Oral Appliance Device Testimonials
I determined that a dental device would be the best way to deal with my increasingly serious sleep apnea. I was referred to Dr. Stewart Brody. Dr. Brody gave me a comfortable device which controlled my sleep apnea; this resulted in considerably improved sleep and, consequently, better health and a more active life. I found Dr. Brody to be highly skilled, very knowledgeable, quick to respond, and a very friendly and pleasant person.
I am writing to thank you for the incredible TAP® device. It has literally changed my life. After being evaluated for severe obstructive sleep apnea I was given the CPAP machine, which I absolutely could not use. I then proceeded to lose weight (I'm not overweight at all) and had painful nasal surgery with no results.
It was very frustrating to say the least and my husband had retired to the guest bedroom permanently. Finally, I decided to have another sleep study at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle and they thought I would be a candidate for the TAP device. Thank goodness! I then went to a dentist at the University of Washington and had the TAP made with 100% positive results. I can't thank you enough. This has been a Godsend.
I just wanted to thank whoever invented this device. It is awesome!! I suffer from sleep apnea and I was miserable with the CPAP machine. I felt like I was in the middle of a windstorm or something. A friend of mine who is a dentist mentioned the TAP® and had one made for me. It was truly a gift from heaven. My wife says I don’t snore when I wear it and I truly feel better throughout the day when I have used it the previous night. Thank you for sharing this product.
After trying a bipap device and several different nighttime mouthpieces over several years, my dentist (Jim Eich, DDS) suggested that I try the TAP® II device. After receiving the custom-fitted device, I asked my pulminologist to provide me with an oximeter device to use on two consecutive nights. The first night, I used just my bipap device, which I had been using with limited success for about two years. The second night, I used only the TAP® II device. My nighttime O2 readings were actually slightly better with the TAP® II device than with the bipap device! Moreover, my wife reports that my snoring is virtually eliminated when using the TAP® II device.
Oh yes, I should note that I live in Durango, CO. at approximately 7,000 feet altitude. I don’t see any other testimonials from high-altitude users of a TAP® II device, so I thought you would like to hear my story to add to the other success stories for the TAP® II device!
PS. I should note that I also use nighttime oxygen as a supplement due to the high altitude at which I live. However, I used the nighttime oxygen supplement with my bipap device. The bottom line, however, is that the TAP® II device works better for me in improving my nighttime O2 levels than bipap---even at 7000 feet altitude!
I just want to thank you for the developing the TAP® Appliance. Since my diagnosis of Sleep Apnea in 1999, I have not been one night without the device, and all I can say is that it's been a lifesaver for me. I can finally breathe! Life can be a bit crazy with two little kids running around and a full-time job, and I know that I just could not have gotten by without your medical device. BTW - I just received your new appliance (TAP® II with Thermacryl), and this is even more comfortable than the previous version. So, once again - thank you Dr. Thornton and Airway Management, Inc.!
In the summer of 1997, I began my attendance at Texas Tech School of Law. I was reasonably lean at 185 pounds and in good health. Through my second year, my GPA steadily increased to a respectable 3.0. Midway through my second year, my engagement to a wonderful woman ended as the stress of law school rose. As the workload increased, my lifestyle became more and more sedentary and my eating habits turned to the quickest meals available. Dining on fast food, macaroni and cheese, and hamburger helper, my weight dramatically increased. By my third year, I was well over 200 lbs. My neck-size grew from a 15 to a 17. With the new weight came a dramatic increase in snoring. I was so loud that people wouldn't want to stay at my apartment or have me stay at theirs. I discovered that I was snoring myself awake two to three times each night. I couldn't concentrate during the afternoon regardless of how much coffee I drank.
