Are Dental Oral Devices That Treat Snoring Covered by Insurance?

Once you have been medically evaluated and apnea has been ruled but you are still snoring, now what?

Professional oral appliances remain one of the best non-invasive treatment options for snoring individuals that have been verified to be apnea-free.  However, when apnea is absent, these oral devices are rarely covered by medical insurances. On occasion, if prescribed by the physician as medically necessary, some health insurances may include oral devices in their coverage.

In some cases, if the patient is suspected to have obstructive sleep apnea and tests were pointing to lack of apnea diagnosis, the physician may prescribe a 2nd sleep test re-confirming the results of the 1st test. There is often night to night variability in regards to sleep quality during the sleep testing process. Just a slightly better night of sleep usually increases the recorded apnea events, and a borderline patient can be thrown into the diagnosed apnea category.

For those patients that have been verified apnea-free, but yet have additional symptoms such as daytime sleepiness or poor sleep quality affecting their functioning, oral sleep devices can change their lives.

The cost of professional oral devices varies based on experience and location of the dental provider. Also knowing that these professional devices can last years can make the investment more obtainable.

Oral appliance therapy remains a great treatment option for those that snore without apnea. If the cost is a burden, it may be helpful to find a dentist that honors third-party options such as Care Credit or in-house payment plans.