent airway collapse, oral appliances rely on biomechanics. They slightly advance the lower jaw (mandible) or reposition the tongue to create more space behind the soft palate and reduce airway obstruction.
For patients with mild to moderate OSA, or those who can’t tolerate CPAP, this therapy offers a quiet, convenient, and user-friendly alternative.
Why Oral Appliances Matter
Let’s talk about CPAP. It’s effective. It’s well-studied. It saves lives. But only if people actually use it.
And here’s the issue: compliance rates with CPAP hover between 30 and 60 percent. That means many patients never experience the full benefits—simply because they can’t stick with it. Discomfort, claustrophobia, dry mouth, and travel inconvenience are all common complaints.
Oral appliances fill that gap.
They’re comfortable, discreet, and easy to take on the road. There are no hoses, no masks, and no complicated parts. Most people adjust to them quickly and wear them every night. That’s the key—not just effectiveness in theory, but consistency in real life.
Dentists who offer oral appliance therapy aren’t just offering a product. They’re offering a pathway back to quality sleep for people who felt like they were out of options.
The Types of Oral Appliances Available
There are many different brands and models of oral appliances on the market, but they all fall into two general categories: mandibular advancement devices (MADs) and tongue retaining devices (TRDs).
Mandibular advancement devices are the most common. They work by gently moving the lower jaw forward to open up the airway. These devices are typically custom-made using digital scans or impressions and adjusted over time for comfort and effectiveness.
Tongue retaining devices, as the name implies, hold the tongue in a forward position to prevent it from falling back into the airway. These are less commonly used but can be helpful for patients with specific anatomical needs.
Most oral appliances are adjustable. Dentists trained in dental sleep medicine titrate the appliance—meaning they make small changes over time—to find the position that offers maximum effectiveness with minimal discomfort.
At Ohl Practice Consulting, we teach teams how to choose the right appliances, work with reputable labs, and document progress with follow-up sleep testing.
Who Benefits from Oral Appliance Therapy?
Oral appliances are best suited for adults with mild to moderate obstructive sleep apnea, especially those who struggle to use a CPAP machine consistently. They’re also a great option for people who travel frequently or share a bed and don’t want to disturb their partner with a noisy machine.
Patients with severe OSA may still benefit from an appliance, particularly if they are unable or unwilling to use CPAP. In these cases, treatment should be managed closely with a sleep physician and monitored through follow-up testing.
The right candidate is someone who values comfort, simplicity, and is motivated to follow through with nightly use. And because OAT is non-invasive, it’s also appealing to people who want to avoid surgery.
What the Treatment Process Looks Like
The journey typically begins with a diagnosis. Sleep apnea must be confirmed through a sleep study—either an at-home test or an in-lab study ordered by a sleep physician. Dentists cannot diagnose sleep apnea, but they can screen for it and refer appropriately.
Once a diagnosis is confirmed and the patient is referred for oral appliance therapy, the dental team takes impressions or digital scans of the patient’s mouth. The chosen appliance is custom-fabricated by a dental lab and delivered in a follow-up visit.
From there, the dentist adjusts the appliance over a few weeks or months to optimize comfort and effectiveness. Patients are then retested—often with a home sleep test—to confirm that the appliance is reducing or eliminating apneic events.
Follow-up care is essential. The dentist monitors wear and tear, reassesses fit, and ensures long-term success. With the right workflow and patient education, this becomes a highly rewarding part of a general or specialty dental practice.
How Dental Teams Can Lead the Way
Dental teams are on the frontlines of airway care, often seeing patients more regularly than medical doctors. They have a unique view of the oral structures that influence sleep-disordered breathing and the ability to offer hands-on solutions.
At Ohl Practice Consulting, we work with practices that want to go beyond traditional dentistry. Our team helps implement airway screening protocols, sleep testing workflows, medical billing systems, and appliance therapy management.
It’s not about selling devices—it’s about solving a massive, often overlooked health problem. And when teams get it right, the impact is undeniable.
Better sleep leads to better lives. And better care leads to a stronger, more trusted practice.