Without rest, my third year grades suffered. Each afternoon, I'd find myself so tired that I couldn't focus on studying, learning, or really anything that didn't involve a quick nap. As my energy declined, I became more reliant on fast food and even more sedentary. My weight increased to nearly 250 lbs. After I graduated, I remained in Lubbock to study for the Bar Exam. I failed. As the stress increased I found I'd snore myself awake as many as five or six times in one night. Each time it felt as if I was choking as I'd jerk upright in bed, startled by my inability to breathe. I failed the Bar Exam a second time.
I spoke offhand to a good friend of mine, Annelise Thornton. She thought that I should speak with her father, Dr. Keith Thornton, a longtime family friend of my father's. Annelise explained that Dr. Thornton was working on a mouth-guard device to address a sleeping disorder called Apnea. As she began to describe the symptoms, I realized that I likely suffered from this affliction. After a visit or two to the good Dr.'s office, AMI fitted me for the first generation TAP®, or Thornton Adjustable Positioner®. I passed the Bar Exam.
I learned to sleep with this device and found that I could sleep the entire night through. Friends have reported that the volume of my snoring has decreased four to eight-fold. I'm awake and alert in the afternoons again. I can sleep five to six hours a night and feel rested instead of eight to ten hours to feel groggy in the mornings. I'm exercising, eating well, happy, and I've lost 40 lbs. All of these improvements are a direct or collateral result of learning how to sleep again. While other factors contributed to the recent improvements, not a single one was more dramatic or had a greater impact than using the TAP®. Thank you, Keith. You and the people of AMI have restored my ability to rest and dream.
After using the TAP® for a full twelve months, on September 11, 2004, I wrote to express my very sincere thanks for this device. I have now been wearing the TAP® every night without fail for a full two (2) years and I just want to take a minute to let sleep apnea sufferers know that my success with your product is on-going and not short lived like so many other items or devices on the market. And, I have had no reoccurrences of my formerly wretched nights sleep and devastating choking episodes.
My apnea was so bad a few years back (as outlined in my previous letter) and nothing was working (operations, CPAP, etc.). I honestly do not think I would have made it without the TAP®. I just hope that sleep apnea suffers, after trying other options without the desired results, will give the TAP® very serious consideration. As a matter of interest, this past 12 months I have put in a substantial amount of hard manual work (the type of work I could not have previously performed), first helping to build a new house and then I spent five months "solo" completely remolding another house doing interior and exterior painting of both houses, plus over 1000 square feet of tile and rock work, etc., and I was able to maintain the necessary endurance throughout as well as sleep at nights with no problems.
This is truly amazing (and still hard for me to believe) considering the total lack of energy I had 24 months ago prior to wearing the TAP® and also considering the fact I turned 71 this month. What else can I say other than my sincere appreciation for your extraordinary product.
Just to comment on your new packaging for TAP® appliances. I was not real excited about it at first, but we have had overwhelming positive responses from the field. It has made us look good in their (the docs) eyes, however, the credit belongs to your company. I guess that sometimes, compliance with Federal regulations can bring about positive results!
Dear Dr. Thornton, I just wanted to extend my deep gratitude for your work on the TAP®. After years of struggling with OSA, and months of struggling with CPAP I have finally found the most comfortable and efficacious treatment for me. You have given me my life back, I no longer feel like I'm on a life-support machine at the hospital every night. After a combination of palatal implants and the TAP®, I've managed to reduce my AHI to a mere 0.3, well within normal limits. I have listed the results of three sleep studies I've had below, one before anything was done, one after the palatal implants and finally one with the TAP®. Thank you again from the bottom of my heart for helping return me to the land of the living!
Dear Dr. Thornton, I am writing this letter to express my profound gratitude as a patient for what you have done for me most recently. For many years of my adult life I felt just half-alive or half-asleep; a certain but elusive dullness and fatigue filled my days. As my son might say, something was "sucking the life" right out of me. My previously productive life was very diminished; my chief desire was to get through each day (with my nap, of course) by working only on what I had to do. Finally, in 2001, I was diagnosed with mixed apnea and prescribed a CPAP machine. Though my AHI was moderate and my CPAP provider was a company I actually owned, my treatment failed. Both the efficacy and comfort of treatment were unsatisfactory. So, once my wife vacated our bed due to mask leaks, noisy Velcro sounds and my constant moving/restlessness, I joined the ranks of non-compliant CPAP users. After four years of this futility, I really gave up hope, not knowing of any other effective alternatives.
