Custom Mask

For some reason, a good Lord has offered me the opportunity to meet some of the very best in the dental sleep profession. There are many excellent practitioners in this profession as I have come to discover with the more of my colleagues I meet. Most of my colleagues in this profession have a heart for the patient and they feel very convicted that what they are doing is going to make a huge difference in people’s lives. They have the similar approach to medicine that I have.

One of these fine doctors is Dr. Keith Thornton. He is unique amongst us dentists in that he is also an engineering background and has the mind of an inventor. He has invented a dental sleep appliance that is highly effective (called the TAP). But he did not stop there, he went on to invent applications of that appliance that can interface with the CPAP machine.

This is an exceptional idea because it enables the dental sleep dentist specialist such as myself to offer to the patient a complete care from dental appliance all the way up to CPAP. Because of Dr. Thornton’s inventions, all the dental specialists who are so inclined, will be able to offer to the patient a resolution of all the obstacles to treatment.

The custom masks that I am referring to is the mask that we can fabricate taking an impression of the face. We can mold an acrylic mask to that face impression and then attach it to the mouth guard. This results in a mask that has no straps and is secured to the skull base by the mouth guard attachment. The main reason for noncompliance of CPAP masks is that they move or that they leak. This mask does neither. It is a very simple mask to use and extremely comfortable. In fact it is so effective that usually we are able to turn the pressures down on the CPAP machine thus making it even more comfortable.

This custom mask is going to make a huge difference in many people’s lives. CPAP compliance nationwide is about 52%, which means that half of people who are supposed to have their airways open are not and are dying slowly at night by the lack of oxygen. Dental sleep specialist such as myself give thanks to Dr. Keith Thornton. We will be able to offer treatment for anybody who has any type of breathing disorder. There is no other profession in medicine that will be able to offer these options.

So, if you are reading this blog today and you know if somebody who has a CPAP machine and is not happy with it or who is supposed to be wearing a CPAP machine, and has not… please let them know that there is help for them.

God Bless,
Dr. Ron Prehn