Air is the most important thing you can put in your body! Optimizing the individual’s posture and jaw position is necessary in order for the sleep appliance to advance the mandible into a position that optimally opens the airway so that the patient can tolerate and be comfortable with the sleep appliance wear.
| Comparing TMJ to Sleep Apnea | TMJ | Sleep Apnea |
| Forward Head Posture | ✔ | ✔ |
| Retruded Jaw Position (Can Be Painful) | ✔ | ✔ |
| Crowded Teeth, Narrow Arches | ✔ | ✔ |
| High Palate | ✔ | ✔ |
| Scalloped Tongue – Clenching | ✔ | ✔ |
| Reflux | ✔ | ✔ |
| Neck and Back Issues | ✔ | ✔ |
| Swallowing Issues | ✔ | ✔ |
| Fatigue | ✔ | ✔ |
People with TMJ and Sleep Apnea also have:
- Postural Duress: Osteoarthritis down the postural chain due to forward head posture.
- Spinal Stenosis: Narrow of vessels in the lower back due to forward head posture since age 5!
- Condylar jaw position retruded: Dysfunctional muscles throughout the body/jaw making the airway smaller.
- a) Mayo Clinic Health Letter, March 2000
Creating an optimization of the airway for the patient through the treatment will allow for the best results if/when an intra-oral sleep appliance is necessary.
All results are measured through documented testing to ensure the airway remains open through sleep (testing) with the sleep appliance.