West Caldwell, NJ
A custom oral appliance is a small mouthpiece worn at night that holds your jaw slightly forward to keep the airway open. Dr. David Magid, DMD, a sleep apnea dentist, makes one from your physician’s letter.
Oral Appliance Therapy
The appliance holds your lower jaw a few millimeters forward while you sleep, which keeps the tongue and soft tissue from collapsing into the airway. It is two thin custom trays joined by small adjustable connectors, about the size of a sports mouth guard, with no mask, hose, or power needed, and it fits in a shirt pocket.
Treatment is medical first. Your sleep physician confirms the diagnosis and writes a letter, and Dr. Magid works from it, scans your teeth, and has the appliance made. He fits it and adjusts it over a few weeks until snoring and symptoms settle.
Yes. Sleep apnea is a medical diagnosis made from a sleep study, in a lab or with a home test from your sleep physician, and an appliance is made only after that diagnosis and a written recommendation. The study shows how severe your apnea is and gives a baseline for a follow-up. Without a study, start with your family doctor, who can refer you to a sleep physician.
You are a good candidate with mild to moderate apnea, or severe apnea when you cannot tolerate CPAP and your physician agrees, plus enough healthy teeth and stable jaw joints. Dr. Magid checks these at the consultation and tells you plainly.
A Different Dental Experience
The dentist who fits your appliance adjusts it and keeps your sleep physician in the loop.
DMD, General Dentist
A University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine graduate with more than 25 years in practice. He makes each oral appliance from your sleep physician’s letter and adjusts it himself until it works.
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Dental Hygienist
With more than 25 years in dentistry, she's trained in digital scanning and keeps the teeth that hold your appliance healthy at every cleaning.
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Office Manager
She gathers your sleep study and physician’s letter, explains the fee, and walks you through financing. Trained in dental assisting at Felician University.
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Oral Appliance vs. CPAP
No mask, no hose, and no motor on the nightstand. The appliance is silent, which your partner notices first, and you can sleep on your side or stomach without a strap pulling loose.
It fits in a case the size of a glasses case, needs no power or distilled water, and goes through airport security easily. Patients who travel for work are often the ones who switch from CPAP.
Made by a dental lab from a scan of your teeth, it fits without the bulk of a store-bought guard and is adjusted in small steps until symptoms settle. A boil-and-bite guard cannot be adjusted.
The appliance is made from your physician’s diagnosis and letter, and a follow-up sleep study can confirm it works. Your physician stays your doctor for sleep apnea; we make and maintain the device.
Snoring comes from the same narrowing of the airway, so holding the jaw forward quiets it too. The sleep study still comes first, because loud snoring is a common sign of apnea.
An appliance can make the jaw ache at first and, over years, nudge the bite. Both are watched at your checkups and managed with adjustments and morning exercise, and jaw pain is seen promptly.
Our Process
Step 1
Your family doctor or a sleep physician arranges a sleep study, overnight in a lab or at home. When it shows obstructive sleep apnea and your physician recommends an oral appliance, you bring us the diagnosis and letter; Eleana helps you gather both.
Step 2
Dr. Magid reviews the study and letter, examines your teeth, gums, jaw joints, and airway, and confirms an appliance is right for you. You receive an itemized quote and learn how it will be adjusted and what to expect in the first weeks.
Step 3
A digital scan goes to the lab that makes the appliance. At the fitting, Dr. Magid checks the seal and bite and shows you how to insert, remove, and clean it. Over the next weeks, it is advanced in small steps until symptoms settle.
Step 4
Your sleep physician can order a follow-up sleep study to confirm your apnea is controlled. After that, bring the appliance to your checkups so Dr. Magid can check the fit, your bite, and your jaw joints, and replace it when it wears.
FAQ
What an oral appliance costs, whether it can replace CPAP, how it works, snoring, side effects, and wearing it nightly.
One fee covers the records, the custom lab-made appliance, the fitting, and the adjustment visits. We do not publish prices since costs vary by patient; your itemized quote follows the consultation. Dental plans rarely cover sleep apnea appliances, medical plans vary, and CareCredit and Cherry financing apply.
For mild to moderate sleep apnea, often yes; a custom oral appliance is an accepted alternative to CPAP for patients who cannot tolerate the mask. For severe apnea, CPAP usually works better, and an appliance is considered only when your sleep physician agrees.
Yes, for the right patient, and a follow-up sleep study confirms it. By holding the jaw forward, it keeps the airway open, and most patients notice quieter nights and clearer mornings within weeks of adjustment. It works less well in severe apnea, which the consultation checks.
Usually, because snoring and apnea come from the same narrowing of the airway. The study comes first either way, since loud snoring is the most common sign of sleep apnea, and silencing it without knowing would hide a condition that affects your heart.
Mostly minor and short-lived: jaw or tooth soreness in the first weeks, extra saliva or dry mouth, and a bite that feels odd briefly each morning. A morning exercise resets the bite, and adjustments relieve sore spots. We check the fit and your bite at every dental visit.
Yes, every night and every nap, because the airway only stays open while the appliance is in. Most patients find a small custom appliance easy to keep up with, which is why it often works where CPAP sat unused in a drawer.
Conveniently Located Near You
Our office is a first-floor suite in a colonial medical building at 33 Clinton Rd #106, West Caldwell, NJ 07006, with free on-site parking and a wheelchair-accessible entrance, so you can step straight into care.
First-Floor Suite
Free On-Site Parking
Wheelchair Accessible
