Yesterday I received a response from the Therapeutic Goods Administration’s Device Support Team in response to my Medical Device Incident Report regarding the failure of my Vivos mRNA Appliance and the fact that it tipped my teeth.
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I did about 18 months research into palate expansion and surgical options for treating my severe obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). I was guided by the idea that the best treatment is likely to be the one that most directly addresses the root cause: Underdeveloped jaws exacerbated by the extraction/retraction orthodontic treatment I had when I was 13, leaving me with an airway which is too small to breathe through during sleep.
Along the way I tried many alternative treatments for OSA with limited success, and the two dominant mainstream treatments: a Mandibular Advancement Device (MAD) and Continuous Positive Air Pressure (CPAP) machine. Aside from the lack of success I had with the MAD, I find both of these unsatisfactory because they only deal with symptoms without addressing the underlying cause, allowing the untreated condition to progressively get worse over time. (more…)
I have a confession to make: in the first few days of wearing my mRNA appliance, I did a really crap job of actually wearing the device for the recommended 16 hours/day. It wasn’t causing me much pain or discomfort or anything; I just wasn’t managing my time very well and making this my highest priority and this impacted my DNA Appliance compliance. (more…)
I tried for almost a week to suppress my gag reflex enough to cope with the pharyngeal extension originally on my mRNA Appliance. Although I made a lot of progress, I still wasn’t able to get the upper part installed. I was also concerned that even if I could get it in, and somehow fall asleep with it, I’d wake up in the middle of the night choking with the wire down my throat.
Yikes.
I didn’t want to wait any longer before I could start expanding so with my provider’s approval, I snipped it off with a pair of wire cutters yesterday so I could start using the appliance last night. It was surprisingly hard to cut the wire; it’s pretty strong.
I finally got my Vivos mRNA appliance on Wednesday. It took one day short of 10 weeks to get the device from the day I gave the go-ahead and paid for it. Here’s what mine looks like:
My mRNA Appliance. I sure hope it’s worth the money.
Here is a bookmark list of resources I found helpful while researching and evaluating the Vivos DNA/mRNA appliance for treating my obstructive sleep apnea. It is undoubtedly incomplete but it’s a good staring point: Some of the links will lead you to lots of further information.
After doing a lot of research into palate expansion options to treat my obstructive sleep apnea, I’ve decided to go with the Vivos DNA appliance. Actually, I’m getting the mRNA version which also advances and expands the lower jaw. This should give me more tongue space in my mouth, stop it blocking my airway and get me off my CPAP machine earlier.
Several dentists trained in dental sleep medicine, an othrodontist and a couple of ENTs have told me that I have underdeveloped jaws and a retrognathic maxilla as a result of the orthodontic extractions and retractive braces that I had when I was aged 13. This has left too little space in my mouth for my tongue, which collapses into my airway when I sleep. The condition is compounded by the gradual loss of muscle tone in my airway as I have aged and probably lead to my chronic fatigue developing at age 40, but it’s likely to have been affecting me most of my life. (more…)