It took several years for this medical odyssey including many physicians, sleep tests, CPAP machines and countless masks to run its course without resolution. Then at my lowest point, God finally answered my prayers by introducing me in my church to a dentist that treated sleep apnea with dental appliances. This experience seemed as the impetus to a series of events that led me to a dentist extraordinaire by the name of Dr. Keith Thornton of Dallas, Texas. Unlikely as it may sound initially, it took a sleep apnea dentist specialist to not only diagnose me correctly, but also provide my first timely user friendly, comfortable, yet effective therapy that I could live with in the form of a patented oral appliance!
Dr. Thornton is an inventor of oral appliances, entrepreneur, business owner, lecturer, and a leading authority in sleep apnea. Dr. Thornton's main claim to medical fame is the invention of the first self-titrating oral appliance named the TAP®. The first night I slept with my new TAP® oral appliance was great; I felt so good and unusually rested the next morning. But I really didn't appreciate it fully until later that same day while flying home to S.C. I noticed my increased energy and sense of well being continued throughout the day. I found myself smiling constantly and engaging strangers in conversation - something I didn't normally do - guess I was just enjoying life more!
Now that I have worn the TAP® for a few nights, I can emphatically say my life force is back and the results are astonishing. People tell me I look better (even my doctor), my mood, energy, and productivity levels are way up, and naps are no longer a necessity! Thank you again, Dr. Thornton, for being such a willing instrument of God's to comfort me so I may hopefully comfort others.
Dear Dr. Thornton, I want to thank you personally for designing the TAP® II mouth positioner. There is no way I can properly express my gratitude and sincere appreciation for your development of this dental device that has meant so much in improving my overall well-being.
Prior to wearing the TAP®, I had a horrendous breathing problem due to obstructive sleep apnea and after trying everything (over the past 17 years) from the complete UPPP operation, to different CPAP's, and various pressure adjustments, to different styles of CPAP masks, different diets, different sleeping positions, etc. etc., nothing worked. Then my dentist (not any of my three sleep apnea doctors) recommended I try using your TAP® adjustable mouth positioner. I did and the results have been astonishing!
Prior to using your product I would have a poor night's sleep at best, and my situation was just getting worse over the past three years. Sometimes I would awake in a fright while gasping for breath, and many times there was no doubt in my mind that I was going to choke to death. This went on three to four times a week, month after month. The following morning, after experiencing one of these attacks, I would feel like I was run over by a freight train. On September 11th of 2003 (one year ago today) I started to use the TAP® II every night. It only took about a week to get used to having this device in my mouth and to find the proper lower jaw protrusion adjustment. I merely insert the TAP® II at night, go right off to sleep, and awake seven hours later feeling rested.
Occasionally I may awake once during the night (now knowing why), but then go right back to sleep for the remainder of the night. But more miraculous, I have had no choking episodes during these past twelve months. What a difference from what I was going through in the past! Over the years I have had five sleep studies (I find it almost impossible to sleep at these clinics). I have not taken a sleep study using the TAP®, however, I feel your device has corrected my problem. Your product is truly a great advancement in the struggle against sleep apnea. I only wish this message could go out to all sufferers of sleep apnea so they would have knowledge of your amazing product as there are so many that would significantly benefit from using the TAP®. Again, my sincere thanks!
Dear Dr. Thornton, I wish to express my deepest appreciation to you for your research and development of the TAP® appliance. I've learned from our mutual friend Ron Bishop that at times you have become discouraged due to the lack of reception within the medical community. Sir, I applaud your perseverance! I am sure there are countless untold stories about patients whose life has been changed because of your work. Your time is too valuable to go into detailed histories. As briefly as possible, I would like to tell you about how your work affected the lives of two people very dear to me.
