Sleep Apnea Appliance

 The wife of a 72 year old patient came in two weeks ago, telling me that her husband was scheduled for "sleep apnea" surgery.  That surgical procedure usually entails general anesthesia and then reduction/removal of redundant tissue in the throat (think liposuction) which can clog the wind-pipe, causing a cessation of breathing.  This prevents deep, restful sleep and undo stress on the heart. So, I called Fred (name changed to  protect the innocent) and told him about the removable appliance I make that keeps the lower jaw forward, and the base of the tongue, which is attached to the lower jaw, from laying on the windpipe, like a man-hole cover without holes, preventing breathing.  I've been using one for years, and when I remember to wear mine, I sleep better and feel dramatically better the next day. So, the snore-guard is a non-surgical way to solve the sleep-apnea problem.  And even if old Fred is one of the seven per cent of my patients for whom the snore-guard isn't one hundred per cent effective, putting off surgery is a good thing.