FaceFormer® exercises instead of mandibular advancement splint?
Question
I am m34 years old, 101kg and suffer from obstructive sleep apnea, teeth grinding, tinnitus, nasal dryness and dizziness (jaw related). Since I can’t get along with my APAP mask, my sleep doctor recommended the mandibular advancement splint. However, I would then have to do daily exercises for 10min after removing the splint.
My 1st question to you now would be: Can most of my complaints be treated with the Faceformer?
2.Could the Faceformer replace the exercises that I have to do after wearing the splint?
[Addendum]
I unfortunately had to stop Faceformer therapy because my lower teeth started to wobble. Am I doing something wrong?
Answer
Thank you for the info. We group the symptoms you describe under the term “Cranio Cervical Dysfunction Syndrome” (CCDS). Each of your problems is a single symptom, including sleep apnea. It is fortunate that you cannot tolerate APAP therapy. It is purely symptomatic and must be maintained until the stretcher. There is no improvement from the device, but definitely negative consequences. Please see my posts on the FaceFormer website – https://faceformer.de/en/sleep-apnea-treating-causes-instead-of-just-symptoms/ for more information.
Protrusion splints also cannot change anything about the causes. They put stress on the tooth position and jaw joints. Reflexes and muscle chain functions are negatively influenced and the unhealthy mouth breathing is provoked. The recommended exercises, after removing the splint in the morning, does not change this. It is supposed to correct in a few minutes what was strained and damaged at night (in 8 hours). This is simply impossible. Please think about it logically and do not believe such nonsense!
It is not possible for FaceFormer therapy to loosen teeth, and certainly not the lower incisors. Loosening, however, is caused by protrusion splints that rest on the teeth and put high static forces on the teeth every night.
FaceFormer therapy is purely an exercise therapy that corrects maladjusted basic functions. This is the prerequisite for your problems to regress in the first place. As long as you do not breathe habitually, even at night, through your nose, your tongue does not have the correct tension and your movements when swallowing are not sufficiently strong and coordinated with your breathing, everything will get worse.
My tip. Leave out the other devices and applications. You will only achieve really positive changes if you practice conscientiously, correctly and regularly with the FaceFormer. There are no side effects with the biological training. You are training natural functions and reflexes as they should be. This never works overnight. All problems have developed from early childhood and it takes some time to reach the appropriate level of training. Other than with exercise therapy, however, changes cannot be achieved at all. There are no comparable effective alternatives. All aids, devices and splints, are like laying on hands. That does not work either.
Be positive and feel joy when you feel improvements through your own initiative. You have it in your own hands and it always works when you do it. So start immediately and persevere. Much success.