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the kind of message that erodes dentists' credibility
below is the kind of marketing i object to from dentists. notice that the description of CPAP is: a "gas mask-like device which forces air into the lungs of apnea suffers through a mask or a nose appliance." contrast that with the description of the oral appliance: "A simple intraoral device."
the dentist goes on to say that CPAP is "uncomfortable," and "noisy." i don't think this language paints a fair portrait of the choice between CPAP and an oral appliance -- it also pits one treatment modality against the other, as if it's one or the other. what do you guys think of this PR?
A simple intraoral device called a TAP 3 appliance may be a more suitable treatment choice for many patients who suffer from sleep apnea than the traditional CPAP device. CPAP is a gas mask-like device which forces air into the lungs of apnea suffers through a mask or a nose appliance. As many as 20 million Americans suffer from sleep apnea, a potentially deadly disease which ruins the quality of life of those who suffer from it as well as the lives of those around them. People with sleep apnea frequently snore very loudly as well and stop breathing for 10 or more seconds five or more times per hour during their “sleeping” period, rarely achieving the deeper stages of sleep necessary for wellness.
Colleyville dentist Dr. John Vinings has successfully treated hundreds of sleep apnea sufferers with the TAP 3 appliance over the past three years. Dr. Vinings says fewer than 40% of those who have been diagnosed with sleep apnea use the CPAP on a regular basis. Vinings says “the mask is uncomfortable and frequently dislodges when the patient turns to the side in their sleep making it ineffective. Additionally, the machine is noisy and the patient feels air being forced through their mouth and onto their face if the mask doesn’t seal properly.” All this creates a situation which many patients find is impossible to tolerate, even though without treatment, sleep apnea can lead to many other health problems such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, depression, erectile dysfunction in men, and decreased libido in women. People with sleep apnea also have a higher number of automobile accidents than average due to the fact that they do not get restful sleep and fall asleep at the wheel frequently.
There are countless millions of Americans with sleep apnea who remain undiagnosed and untreated. In many cases, this is due to their fear that they will have to sleep each night for the rest of their lives attempting to wear a CPAP. Now, there is an effective alternative worn inside the mouth which will provide an airway which relieves the symptoms of sleep apnea. Dr. Vinings says the TAP 3 is easy to fabricate, more portable than a CPAP, and much more comfortable. Dr. Vinings works with several area physicians who specialize in sleep disorders. Many recommend the TAP 3 as treatment of choice for their patients and send patients directly to Dr. Vinings. Following initial adjustment, Dr. Vinings returns the patient to their sleep doctor for a follow-up sleep study and final adjustment of the TAP 3 appliance to insure maximum effectiveness.
The TAP 3 appliance may be your best choice in treating sleep apnea and enjoying the benefits of improved health and well being.
For more information, please visit www.drvinings.com.
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Views: 931
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by sleepycarol on
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I agree Mike. This type of ad/literature would make me want to run away from treatment.
That is why I am so impressed with Dr. Park in that he is unbiased about treatment options. He seems to geniunely care about the patient and their needs regardless of which treatment options they select.
What makes me even madder is that for everyone member of the sleep apnea support forums, how many others are walking around with sufficient help/guidance on how to make their therapy work for them?
I realize that there are many patients that do NOT care about numbers, machine options, etc. and just want their therapy to work -- but have no clue as to how to get it to work for them. Doctor's and many DME's and other sleep professionals fail to adequately help those that need it the worse. I am NOT talking about the ones that visit this and the other forums, but unfortunately they seem to be in the small minority.
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Permalink Reply by Mary Z on
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Well, Mike, his report is definitely biased towards his Tap 3. It gives an uncomfortable report of CPAP as a treatment. For most if us it is not that way, we don't find the mask "gasmask like", that it forces air into our lungs, or that the machine is noisy. But how many people on the forum can't tolerate CPAP and give almost all those same complaints? If it gets sleep apnea patients who absolutely won't wear a mask to use it, perhaps the Tap 3 may be a help. I looked at his web site and at least he is a American Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine (AADSM) dentist. Though I certainly agree he paints a grimmer picture of CPAP than most of us find true, as I said we have heard from more than one patients that though OSA negatively
effects their life, they will not use CPAP.
Though this should result in some insider comments on how hard we work everynight to force ourselves to undergo this torture so we don't snore and wake our partner, or kill ourselves.
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Permalink Reply by Kath Hope www.hope2Sleep.co.uk on
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Totally agree with Sleepycarol (and Mike of course). I'm impressed with and trust Dr Parks too, as he gives us unbiased options. I'm sure he would make far more money on steering people towards operations which he performs, but no - he always promotes the less-invasive treatments!
