How To Take Proper Care Of Your Sleep Apnea Oral Appliance

If you have sleep apnea, you will need to ensure you know how to take care of your oral appliance. Your oral appliance will work better and more effectively if it has been taken proper care of.

Brush Your Teeth Before Bed

First, when wearing an oral sleep apnea appliance, you must brush your teeth before you put it on. If you don't brush your teeth, there will be bacteria, plaque, and food particles that will be trapped up against your teeth, held in place by your sleep apnea oral applicant. This can create a thriving opportunity for bacteria to develop, which can lead to cavities and other unwanted oral infections. In addition, you put yourself at risk by not brushing your teeth before bed, so take a few minutes to brush your teeth before you go to sleep.

Rinse off Your Appliance

Second, before you put your appliance in your mouth, give it a quick rinse to remove any dust that may have settled on it during the day. Be sure to dry it off before you put it in your mouth. This is just a quick way to ensure that your device is clean before you use it.

Clean It in the Morning

Third, you are going to need to clean your appliance in the morning. When you get up, take out your appliance and immediately brush your teeth. Then, take a soft bristle brush and use some toothpaste to clean the appliance. When you clean the appliance, be sure that you clean every little part. This is because you want to ensure any bacteria is removed. A good cleaning in the morning is necessary to keep your appliance from getting damaged by bacteria.

After you have cleaned it, you will want to allow the appliance to dry in the open air. If you put it inside of its container, yeast and bacteria are both likely to grow. However, the open-air environment will help keep it clean.

Give It a Weekly Deep Clean

Finally, you are going to want to give your appliance a weekly deep clean. Take it and soak it in some water with some cleaner tablets. This will help allow you to enjoy a deep clean of your sleep apnea oral appliance. Put the appliance in the container, add some water, drop in a tablet, and allow it to soak for a few minutes. Then, remove the water and allow it to air dry.

When it comes to taking care of your teeth and your health when you use a sleep apnea oral appliance, you need to brush your teeth right before putting in the appliance and right after you take it out. You will also want to clean it after each usage and give it a deep clean once a week. This will protect your health and oral health and ensure that your sleep apnea device doesn't harm you. For more information regarding sleep apnea oral appliances, contact a dentist.