The first is about my friend and tax consultant Emily. Ron worked with Emily to obtain a TAP® appliance through a dentist in Bellevue, WA. Emily could have been classified in the category of the "walking dead". Somehow in spite of all the symptoms of sleep apnea, she managed to keep up her practice as well as her late husbands. In a matter of a few short months, using the TAP® she was a new person. She couldn't believe the change. She had energy to get out and take classes and begin dating. She has now remarried. On a light note, her clients are thrilled. Our tax returns are completed in a timely manner. No more filing for extensions.
The second story concerns my late husband. We were married in May and he passed away in June. Jack was a West Point graduate and a brilliant nuclear physicist. Your typical type A personality, he had a thirty-year history of heart disease. Throughout his adult life he dealt with sleep apnea that unbelievably went undetected until a few weeks before his death. Jack was hospitalized twice in critical condition in May and June. Maintaining the proper airway had become a major issue. Sleep apnea was a major contributing factor to his problems. When Jack was between hospital stays, I called Ron and asked what we had to do to obtain a TAP®? Jack was too weak to travel to Bellevue. If his dentist could make the mold he was sure he would be able to co-ordinate everything and get the TAP® to us in short order. With the Herculean efforts by all concerned, Ron, Doctor Adams, Charles and even the UPS driver on the Island, we had the device in three days. Doctor Thornton, I wish you could have seen the results. It would bring tears to your eyes. Here was a man who needed three alarm clocks to get up in the morning literally waking up refreshed and ready for the day before the first alarm went off. There were other changes as well and the whole family was ecstatic. We were blessed with one unbelievably wonderful week.
We were convinced this could very well make a huge difference in his prognosis. Unfortunately the years of sleep apnea / heart trouble took its toll and he went back into the hospital for the last time. This time, however, we were prepared. The first question when they saw Jack with the TAP® in place was one of extreme skepticism. One of the doctors wanted to know if we got it through the Internet? To the credit of the other nurses in the room, they were adamant in their praise of its benefit to Jack. The records proved it. There were no further complaints. The staff in the unit did all they could to learn more about it. With the TAP® we were able to maintain his oxygen level at a reasonable rate. That eased some of the strain on his heart and he wasn't gasping for air with every breath. His previous hospitalizations had been pure hell. Because of your work, Jack's last hours were more comfortable. For that alone I will be eternally grateful to you. Thank you! It would please me if you would be so kind as to extend my appreciation to Charles as well. May God bless all of you who work so hard to make a difference in the lives of those you serve in the world around you.
There are some truths which cannot be overstated. After twenty-five years of dealing with fatigue, I can honestly say the Thornton Adjustable Positioner®, or TAP®, has changed my life. I cannot believe that I am sitting here at my computer at 7:30 A.M feeling so rested and refreshed. My story is probably typical. I have snored since I was a child. Friends gently teased me about my snoring, but the situation did not seem serious at the time. My parents had no idea that my low energy level was tied to oxygen deprivation during sleep.
Predictably, my snoring became an issue in my marriage. My sleep-deprived wife was forced to wake me up two or three times per night to stop my snoring. I tried to develop better "sleep hygiene" by watching my diet and going to bed early enough to have 8-9 hours of sleep. Also, to combat the snoring, I sewed a tennis ball to the back of a t-shirt so that during my sleep I would not lay on my back. Unconsciously, I would remove this uncomfortable shirt at night. Seeking more energy, I began taking nutritional supplements which supposedly elevated mood and provided extra energy. While I was certainly energized, the pills made me nervous and edgy. So, like millions of Americans, I used caffeine to stay awake and alert. In addition to coffee, I easily drank two liters of caffeinated diet soda each day. Of course, with all of this caffeine intake, my quality of sleep was worse than ever.
