Sleep Apnea Appliances
with Dr. Kellye Rice
Energy. Passion. A Better Night’s Sleep.
CPAP machines are known as the “gold standard” for sleep apnea treatment because of their proven effectiveness for a better night’s sleep. However, a study that occurred over a 20 year period has found that nearly 30-40% of patients are non-adherent to the use of CPAP machines, therefore they are not receiving the proper treatment.
Here at Middle Tennessee Dental Sleep Specialists, Dr. Kellye Rice and her team offer advanced treatment plans for sleep apnea, using alternatives to CPAP. Utilizing her extensive training in sleep apnea, as well as her own knowledge of living with the sleep disorder herself, Dr. Rice is passionate to help her patients (and their partner) get through a full night’s sleep.
Oral Appliances & NightLase® Therapy
Our Cool Springs dental office offers alternative solutions to CPAP for your sleep apnea and snoring. In cases where CPAP is ineffective at treating sleep apnea, an oral appliance may be recommended to relieve obstructions in your airway, letting you breathe and sleep better. Oral appliances are a small, non-intrusive, custom-made treatment for patients with mild to moderate sleep apnea.
Dr. Rice also offers NightLase® Therapy–a simple, safe, and effective process available for most patients with sleep apnea. NightLase® uses gentle laser pulses to penetrate heat into the oral tissue to provide safe and effective results that will open your airway in order to reduce snoring. There is no device necessary while you sleep and NightLase® can be completed in three treatment sessions within a six-week period.
DynaFlex Dorsal®

Adjustable Herbst®

Tap Devices

EMA®


Dr. Kellye Rice
Dr. Kellye Rice began treating sleep apnea in 2012, and not long after she was diagnosed with sleep apnea herself. Initially, Dr. Rice treated her diagnosis with a CPAP machine. However, after struggling with the inconvenience of CPAP, she decided it was time to explore other treatment options. Building an oral appliance for herself, she discovered a method for treating her sleep apnea that was more convenient and better suited to her needs.
Dr. Rice’s passion for her continued education in sleep apnea and her drive to seek out the best treatments is far more personal. In 2007 her younger sister passed away in her sleep from severe sleep apnea after she was unable to receive her CPAP in time.
Since then, Dr. Rice has dedicated herself to providing the highest level of treatment to patients, including becoming certified in cutting-edge techniques such as the Fotona Laser treatments, reaching qualified status with the AADSM, and becoming a Diplomate of the American Sleep and Breathing Academy.