To anyone who hasn't tried CPAP, it would be worrying to read this awful description of it. For many people, the dental devices don't work or aren't suitable, so imagine how worried these people would feel if they thought CPAP was their next option.
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Permalink Reply by Mike on
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it just pisses me off that the good, completely accurate information without bias/ sales pitch is powerful enough of a message -- and even that is still ignored to a large extent. when someone injects bias and misinformation into the message, it makes the job harder for all of us trying to plead the case without distorting the facts.
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Permalink Reply by Judy on
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I am offended and repulsed by so-called professionals, regardless their degrees, who find it necessary to slam a competitor - or another therapy other than the one they themselves perforom and recommend. Its "unprofessional". I steer clear of them. I wouldn't go near this guy if the Tap3 was the only "treatment" available.
His pitch reminds me of the surgeon who lied thru his teeth telling me what he thought would scare me into agreeing to the surgery HE wanted to do instead of answering my questions honestly and explaining my options. What he accomplished was my dropping him like a hot potato and going elsewhere.
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by the way, i love that dentists are trying to get people with Sleep Apnea treated. And I believe in the oral appliance. I just think this kind of bias/ misinformation hurts dentists as a group and the patients who can be well served by them.
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Yup, I agree, Mike. I'm talking to my dentist now about some type of oral appliance that will help me keep my mouth shut and my jaw in place. I don't need my jaw pulled forward, I just need something to keep it from being pushed back by the mask when I relax and get into deeper sleep.
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Permalink Reply by Graham Caulfield on
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Even worse than a Press Release, I saw this run as a news "story" on a TV News Broadcast last night out of the Texoma region of North Texas/Southern Oklahoma. Same TV station runs copious ads for dentists in the area.
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Well without trying such a device I would be skeptical as well, but being that the CPAP device has never worked for me ( personnally) I would be anxious to at least try it.
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Permalink Reply by Larry Barsh, DMD on
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While I agree with you that the semantics is not appropriate, oral appliance therapy - which is approved and recognized as a primary treatment for mild and moderate sleep apnea* - is frequently not treated equitably either in the press or electronic media. In fact, rarely is mention made in any article or TV report that oral appliances are available, effective and successful alternative to CPAP. Last evening, in a report on the relationship of heart disease to snoring - Dr Holly Philips did not even mention oral appliances as an alternative. Talk about not painting "a fair portrait of the choice between CPAP and an oral appliance."
Going one step further, we know there is a problem with drowsy driving in the truck driver population and we know the average age of death among truckers is 61. We know further that there is a serious problem with utilizing a CPAP machine in long distance hauling. Despite this, oral appliances are not an approved therapy simply because we, as yet, have no way of measuring the length of time the oral appliance is used. This defies logic.
So, yes, there is a problem with semantics, and, yes - things are not always stated in the most advantageous way. But those of us who take the problems of a vastly undiagnosed and untreated apneic population seriously have got to educate the public (including those who have failed CPAP use) that there is a scientifically proven, peer recognized alternative treatment.
Your objections would be more wisely directed at the scores of over-the-counter "snoring" devices and "cures" that are not only fallacious but can cause serious harm to those who fail to visit a sleep physician or specially trained sleep medicine dentist for a proper diagnosis and treatment plan.
Larry Barsh, DMD
*In the Practice Parameters Report published in Sleep, Vol. 29, No. 2, 2006, the American Academy of Sleep Medicine makes the following recommendation: "Oral appliances (OAs) are indicated for use in patients with mild to moderate OSA who prefer them to continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy, or who do not respond to, are not appropriate candidates for, or who fail treatment attempts with CPAP. Until there is higher quality evidence to suggest efficacy, CPAP is indicated whenever possible for patients with severe OSA before considering OAs. Oral appliances should be fitted by qualified dental personnel who are trained and experienced in the over- all care of oral health, the temporomandibular joint, dental occlusion and associated oral structures."
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Permalink Reply by Connie B on
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I have been using an oral device for the treatment of my obstructive and central sleep apnea for over a year now. It is wonderful I could not tolerate any form of CPAP mask, nasal pillows, etc, what ever they tried I suffocated. Even after suffering through six week and longer of trials at home with the "best" masks made. I could not adapt to a mask. Than we tried xyrum I was zonked and the mask stayed on but when they increased the pressure I stopped breathing. I finally found a Dentist who could fit and make the device of course my insurance would not pay for it. But I fought and won. I know I do not snore, wake up gasping for breath, and when I do sleep I feel better when I use my device. So it is something worth looking into and fighting your insurance to pay for. My sleep study with the oral device improved almost 100% my sleep doctor was truly amazed. He and My dentist still think I should try to use CPAP again with the device... Yeah right. we will see…
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