Need advice with soft cervical collar

[DackJaniels]

Good morning 

First of all , big thanks at everyone helping peoples on this forum , I learned a lot since the beginning of my cpap journey (4 years).

I discovered that I have positional apnea ( chin tucking ) . I was able to now transition to a nasal mask and a soft cervical collar , had some decent sleep since . 

I bought the caldera releaf soft cervical for help with the chin tucking , had good results . Almost no mouth leaking (couple tiny spikes here and here , but nothing to really disturb me and it work way better than mouth taping )

My only issue is my teeth is a little sore in the morning . I never grinder my teeth so I am pretty sure that is just me resting my chin on collar that squash my mouth . Sometime my neck is a little sore but nothing for bothering .

Is it maybe the collar is too high/wrong collar type (I have the good size by caldera charts) ?Or a pillow  problem? My pillow is a memory foam that you put inserts for the thickness , do people with SCC sleep on thicker pillow or smaller ?

Thanks for your answers

[OpalRose]

Is the collar too high for you? Measure from the bottom of your chin to the top of your sternum or breastbone. If the collar is too high, it can push your jaw up and put pressure on your teeth. If not high enough, then your chin can slip under it.

Your bed pillow should be supportive, but not too high. A too high of a pillow will push your head forward. A too thin of a pillow may not support your head and neck properly.
As with anything else, this is usually trial and error.

[PeaceLoveAndPizza]

The attached may help with sizing. 

I have used the Caldera Releaf for years and agree it is an excellent SCC. All the collar does is keep your head from dropping down to your chest, which helps keep your mouth closed by the weight of your head. I imagine it could cause jaw pain if you continually press it against the collar, but that seems difficult to maintain for any time.

[DackJaniels]

The attached may help with sizing. 

I have used the Caldera Releaf for years and agree it is an excellent SCC. All the collar does is keep your head from dropping down to your chest, which helps keep your mouth closed by the weight of your head. I imagine it could cause jaw pain if you continually press it against the collar, but that seems difficult to maintain for any time.

Thanks for the reply , so I was checking on the web regarding the size. It seems the only difference between large and medium is the width (if you have a larger neck ) but the height seems the same for both ?

[PeaceLoveAndPizza]

That is my understanding as well. They only make one height for the Releaf of 3.5”. Their ALT collar is about 4” tall.

If you want other height options, there are quite a few on Amazon that people seem to like. In particular the Velpeau and Core products.

[TechieHippie]

My teeth were sore the first couple nights of a collar (had to go to 2.5"high), but it decreased and I stopped the mouth tape while using it. I have a small palate...For me I think the collar tried to position my jaw correctly but that made my lower teeth push against my upper teeth .

[gainerfull]

Have you considered using a sports mouth guard (boil & bite) to avoid teeth pain?

[Deborah K.]

I too used the Caldera collar.  It was comfortable but did not completely solve my problem.  I bought a flatter child-sized pillow with a bottom edge that holds my head tipped back slightly.  This solved my positional apnea completely.  My pillow is no longer made, but there are a couple on Amazon that probably would work the same way.  Here are the links:

https://www.amazon.com/Hcore-Adjustable-...r=8-6&th=1

https://www.amazon.com/MLILY-Adjustable-...r=8-2&th=1

These have removable layers so you can go flatter if it works better for you.