Sleep apnea
treatment options.

Snoring and daytime tiredness can have several causes. A questionnaire cannot diagnose sleep apnea. A medical sleep evaluation helps distinguish obstructive sleep apnea from other sleep or breathing disorders before treatment is selected.

Need a diagnosis? We help coordinate sleep studies with local sleep specialists and telehealth providers. They can evaluate your symptoms, recommend appropriate testing, and review the results so you can make informed treatment decisions.

Already diagnosed? Bring your sleep study and tell us what you have tried. Do not stop prescribed treatment while exploring other options without guidance from your treating clinician.

RespAir works with your sleep physician and, when appropriate, refers you to providers who offer treatments beyond dental sleep medicine. Many patients use a combination of approaches, such as an oral appliance with PAP or weight management alongside nighttime treatment. We coordinate the dental part of your care while the appropriate provider manages each additional treatment.

Positive airway pressure: CPAP, APAP, and bilevel PAP

A PAP machine sends pressurized air through a tube to a mask over your nose, or your nose and mouth. The pressure helps hold the throat open during sleep so air can keep moving past tissues that would otherwise narrow or collapse. The main types differ in how they deliver that pressure:

• CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) supplies one prescribed treatment pressure throughout the night to keep the airway open.
• APAP (auto-adjusting positive airway pressure) raises or lowers pressure within a prescribed range in response to changes in your breathing.
• Bilevel PAP (also called BPAP) provides a higher pressure when you breathe in and a lower pressure when you breathe out. It can meet particular pressure or breathing-support needs; it is not automatically a better choice for everyone.

Your sleep clinician selects the device and settings based on your diagnosis and treatment needs. CPAP and APAP are common choices for obstructive sleep apnea. Mask fit, comfort adjustments, and humidification can also make treatment easier to use consistently.

Weight management and positional approaches

Weight management or changing sleep position may be part of a tailored plan. They do not automatically replace prescribed therapy.

Medication for a defined group of patients

Zepbound (tirzepatide) is FDA-approved for moderate-to-severe obstructive sleep apnea in adults with obesity, alongside a reduced-calorie diet and increased physical activity. That indication does not apply to every weight-loss drug or every person with sleep apnea. Discuss eligibility, risks, and monitoring with a prescribing clinician.

Myofunctional therapy

This guided program uses exercises for the tongue, mouth, and throat muscles. It may help selected patients as an addition to their treatment plan, but results and the strength of the evidence vary. A trained provider can assess whether it is appropriate, and your sleep clinician can determine how to check the response. RespAir does not provide myofunctional therapy directly.

Daytime tongue stimulation: eXciteOSA

eXciteOSA uses a removable mouthpiece to deliver electrical stimulation to the tongue muscles while you are awake. It is different from myofunctional exercises and from an oral appliance worn during sleep. The device is FDA-cleared for snoring and mild obstructive sleep apnea in adults age 18 and older; it is not a treatment for every level of sleep apnea. RespAir does not provide eXciteOSA directly. An appropriate treating provider can discuss eligibility and follow-up testing.

Surgery and implanted nerve stimulation

Procedures, including hypoglossal nerve stimulation such as Inspire, require specialist evaluation and specific eligibility assessment. Ask your sleep physician whether a referral makes sense.