When I was 28, I presented with terrible TMJ pain. Turns out my sleep apnea led to grinding my teeth at night, putting horrible strain on my TMJ all night. Got a mandibular advancement device (MAD) and fixed both issues in like day. Changed my life, slept great, felt great. But, these devices only work for 8-10 years before your jaw permanently changes and your bite starts misaligning toward underbite. So I slowly transitioned over to CPAP when I felt my teeth were no longer snapping back into place in the morning. After 3 years of CPAP and no MAD, my jaw is 95% back to normal. So keep that in mind. I'd also recommend getting a back-up dental appliance in case yours breaks, or learning how to use CPAP now while you don't need it. Some of the worst stress of my life was when my MAD broke and it took months to get a new one...ugh, I still have latent traumatic responses thinking about that point in my life. I had moved jobs and insurance so finding someone who would do it required significant searching. Medical insurance hates paying for MADs, you gotta make sure you have a solid TMJ disorder diagnosis from an MD and then find a dentist that will do it.
Good question. Yes, I still use the CPAP and I really love it. It's not something I even notice when sleeping any longer. The devices are also very quiet now (I use an AirSense10 with heated line and nasal pillows). Combining SleepyHead software to look into the data and with a Dreem sleep device for EEG, it's incredible the quality of sleep I get. I used to also add pulseox data, but I've since stopped since it never fluctuated while using the CPAP correctly. I've also had turbinate and nasal polyp issues my whole life until I began CPAP usage--the filtered, warm, moist air has done wonders for my sinuses, to the point where I avoided surgery.
So to answer your question, no, I got my time with the MAD. I do not expect to be able to go back to it. I view it as a temporary solution in hindsight since around the 8-10 yr mark it will permanently change your jaw. It allowed me freedom to sleep at partners houses and travel, but now that I have kids and stuff, I no longer need the flexibility of the MAD. Plus, I like being able to chew food normally :)