So, prior to beginning my MBA program in 1997, I was committed to finding the root cause for my low energy level and constant sleepiness. Since my symptoms mirrored those for sleep apnea, I went to a highly recommended sleep lab for testing. If I had sleep apnea, the doctor told me that there were two avenues of treatment: surgery and CPAP. Neither sounded particularly appealing, but each was better than enduring constant fatigue, especially while working through an extremely competitive MBA program. So, I underwent a sleep study at the lab. The next day, the doctor informed me that my sleep was relatively normal with only a few minutes of snoring. He said that I did not have sleep apnea. He recommended that I develop better sleep hygiene!
Thus, I suffered with fatigue for five more years (I only earned my MBA through excruciating effort and massive amounts of caffeine). Things changed, however, when my children told me a few months ago that my snoring kept them awake in hotel rooms during family trips. I performed a Web search for devices or medications which would alleviate or eliminate snoring. Lucky for me, one of the sites returned was http://www.amisleep.com/.
As quickly as I could, I called Dr. Thornton's office to schedule an appointment. Dr. Thornton and his fine staff educated me on the causes and effects of obstructed breathing. I was so desperate for help that I would have ordered the appliance immediately. Still, Dr. Thornton wanted to perform a proper sleep study on me. Instead of forcing me to sleep in a lab, he provided a portable device which allowed me to sleep at home. The monitoring device was extremely sophisticated and the sensors were surprisingly comfortable. The resulting computer printout clearly showed long periods of snoring and severe oxygen deprivation. I was fitted for the TAP® and soon thereafter picked it up from his office.
The TAP® is beautifully crafted and perfectly fitted. More importantly, the results were astounding. As I wrote initially, there is no way to overstate the amazing difference in my energy level and personal happiness. For the first time in my 43 years, I awake in a refreshed state and can maintain concentration throughout the day. Simply, this device is a godsend for me! Please do yourself a favor and find out if you are a candidate for the TAP®.
I have had my TAP® for just over a week, and after making some minor adjustments to the device, it is working very well. I expect the same long-term effect. I did have a sleep study completed, and found I only had very mild apnea. During the past year, I underwent two somnoplastys, and they had very little effect on my snoring. My wife has been sleeping on the couch for over a year just to get some needed sleep; she has now been able to sleep in the same room with me. I am very grateful to Dr. Dana Price for advertising in our newspaper about the TAP®. It has made a big improvement in the quality of my life and my family.
After a sleep study I was diagnosed with mild apnea. My ENT suggested a CPAP machine. However, I had read that there is a "patient compliance" problem with CPAP, in that many patients discontinue use due to discomfort and frankly, I couldn't imagine using one myself. After doing some additional research I decided to give the TAP® device a try. My snoring stopped the very first night has not returned after three weeks of use. My wife was able to throw away the ear plugs she has been sleeping with for the past several years, and my medical insurance even paid for a major portion of the cost of the TAP®.
The TAP® gave me an additional, unexpected benefit: I no longer have to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night! I can only assume my apnea was partially waking me and making me conscious of an urge to urinate. Now I sleep soundly the entire night and am better rested the next day. Thanks to Dr. Blumenthal, a Memphis dentist who fitted me with the TAP® my quality of life has definitely improved.
The Thornton Adjustable Positioner®- literally saved my life. Ever since junior high school, I can remember having feelings of fatigue, low self-esteem, and other symptoms typically attributed to depression. However, at the time, I didn't know what was wrong. I just knew that I couldn't wake up in the mornings, I didn't have any physical or mental energy during the day, and that I couldn't fall asleep. I was 28 years old before I realized I had sleep apnea and found a solution.
