Success Stories

The Full Breath Solution

As of February 1, 2006, the Academy of Sleep Medicine has designated “…sleep oral appliances as the NUMBER ONE treatment avenue for mild and moderate sleep apnea and snoring.”

Because Dr. Keropian’s procedure and mouthpiece were so successful at improving breathing during sleep, it seemed appropriate for it to be known as THE FULL BREATH SOLUTION. In the initial testing we submitted to the FDA we found a more than a 60% reduction in the number of instances of blockage, also know as apnea episodes. With the FULL BREATH SOLUTION, the air passage is open throughout the night, enabling sufficient oxygen to reach the lungs. Full Breath is what you need to stop snoring, breathe fully and enjoy peaceful, restful sleep!

Dental appliances are the #1 non-surgical treatment solution recommended by the Academy of Sleep Medicine when the CPAP cannot be tolerated. They are an effective solution for snoring problems and for patients with mild or moderate Sleep Apnea.

The Full Breath Solution appliances are patented, small, comfortable and effective

No matter how bad it is, no matter what treatments you have tried in the past, your sleep problems CAN BE IMPROVED using the Full Breath Solution from this Center.

Call 877-807-0101 or use our on-line information request to find out how you can take advantage of the Full Breath Solution and handle sleep problems.

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A History of the Development of the Full Breath Solution

By Dr. Keropian

In 2001, a beautiful woman came into my office, despondent and crying. She was about 40 years old and had started snoring when she was 36. As a result of snoring and Sleep Apnea, she had no energy; she was constantly fatigued. She lost her job because she was continually too exhausted to work. She went to a doctor and he put her on a CPAP machine. It was effective for her as well, but she, just like so many others, could not tolerate wearing the CPAP on her face all night. She could not sleep at all with it on!

Subsequently she tried one of the mouthpieces existing at that time, but found she could not tolerate the bulk of it.

She endured four years of this, and by the time she came to see me, was taking Prozac and told me she was ready to commit suicide. You can imagine how much I wanted to help her.

Using a computer to show me a person's airway volume, I made an appliance to set the bite for maximum air intake.

A week later she returned to the office crying. The snoring, exhaustion and headache problems were not relieved. She was more distraught than ever and was losing hope that anything would ever work.

There was no way I'd give up on her. I thought long and hard, trying to come up with something different, something that would work more effectively. It was common knowledge in the field of sleep medicine that the tongue could fall backward and block the airway. It occurred to me that none of the current mouthpieces had any way to hold the tongue down! So, I developed an upper retainer, but also ran two wires across the back of the mouthpiece to hold the tongue down.

As time went on, it became clear that the tongue was not just falling back during sleep. It was also pushing upward, blocking the airway. No mouthpiece had ever been designed to handle this problem!

With this in mind, I carefully worked the device so it would not only hold the tongue, but also keep it from pressing upward.

She returned three days later, the tears replaced by a appreciative smile that changed all of us, too, in the clinic. She reported that she had been getting the best sleep she'd had in many, many years!

That was all the encouragement I needed. I refined and documented my design and production techniques and obtained a patent, followed by FDA clearance. I had developed the smallest and most effective mouthpiece available. I am proud and pleased to share this breakthrough with you!

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Mechanism of Treatment, The Full Breath Success, and the History Of Its Development

The history and development of the FBS is an excellent illustration of our successful method of treatment. The following is an overview of the development of the FBS and why it is successful. You can see how, step –by-step, we gained our effectiveness.

When I newly entered into treatment of sleep in 2002 I used the standard mouthpieces that the dental profession was using. My success was limited. The treatment of choice for the Dental Industry was to move the lower forward from a ¼ inch up to ½ an inch. In some cases, this resulted in TMJ or facial pain, and in some cases the jaw would get stuck forward and there would then be bite problems (malocclusion). I was not happy with treatments provided by dentistry, but knew this was a deadly, serious problem for my patients and mankind. Within 4 months, as I explain on this website’s section on “A History of the Development of the Full Breath Solution,” I realized that the tongue goes back and up. With the lady in the story I developed an upper retainer that had a bar that ran from the left side of the mouth to the right side. This bar was located at the back of the mouth, at the first or second molar and ran across the roof of the mouth and restrained and controlled the tongue from going up and back. It is shown in the figure below.

The bar was the key to restraining the tongue, and it brought our initial success.

In 2004 a 54 year old man came in complaining that his snoring was disturbing his 37 year old girlfriend and he was sleeping in another room due to his snoring. He was highly agitated by this occurrence. He could not tolerate the CPAP and wanted my help.

I initiated treatment. Unfortunately I was unsuccessful at eliminating his snoring. I tried all my treatment methods with The Full Breath Solution that you see in FIG 1., but he continued to snore. I decided to add small bumps on the back bar to try to deflect the tongue down, and prevent the upward and backward movement. It was worth a try. Unfortunately, it was unsuccessful.

Several weeks later he lost his mouthpiece on vacation. So I sent an order to the Dental Laboratory and had it remade. I told the lab to add 3 bumps on the bar. However, I failed to tell them how big to make the bumps. When I got is the mouthpiece back I found that they had made the bumps 3-4 times longer than the bumps I had made.

I wasn’t sure what to do with this. I tried it in his mouth and he could tolerate the long bumps. So I sent him home. The next morning I got a call from him. Right off the bat he excitedly told me, “Doc you’re a genius, this stopped my snoring.” Wow, the lab made it long and it worked. Well, what worked? The long “icicles” on the bar prevented the tongue from going up and back, and thus he did not snore.

With the first patient, the lady out of work for 4 years, we controlled the tongue from going back and blocking the airway. In this case with snoring, the bumps got the same result and we were able to keep the airway open. A strong message was being passed on to me: Control the tongue, and we will be successful treating snoring and sleep apnea.

About a year later, a very overweight attorney came into my office. His airway was blocked 75 times an hour, and he was CPAP intolerant. He wanted to try my treatment. I placed the appliance and a week later he told me that he really liked it. After wearing his FBS for a week he wanted the tail extended. After experimenting with several designs, we established a “popsicle stick” at the back end of the bar. It was very successful with him. I tried it on a number of patients and had found it brought me greater success. We got quicker treatment, better results unblocking the airway, and we were more successful at stopping snoring. I eventually obtained the 4th FDA Certification for the Full Breath Solution with this advance.

The tail gave us greater leverage in restraining and inhibiting the tongue. We have been able to add to the length and thickness of the tail. It eventually led us to depressing the tongue, and this is our present mode of treatment. We depress the tongue in a matter similar to the same way an MD depresses the tongue when he views your throat. With the Full Breath Solution, we create a comfortable tongue depressor in the mouth, thus keeping the airway open all night. It is paramount that it be comfortable. As the tail is increased in size it is always done with a method so that every patient leaves with the FBS comfortable in his mouth. No patient leaves feeling like he has too much in his mouth. It is the same process used with teenage orthodontic patients who get retainers. They leave with the retainer comfortable.

Presently, the Full Breath Solution is fitted on the lower teeth in 98% of the cases, and the tail is used as a depressor. With this design we have a 79% success rate at lowering the number of times the airway is blocked hourly, and 99% success rate at eradicating snoring.

 

Full Breath Solution | Dr. Keropian