ORAL APPLIANCE CARE AND GUIDE
1. Remember to always brush and floss your teeth before inserting the appliance. Remember to always brush the oral appliance with a toothbrush and SOAP/dishwashing detergent, and rinse it in cool water after removing it from your mouth. Do not use toothpaste as it may damage the appliance.
2. Remove excess water before storing the appliance in its container
3. If needed, soak the appliance in alcohol-free mouthwash (Therabreath* recommended) to freshen it. Rinse thoroughly when finished, as the appliance will change color to the color of the mouthwash if it’s allowed to soak in it for more than a few seconds.
4. Use a denture cleanser like Polident* for soaking appliance to remove build-up.
5. Keep the appliance out of the sun and away from any other source of heat. To avoid warping, the appliance should NOT be placed in hot water or any other solution for an extended period of time, only for a few moments before you wear it, and only when given permission by your clinician.
6. When not being worn, the appliance should be always stored in its case. Appliances can be easily lost and pets (especially dogs) love to chew them.
7. Possible side effects to wearing the appliances are: increased saliva, dry mouth, jaw pain, bite changes and jaw locking. Though jaw locking and bite changes are rare, there may be short periods in the morning where the jaw may be sore. If intense unbearable jaw pain, headaches or jaw locking occurs, don’t wear the appliance and contact us immediately.