My life and the choices I made were directly affected by my sleeping disorder. I didn't play high school football because I knew I couldn't get up in the morning for 6:00 am workouts. I didn't involve myself in other activities at school because I felt like I didn't belong. I got a college degree in a major that was less than what I desired but at least offered the path of least resistance. The consequences of living with sleep apnea are almost too numerous and complex to explain. I have a college degree, but a lack of focus has resulted in 16 jobs since graduation 8 years ago. I am divorced and can undoubtedly say my sleep apnea caused about 90% of the difficulties in my relationship with my ex-wife. The disruption of personal finances has created a lot of undue stress over the years. Sleep deprivation is widely regarded as the number one form of torture in times of war. The effects are no different when dealing with day-to-day life.
The day I was fired from a very promising career with a commercial real estate firm because of a lack of performance related to my sleep apnea, I decided not to proceed with anything else in life until I figured out what was wrong. Over the next eight months, I met with psychiatrists, psychologists, ENT's, and others in the medical profession to try and figure out what was my problem. I was at my wit's end when a friend whose father had recently resolved a similar saga, referred me to Dr. Thornton for the Thornton Adjustable Positioner®, TAP®. I made an appointment to see Dr. Thornton and thirty days later I had a new life. Wearing the TAP® at night was the only therapy I needed, and a month later that simple process reversed 28 years of pain and suffering. Without Dr. Thornton and the TAP®, I may not have been here today.
I have just been measured for a Thornton Adjustable Positioner®, or TAP® dental appliance for short. I am fortunate to live about 20 miles from Dr. Keith Thornton's Dallas office. So, it was a real pleasure to have my consultation and fitting by Dr. Thornton. My family dentist noticed evidence of teeth grinding. While discussing my diagnosis of mild to moderate sleep apnea and snoring, he recommended that I consult with Dr. Thornton. He had great praise for his work and his national reputation. At this point in my apnea problem I had already been through a sleep study, tried a CPAP with three different masks, and was considering somnoplasty. Now that I needed to protect my teeth from grinding, the dental appliance sounded like something that would help solve both problems.
Actually, the teeth grinding is related to the apnea. You might ask (as I did), how could someone who sleeps with his jaw open in a snoring position be grinding his teeth? Dr. Thornton explained that the grinding probably takes place when awakening with each apnea event. As one is startled awake it is almost a fight or flight reaction to not breathing. At that point I clench my teeth with great force and awaken. So, ask your dental hygienist or dentist to look for signs of grinding on your teeth. You might be damaging your teeth too.
I am pleased to report that Dr. Thornton is a man who is excited about the device he developed and the continuing research in which he is engaged. I am very optimistic and look forward to getting delivery of my appliance in mid-July after I return from vacation. I will keep you posted on my progress.
Sir, I just wanted to let you know how the quality of my life has improved since I began using the Thornton Adjustable Positioner® (TAP®) you designed to correct apnea by extending the jaw and clearing the air passage. As I mentioned in our consultation, the effects of my apnea have been gradual over the years. I began by having difficulty in sleeping due to restlessness. On occasion, I would awaken my wife during the night by "gasping for air". And, during waking hours, I experienced a definite lack of energy that I simply associated with turning 50. My personal physician and internist, Dr. Jerome Naftalis, was more concerned with the progression of the condition, especially with my family history. My father was afflicted with severe apnea and died in 1985 at the early age of 57 from a stroke. Dr. Naftalis ordered a sleep study to be conducted at Presbyterian Hospital in March 1999. The study revealed oxygen deprivation due to moderate to severe apnea. The test results surprised me because I had no idea how disturbed my sleep was and how little rest I was actually getting.
My employment, as a police helicopter pilot, requires a great deal of alertness. The safety of my crewmembers and citizens are paramount and cannot be compromised. Since using the TAP®, I have come to realize how tired I used to feel all day. Now, I sleep soundly all night and so does my wife Linda! She tells me that I do not snore at all, my breathing is steady and there is no gasping for air. I wake up every morning feeling refreshed and eager to meet the day's challenges. The TAP® is very comfortable, simple to use and does exactly what it was designed to do. My wife and I both sincerely thank you. Your efforts have dramatically improved just about every aspect of my life.