Dr. Denbar has used Oral Appliance Therapy to treat sleep disordered breathing for 24 years in the Austin area. He has treated thousands of cases, ranging from the simplest to the most difficult. Dr. Denbar is a credentialed, in-network medical provider for most major medical insurance companies. These insurance carriers include Aetna, Humana, United Healthcare, Cigna, Seton Healthcare and Scott & White Healthcare. Dr. Denbar is also a Medicare and Tricare provider. Our office provides the most extensive medical insurance coverage for this therapy in Central Texas.

Improve Your Health, Energy, Concentration & Productivity With Oral Appliance Therapy

Have you been the victim of excessive daytime sleepiness or falling asleep while someone was talking to you? Do you find that you can't stay awake while you are driving, sitting at a stop light or at the movies? Do you have difficulty concentrating or staying focused on your activity? Welcome to what a significant number of your community's citizens experience every day.

Is this dangerous? You bet it is. It is estimated that 20% of all auto accidents in Europe are from drivers falling asleep. Lack of sleep has been implicated with the Challenger accident, the Exxon Valdez oil spill and the near meltdown at Three Mile Island. Studies in Canada have shown that patients with untreated sleep apnea have more than twice the medical expenses for up to ten years prior to their treatment. One could ask, how does this impact the cost of medicine in America today? How much could companies save in their medical premiums by having their workforce treated? How much productivity is lost with sleepy workers and how many work-related accidents could be prevented?

Sleep Disordered Breathing, which includes Upper Airway Resistance Syndrome and Obstructive Sleep Apnea, is in epidemic proportions here in America. Most patients are untreated and of those that are treated, a significant number have difficulty following through with their therapy. CPAP therapy is presently the gold standard for treating Upper Airway Resistance Syndrome and Obstructive Sleep Apnea and when patients follow through with treatment, their problem is managed.

Unfortunately, studies have shown that patients using CPAP have less than a 50% compliance rate, and ″full compliance″ is defined as having used it for just four hours per night.

Treating Sleep Disordered Breathing is like a puzzle. It takes all the pieces to fit together to successfully treat the patient. Some people will respond to CPAP, some to surgery, and now we have FDA approved oral appliances which are a fully researched alternative therapy. Peer reviewed studies have shown that patients prefer and use Oral Appliance Therapy more than CPAP when given the choice.

The vast majority of patients with Sleep Disordered Breathing are in the mild to moderate range of Obstructive Sleep Apnea. This is where oral appliances are indicated and have the best results.

The American Academy of Sleep Medicine has stated that Oral Appliance Therapy is a valid form of therapy for the treatment of mild and moderate Obstructive Sleep Apnea and CPAP resistant patients. Combination treatment is also an option for many patients. Combining surgery with oral appliances or CPAP with oral appliances, or using all three as an option only allows for more chances to have a favorable treatment outcome.

If you are interested in learning more about a form of combination therapy, follow this link.