You do not need a referral to book a dental assessment at Barrett Street Dental. However, oral appliances for obstructive sleep apnoea are normally provided as part of a medically guided plan, so if you have not yet had a sleep assessment we will usually recommend you speak with your GP or a sleep physician first. If you snore but have been assessed as not having sleep apnoea, an appliance for snoring can be discussed directly with your dentist.

SomnoMed is an Australian-founded manufacturer of custom-made mandibular advancement splints. The appliance consists of upper and lower plates made from impressions or digital scans of your teeth, and is designed to hold your lower jaw slightly forward while you sleep. Barrett Street Dental provides SomnoMed appliances as part of appliance therapy for snoring and obstructive sleep apnoea.

A custom mandibular advancement splint is made from a scan or impression of your own teeth and is adjusted by your dentist over follow-up visits. Boil-and-bite devices bought online are not made to your dentition, cannot be titrated in the same way, and are not fitted with an assessment of your teeth, gums and jaw joints beforehand. A dental assessment also checks whether your teeth and gums are suitable to hold an appliance at all.

Your dentist examines your teeth, gums and jaw joints, reviews your sleep assessment if you have one, and discusses whether an oral appliance is suitable in your circumstances. If you decide to proceed, we take digital scans or impressions and, where clinically useful, our in-house CBCT imaging can be used to assess your airway and jaw anatomy. You will receive an itemised written quote before any treatment begins.

After your scans or impressions are taken, the appliance is custom-made in a laboratory. Manufacturing times vary, but most appliances are ready for fitting within a few weeks. At the fitting visit your dentist checks the fit, shows you how to insert, remove and clean the appliance, and schedules review visits to adjust the jaw position gradually.

Many extras policies include benefits for occlusal appliances, but inclusions, waiting periods and annual limits differ between funds and policy levels. We provide the item numbers on your written quote so you can check your benefit with your fund before going ahead. With HICAPS available at the practice, you can claim on the spot at your visit and pay only the difference. Barrett Street Dental is a Bupa Members First Platinum and Medibank Members’ Choice provider, and we accept all Australian health funds.

Yes. Some people who have been prescribed CPAP ask about oral appliances for travel or because they find CPAP difficult to use every night. Whether an appliance is appropriate in your case is a decision made with your sleep physician or GP, and we are happy to liaise with them as part of your care.

You will be shown how to clean the appliance at fitting. In general, appliances are rinsed and brushed after each use, stored dry in their case, and brought along to dental check-ups so the fit and condition can be reviewed. With routine care, appliances typically last for years, though lifespan varies with wear and any changes to your teeth.

Your dentist recommends a model at your dental assessment based on your dentition, any restorations or missing teeth, and your treatment plan. The recommendation and its item numbers appear on your written quote, so you can consider it and check your health fund benefit before deciding to proceed.