Snoring & Sleep Apnoea

State of the Art 3D Printed Nylon Appliances for Snoring and Sleep Apnoea

3DS Advance

The 3DS Advance is a 3D printed nylon dorsal wing design appliance. The dorsal design is the most popular custom made appliance in use worldwide. It is the only appliance in which the  upper and lower components are not connected together.

The lateral fin design maximises patient comfort and minimises side effects and allows the patient to open and close, talk easily, sip water etc.

As the upper and lower components can move independently of each other during mandibular movements there are less forces on teeth, thereby enhancing patient comfort.

The lateral fins hold the mandible forward, even during mouth opening. As the upper and lower components are not connected there are little dislodging forces when in use and retention is rarely a problem.

The new generation dorsal appliance has been successfully used in tens of thousands of patients throughout the USA, Europe and Australia. There have been many studies of the dorsal fin designed appliances demonstrating effectiveness and comfort.

The 3DS Advance is made from 3D printed nylon and is unbreakable in the mouth. This is in stark contrast to dorsal designed appliances made from acrylic resin which are prone to fracture – a very undesirable problem with potentially serious consequences.

3DS Eclipse

The 3DS Eclipse is made from medical grade nylon with the side connectors designed in Germany.

The design makes for an extremely unobtrusive appliance and is in wide spread use throughout the USA and Europe. It comes with an array of different length side connectors, which allows for optimal mandibular positioning.

It is simple for the patient to be able to change the connectors in achieving control of snoring and sleep apnoea.

The 3DS Eclipse can be indicated when the patient has narrow arches, minimal intra oral space or is a gagger.

 

3DS Connect

The 3DS Connect is an Australian designed appliance that has excellent scientific studies demonstrating effectiveness and comfort.

The 3DS Connect is indicated for those patients who sleep with their mouth open as it prevents the jaw dropping. Mouth opening is undesirable for a small percentage of people during sleep and tends to reduce the effectiveness of an appliance.

It is easy for the patient to make adjustments for mandibular advancement thereby achieving optimal control of the symptoms of sleep apnoea and snoring.

The 3DS Connect allows for an excellent range of lateral mandibular movements when in use thereby enhancing comfort and minimising the potential for side effects.

Which is the best Oral Appliance for Snoring and Sleep Apnoea?

Despite the claims made by manufacturers, multiple studies demonstrate that the various designs of custom made MAS are similar in terms of efficacy.  There have been 10 studies since 2005 all demonstrating no significant differences in the efficacy between the appliances. There are however differences in the side effect profiles between the various appliances.  The following are regarded as the two key factors for achieving successful outcomes.

Comfort and Compliance

Experts in dental sleep medicine are in agreement that a key factor for achieving successful outcomes lies in the comfort of the appliance. This is related primarily to the type of material which is used and the resultant thinness, volume and mass.  This is particularly important for patients new to using an appliance, as well as for patients with small mouths and/or a strong gag reflex.

Strength and Durability

The second factor of importance is strength and durability. The 3D printing technology has revolutionised the field allowing appliances to be extremely thin, down to 0.5mm yet unbreakable in the mouth. As a result, 3D printed nylon appliances are extremely comfortable to use, in stark contrast to the CPAP machine in which studies show most patients can’t use, and those that do can only do so for an average of 3 hours per night.

Any acrylic oral appliance, even when milled, and no matter how well made, can fracture in the mouth resulting in potentially very serious consequences. Acrylic resin is fast becoming an obsolete material for use in oral appliances as a result of its brittleness and the thickness required.