When we think of sleep apnea, some people automatically think of the CPAP. This is because the technology has become the gold standard, the go-to method in the medical community for treating those with all sorts of sleep apnea. While CPAP has proven to be an effective and reliable way of treating many patients diagnosed with sleep apnea, the fact is that in treating sleep apnea, there is no sure-fire 100% guaranteed method that works for each and every patient. Because some patients are CPAP-intolerant (they just can’t cope with the mask, the hose, the noise of the machine, etc.), companies have decided to create new, alternative sleep apnea treatment methods that are just as effective in ensuring sleep apneics breathe properly and constantly at night.
One of the newest alternative methods available today is Provent, a technology designed and tested by a company called Ventus. Provent uses a patient’s normal breathing pattern as a way to ensure that a soft palate collapse does not occur, therefore avoiding airway blockage. The makers of Provent have conducted studies and are continuously conducting new studies to prove the device’s usefulness. Recent studies have shown that Provent does in fact work, but until larger groups of patients are tested, we can’t be certain of its efficacy level. Of the patients who have been tested with the device, 52% experienced improvement in their apnea hypopnea index (AHI).
Since the number of CPAP-intolerant sleep apneics continues to grow, more insurance companies are moving towards covering these alternative sleep apnea treatment methods such as oral sleep apnea appliances under insurance policies. This way CPAP-intolerant patients no longer have to worry about high costs to treat sleep apnea in an alternative way. This is great news for those who require another treatment method and patients and dentists alike continue to hope for more insurance coverage for oral appliance therapy and new devices such as Provent.
Don’t let your CPAP-intolerance keep you from the sleep apnea treatment you need. Even if CPAP does not work for you, this does not mean that there is not a treatment option that will provide the relief you need. CPAP-intolerance is not the be-all-end-all of sleep apnea treatments.
Contact Dr. Dunayer’s Rockland County office today to learn about alternative sleep apnea treatment methods that will properly treat your sleep apnea.
