A Clear Path From Diagnosis to Better Sleep
Getting treated for sleep apnea does not have to be complicated. The process at Innova Sleep Institute is built around removing friction at every step, from your first appointment through long-term monitoring. Here is exactly what to expect.
What Makes This Process Different
Most patients come here after years of either avoiding treatment or struggling with CPAP. What they find is a process led by Dr. Dexter Mattox, DMD, MD, a board-certified oral and maxillofacial surgeon with dual medical and dental degrees. Care here is physician-directed from the first appointment, not delegated downstream. Every step is clinically coordinated, insurance-supported, and built around a custom solution rather than a one-size-fits-all device. You are not handed a prescription and sent elsewhere to figure it out.
Step 1: Evaluation
Your first appointment is a clinical consultation, not a sales pitch. We review your symptoms, your sleep history, and any prior treatment attempts including CPAP use and the reasons it did or did not work for you. If you have an existing sleep study on file, we review it at this stage. If you have not yet been formally diagnosed, we coordinate home sleep testing directly, so you do not need to navigate a separate referral pathway to get one. By the end of this appointment, we have a clear picture of where you are and what the appropriate next step looks like.
Step 2: Diagnosis
Once a sleep study is complete or on file, the results are reviewed and interpreted directly. This is where your apnea severity is confirmed, your AHI score is documented, and a clinically appropriate treatment pathway is determined. At this stage we also verify your insurance benefits, confirm what is covered under your medical plan, and handle pre-authorization if required. You will know exactly what your treatment will cost before anything moves forward.
Step 3: Fitting
Your oral appliance is a custom medical device, fabricated specifically from impressions of your teeth and jaw. It is not an over-the-counter mouthguard. The appliance is titratable, meaning it can be precisely adjusted to position your lower jaw at the angle that keeps your airway open most effectively during sleep. Once fabricated, the fitting appointment ensures the device seats correctly, feels comfortable, and is calibrated to your anatomy.
Step 4: Follow-Up
Treatment does not end at the fitting. Follow-up appointments allow for appliance adjustments as needed, since optimal titration often takes a few incremental changes to dial in. We also coordinate follow-up sleep testing to confirm that your apnea is being adequately controlled with the device in place. Progress is documented and shared with your referring or primary care physician so your overall care record stays current. Long-term monitoring is part of the process, not an afterthought.
Why Patients Follow Through With This Treatment
Oral appliance therapy has one significant clinical advantage over CPAP: compliance. A treatment only works if a patient can consistently use it. These are the reasons patients stay with it.
Comfort
The appliance fits inside your mouth and requires no mask, no straps, and no airflow machinery. Most patients report it becomes unnoticeable within a few nights of use.
Silence
There is no motor, no hum, and no airflow noise. Patients and their partners sleep without the ambient sound that makes CPAP difficult to tolerate in a shared bedroom.
Portability
The device fits in a small case. It requires no power source, no distilled water, and no equipment bag. Travel compliance is not an issue.
Medical Validity
Oral appliance therapy is endorsed by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine as a first-line treatment for mild to moderate obstructive sleep apnea and as an alternative for patients with severe OSA who cannot tolerate CPAP.
Insurance Covers This
Oral appliance therapy for diagnosed obstructive sleep apnea is covered as a medical benefit, not a dental benefit, under most major insurance plans. Innova Sleep Institute works directly with BCBS, Aetna, Cigna, UnitedHealthcare, Humana, and Medicare. We handle benefits verification, pre-authorization, and claims coordination on your behalf. Most patients pay significantly less out of pocket than they expect.
Ready to Start?
Schedule a consultation with Dr. Dexter Mattox, DMD, MD. He review your history, confirm whether a sleep study is needed, and walks you through what the process looks like for your specific situation. No referral required