Homeoblock Appliance for Treating Sleep Apnea (Podcast)

John Maher: Hi. I am John Maher, and I’m here today with Dr. Nammy Patel, founder of Green Dentistry in San Francisco, California, helping patients recognize the vital connection between dental health and whole body health, and author of the bestselling books, Age with Style: Guide to A Youthful Smile & Healthy Living, and Total Wellness: Understanding the Link Between Your Teeth and Your Health. Today, our topic is Homeoblock Appliance for Treating Sleep Apnea. Welcome, Dr. Nammy.

Dr. Nammy Patel: Thank you for having me, John. I am so excited to talk about the Homeoblock today.

How Does the Homeoblock Appliance Work to Treat Sleep Apnea?

John: Absolutely. Yeah. So how does the Homeoblock appliance work to treat sleep apnea, especially as compared to some other oral appliances?

Dr. Nammy: So, there’s quite a few appliances that are out on the market that are designed to help sleep apnea. There are appliances that are fixed, that actually expand the palate, and it’s a metal bar that stays in the mouth. There are things that move your jaw forward to help with sleep apnea.

Now, my favorite reason for liking the Homeoblock is because it works with the body. What it does, it increases the 3D nasal volume. What that means, it actually increases the way you’re getting more air circulation through the nose, and fixing the spatial issue that we actually have when it comes to sleep apnea.

One of the major reasons for sleep apnea is that there’s not enough space for the tongue, and the sinus cavities are too small. So what the Homeoblock does, it actually increases the space for the tongue, also increases the volume of air you can get through the nose, creating more nitric oxide, which helps balance the body, and heal, and be regenerative, which is our goal.

What is the Homeoblock Appliance and What Does it Look Like?

John: Let’s go back to the beginning here maybe, and talk about what the Homeoblock appliance looks like. When I was younger, and I had an overbite, I wore a retainer for a certain period of time. Is it like putting a retainer in your mouth? Does it fit over your teeth? What does the product actually look like?

Dr. Nammy: No. You’re absolutely right. It looks like a retainer. Actually, one of the reasons for the design is to make it comfortable for patients. So the appliance looks like a retainer, yet it has so many different functions. What it is actually doing is activating the bone-making cells of the body to make extra bone.

As it makes extra bone for the palate, that’s how it increases the 3D nasal volume of the nose, because right on top of your palate is your nose. So as you expand this area, so will this, and that is a basis for the Homeoblock. Now, the other thing that’s really important is our body is always in harmony. So the way that the body likes to work is inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale. What that is, is a rhythmic connection. And the whole reason why the Homeoblock is wonderful is because it is a rhythmic connection.

It’s not activating the body at all times. It’s actually activating the body, letting it relax, activating the body, letting it relax, activating the body, letting it relax just like our inhales and our exhales. And that rest period is really important, because it gives your body the ability to create homeostasis, which is balance.

And we make changes with balance. It actually is longer lasting for the body. It’s actually a rest and digest inducing for the body. It’s also healing for the body, and regenerative for the body. And that’s the whole reason why the Homeoblock is a great, great, great appliance for patients with sleep apnea. Also, it’s a great appliance for people who have sometimes autoimmune disorders, or even gut issues, anything, even anxiety. It’s really great, because it allows that body to rest. That rest is really key for the body to heal, and transform, and regenerate.

The Homeoblock Appliance Allows the Body to Recover

John: Is that like when we go to the gym, and we work out our arms, or something like that, and then we want to rest the next day, in order to let the body recover from that?

Dr. Nammy: Yes. Absolutely, because we’re giving it a stimulus, and we want the body to react. And we want it to have that rest period. So it can heal, it can regenerate, and it can put us back into homeostasis.

Who are Ideal Candidates for the Homeoblock Appliance?

John: Who do you think are some of the ideal candidates for the Homeoblock appliance?

Dr. Nammy: The Homeoblock, it’s not just for sleep apnea. I know it’s gotten a lot of press around sleep apnea, but anybody who has mouth breathing is actually the best candidate for the Homeoblock, because anybody who breathes with a mouth, we actually need to increase their 3D nasal volume. And anybody who has braces in the past, anybody who has a lot of sinus issues, these would be all people who would be really great for the Homeoblock. Anybody who can’t breathe through the nose basically, or has difficulty breathing through the nose.

Does The Homeoblock Appliance Take Getting Used To?

John: What about the comfort level or maybe an adjustment period with Homeoblock? Does it take time to get used to having it in your mouth, and is it painful at all?

