People who have no natural teeth are known to have much more severe obstructive sleep apnea because they don’t have a platform to brace their lower jawbone (mandible) against to prevent it from dropping down and back into their throats. Dentists can make oral appliances to treat the problem, but full denture patients cannot wear them because their gums cannot tolerate the pressure required to advance the mandible. Therefore, until recently, their only choices have been surgery or CPAP, which many people find uncomfortable.
Now two new mechanical devices, developed right here in Portland, can be used in people without teeth to control the soft tissues of the throat to prevent them from obstructing the airway during sleep. One device controls the soft palate and the other device controls the tongue base. The two devices can be used individually or together and carried on denture base plates (dentures without teeth). The denture base plates are custom made on molds from impressions of the patient’s oral tissues, so they are comfortable enough to be easily worn during sleep, even by people who cannot tolerate wearing dentures during the day.
The soft palate is a flexible flap of thin muscular tissue that forms the roof of the throat. In the soft palate elevator, a silicone rubber bulb reaches back to elevate the middle of this flexible flap, where there are no gag reflexes, in order to draw forward its untouchable back end, where the uvula hangs in the airway. In this manner, the soft palate is “tented” centrally to pull its untouchable rear end up and forward, away from the obstruction. By tightening the soft palate, the soft palate elevator also prevents the nearby tissues from vibrating, which often stops snoring. The soft palate elevator was recently FDA cleared (K222127).
The tongue holding device addresses the source of the obstruction in sleep apnea (choking on the tongue) by grasping the tongue body and sides of the tongue base (where there are no gag reflexes) between anatomically contoured tongue gripping plates of “tongue Velcro.” Each plate contains thousands of tiny plastic pin points, which are so closely packed that they feel like fuzz and are slanted forward to prevent the tongue from slipping backward into the throat. The tongue holding device is now in its final clinical study for FDA clearance.
The devices can be made by dentists or denturists, licensed specialists who make dentures and other removable oral appliances. The devices can be used to treat obstructive sleep apnea or snoring, however obstructive sleep apnea can only be diagnosed by a physician. Also, the new devices are not yet covered by medical insurance.
For the rest of 2026, these new treatments for obstructive sleep apnea may be available at no cost to qualified full denture patients. Qualified patients must have no natural teeth, have been diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea and not currently using CPAP. To determine eligibility, the study will include a baseline home sleep test, followed by use of the tongue holding device, followed by another home sleep test. If the sleep apnea persists, a soft palate elevator will be added, followed by another home sleep test. The process requires at least three short appointments at a denturist’s office or the Portland TMJ Clinic downtown for impressions and fitting of the device.
John Summer DDS
Portland TMJ Clinic
portlandtmjclinic.com
Editor’s note: Wellness Word is an informational column which is not meant to replace a healthcare professional’s diagnosis, treatment or medication.