Sleep Apnea Oral Appliance Post Operative Instructions

You may experience some temporary side effects such as sore jaw joints, increased salivation, dry mouth, sore teeth, irritation of the soft tissue in the mouth and/or a slight change in bite. These possible side effects should diminish within an hour of removing the device. If any of these side effects continue, please contact our office. Please be sure to bring your sleep appliance to your routine checkups and dental treatment visits so we may clean and confirm the appliance still fits properly. Changes in bite or jaw stiffness and pain upon removal of your sleep appliance may be alleviated with clenching exercises. Please remember to use a SomnoMed Morning Repositioner to assist with these exercises after removing your sleep appliance, for 10 minutes in the morning. Many patients do this while showering and otherwise getting ready in the morning. The Morning Repositioner is supplied separately, so please be sure to discuss this with our clinical team if you currently don’t own a morning appliance. Please call our office right away if you feel your bite is shifting.

WEARING YOUR SOMNODENT TIP

Use lip balm during the first few nights of wearing your SomnoDent to help keep your lips moist.

IMPORTANT TO NOTE

• Keep your device away from sunlight!
• Keep your device away from pets & small children!
• Always follow maintenance instructions for cleaning and care of your device
• You may initially experience a mild plastic taste & smell. This will disappear with storage and use.

CLEANING

Always clean your device in the morning immediately after having removed it from your mouth. After each use, rinse in cold or lukewarm, water and clean with a soft toothbrush and liquid soap. Then rinse well. Avoid hot or boiling water as it will damage the device. Water temperature for cleaning should be no more than 45⁰C to avoid damage. Never use hot or boiling water! Hot or boiling water will damage your device.

NOTE

• Do not use toothpaste, as it contains abrasives, and may damage the device.
• Do not use mouthwash to clean the device, as doing so will cause the material in the SomnoDent to deteriorate.
• Do not use ultrasonic cleaning.
• Avoid organic solvents like ethanol, acetone etc. for cleaning.
• Do not expose your strap to denture cleansers for more than 30 minutes each week. SomnoMed recommends using SomTabs for 15 minutes twice a week.

STORAGE INSTRUCTIONS

Always store your SomnoDent in a dry container with the lid off when not in use. A storage container is included for your convenience.

NOTE

Do not store your strap in water or any other liquid. To retain optimal properties, your strap must be regularly cleaned and stored dry.

MAINTAINING APPEARANCE OF YOUR SOMNODENT

To reduce the possibility of discoloration do not smoke or drink coffee, tea, colas or wine with the device in place. Always brush teeth thoroughly before use. Patients with amalgam fillings or users of Pyralvex (a solution for mouth ulcers and denture irritation) may over time notice discoloration in the Flex lining of their SomnoDent. Discoloration of the material will not adversely affect the performance or longevity of the device.

TRAVELING WITH YOUR SOMNODENT

Before traveling, thoroughly clean and dry your device then protect your SomnoDent Avant by placing it inside the supplied storage container without water. Please note the SomnoDent storage container is not air or water tight.

REGULAR INSPECTION

Regularly inspect your SomnoDent Avant for signs of damage and cracks. If the device is damaged or broken it must NOT be used any longer in order to avoid injuries, such as choking or laceration.

REPAIRS

Damaged or broken devices must not be used any longer in order to avoid injury. Immediately contact our office to arrange for the device to be repaired by an authorized SomnoMed facility.