GARY QUAKA
LINING THE PATH TO SUCCESSFUL
ORAL APPLIANCE THERAPY
T
he introduction of new
appliance designs for treating
obstructive sleep apnea seems to
have no end in sight. In Boston
at the annual AADSM Meeting, I
overheard one dentist declare,
“There are now over 150 differ-
ent FDA Cleared appliances that
can be used for OSA”. However,
the basic principle remains the
same with most of these ap-
pliances. They reposition the
mandible down and forward to
maintain an airway opening.
What is often overlooked in the
appliance selection process are
these three basic and critical
questions.
1. How easy and simple is the
appliance to deliver at chair
side?
2. How easily is the appliance
adjusted for path of insertion
or undercut challenges?
3. Can the appliance be man-
aged and readapted after re-
storative dental work?
At DynaFlex, we have addressed
these three important questions
with the next generation of
oral appliance materials called
Accu-Fit. The demand for the
Accu-Fit liner in sleep applianc-
es continues to grow at a rapid
pace. In fact, doctors requesting
the Accu-Fit liner has increased
more than 207% over the last
two years. The Accu-Fit liner
is simple and easy to deliver
and eliminates timely adjust-
ments of acrylic or wires. Also
and possibly more importantly,
the Accu-Fit liner is complete-
ly re-adaptable to fit your pa-
tient’s dentition after dental
restorations. DynaFlex is the
only manufacturer offering this
FDA cleared and patent pending
process for both the Herbst and
DynaFlex Dorsal designs.
The overwhelming reason doc-
tors request the Accu-Fit ma-
terial in their sleep appliances
is the guaranteed fit. Dr. Rich-
ard Drake, a Diplomate of the
American Board of Dental Sleep
Medicine, has stated on several
occasions “This material is the
eighth wonder of the world”.
The DynaFlex Dorsal and Herbst
Accu-Fit designs fit first time
every time. The appliance is
received “fit ready” from DynaF-
lex on digitally printed 3D acrylic
models of the patient’s denti-
tion. To further customize the
appliance, the dentist places it in
preheated water at 160 degrees
for precisely seven seconds.
This simple seven second pro-