Dr. Nammy: The Homeoblock is actually designed to be not painful, which is the whole function, right? The whole point is if we want our bodies to work passively, not active where there’s force, it’s very passive. There’s no pain with passive. And the beauty of that is we want to be very comfortable. It’s an appliance.

So, it sometimes takes a couple days to get used to it, because it’s having something foreign in your mouth, but there’s zero pain associated with it, and it’s designed to have zero pain, because it’s meant to restore. And anything that is passive, that means our body doesn’t have to do a lot of work for it. It’s actually a really passive movement.

How Effective is the Homeoblock Appliance for Treating sleep Apnea?

John: In terms of treating sleep apnea, how effective is Homeoblock?

Dr. Nammy: Wow. I would say very effective, very effective. We actually test our patients before, and we test our patients after. We also do CT scans of their airway before, and CT scans of them after. I would to say 98% in my practice that I’ve seen we’ve gotten great results with the Homeoblock, or even the Vivos appliance, which is similar to the Homeoblock.

And sometimes, we need to do adjunctive therapy, which is necessary like myofunctional therapy, tongue training exercises if the cases are pretty severe. Sometimes we have to tighten the palate and the soft tissues. But the actual 3D expansion, it’s pretty much guaranteed. We always get it.

How Much Does the Homeoblock Appliance Cost?

John: And then what are the cost considerations of the Homeoblock? Is it an expensive appliance to have inserted, and created for you, or how does it compare to other appliances, or other treatments for sleep apnea?

Dr. Nammy: So, the cheapest one is going to be where the jaw is moved forward. It’s called the MAD appliance. The thing with that is it causes TMJ problems long run, and not a big fan of that. Also, you don’t get nose breathing through that. So that’s the cheapest one that you can find on the market. They’re usually about 3 to 5,000, I want to say. And the Homeoblock, because it’s a longer program, on average, you can anticipate about 10,000 per year, because some cases are 6 months. Some cases are a year. Some cases are 2 years. Some cases are 3. I’ve even had cases that have been 5 years, because the patients actually have a bite like this, and we actually need to grow the upper maxilla. It takes time.

John: That’s with an underbite, yeah.

Dr. Nammy: Yeah. Yeah. So the underbite. So it just takes a little bit longer to do those cases. I have cases that are five, but it’s better than surgery, right? These patients in the past would’ve never had any other options than surgery. Now we have nonsurgical ways to help them get the bite, also get the nose breathing, cure their apnea, and cure a lot of other things like acid reflux, and a lot of other things in the process, which is really great.

What Is the Process for Getting Fitted with a Homeoblock Appliance?

John: So, what does the process look like for getting fitted for using the Homeoblock appliance?

Dr. Nammy: So, the first thing we would need to do, John, is I need you to come to the office. We would do an analyzation. We would look at your sleep study. We would look at CT scans. We would look at your sinuses, the base of the tongue, and also in your entire cranial base.

We would look and evaluate very thoroughly to see where exactly is the problem. How long is it going to take for us to fix your condition? And also your posture is very important, because we find that a lot of people have the forward head posture, especially if they have apnea, or if they have a tongue tie, which is also going to cause apnea. So we really analyze so many different things. Once we go through the analyzation, we can sit down, and say, “This is what you need. This is how long it’s going to take, and this is how we get started.”

Are There Any Downsides to the Homeoblock Appliance?

John: And then are there any downsides or limitations to the Homeoblock appliance that people should be aware of?

Dr. Nammy: Well, if you don’t wear it, it doesn’t work. That would be the only thing I would have to say. But as far as downside, very rarely have I had things not work. For anybody who’s compliant, and everyone has been compliant, we’ve got amazing results on it for sure. And sometimes one of the things we actually do is patients forget how well they’re feeling. So we actually have them do a medical history in the beginning when we start, and then when we’re complete, we have them do another thorough medical history.

And when we do the medical history, they forget they had 1/2 the conditions. They’re like, “I don’t feel any different.” And then we actually review the medical history, and see what they wrote, and we do a nice comparison. Their GERD is gone. Their headaches are gone. They’re feeling a lot more comfortable. So we definitely do that.

John: All right. Well that’s really great information Dr. Nammy. Thanks again for speaking with me today.

Dr. Nammy: Amazing. Thank you.

Information About Green Dentistry

John: And for more information about Green Dentistry, you can visit the website at sfgreendentist.com, or call (415) 433-0119.