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Oral/dental appliance for sleep apnea?

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olive12635
olive12635

So my primary care doctor's latest "hot button" is getting me diagnosed for sleep apnea. I do not have any symptoms other than my husband says I snore occasionally [VERY occasionally]. I live in the US and have insurance; however they tell me my out-of-pocket cost for an at-home sleep study would be >$700 and a sleep study overnight in a lab would be >$2,400. We can't afford that and I told the doctor this. He referred me to a "sleep specialty dentist" to be evaluated; however, every appliance I have looked at on-line fits over BOTH the upper AND lower teeth, and I have a poorly-seated crown on one of my lower back molars. I don't want to risk pulling that off.

I already wear a mouth guard (well, sporadically) for bruxism, or teeth-grinding and jaw-clenching at night. It only fits the upper teeth. I think I actually snore more with it in than I do without it.

Has anyone worn a mouth guard for sleep apnea? How were you diagnosed? And how will a "sleep dentist" evaluate me without doing an actual sleep study (the ones I can't afford)? And how can I have sleep apnea when I score a 0 on the sleep dentist's on-line quiz?

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