Prosomnus Evo, IA, IA Select Home Care Instructions
Home care instructions for your Prosomnus Evo, IA and IA-Select sleep apnea mouthguards, including what to expect, adjusting the dental device (advancements), cleaning and preventing side effects of oral appliance therapy.
What to expect the first time I use my Prosmonus oral appliance device?
For the first several days, the appliance will feel awkward in your mouth.
Although most patients adjust easily to the snug feeling around the teeth in the first several nights, it may take up to several weeks to build up your tolerance to wearing the device.
Patients who have worn a night guard for teeth grinding, orthodontic retainers, or Invisalign often adjust very readily to wearing a Prosomnus oral appliance.
The goal is to sleep comfortably and without discomfort and to eliminate symptoms of apnea.
Possible side effects of wearing the Prosomnus Evo/IA
The side effects of this device are similar to all other custom dental sleep apnea appliances.
The most common short term side effects are transient and usually resolve within a few days to weeks of wearing your device. These side effects include increased drooling the 1st 30 minutes after insertion and slight teeth and jaw discomfort.
Other more long term side effects may include slight to moderate shifting of teeth.
For more details on side effects and how best to handle them, see our side effects article on this link.
Nighttime success tips
Nighttime routine
- Brush and floss your teeth before inserting your device(very important)
- Apply lip moisturizer (optional)
- Rinse your dental device with cool water before inserting (optional)
- Drink water only – Once inserted, you can swallow easily and usually drink water. Please avoid other beverages.
- Go to sleep!
How to insert your EVO-IA device
Upper Tray placement
Most patients like to place the upper tray in first. To do this:
Step 1. Line the tray up along your top teeth and press onto your teeth. Sometimes a slight rocking movement may be necessary.
Step 2. Repeat with the lower tray.
Step 3. Bring your jaw slightly forward and close.
Placing both trays in together at the same time
Some patients like to put both upper and lower trays together at the same time. Here’s how:
Step 1. Line up the upper tray over the lower tray in the correct orientation
Step 2. Line onto your teeth in a ‘sandwich’ type method
Step 3. Slowly and carefully bring your jaw slightly forward and bite into your trays
Removing your oral appliance device
To remove your oral appliance, ALWAYS do what feels most comfortable.
Step 1. Lift the edges of the lower tray and moving upwards in a rocking motion.
Some people find lifting the sides more comfortable, while others prefer lifting the front first.
Step 2. Repeat for the upper arch.
TIP: Be careful not to drop your device. The Prosomnus device is very strong but can crack when dropped on a hard surface.
Developing a morning routine after removing your Prosomnus device
There are three areas of routine to consider after removing your oral appliance:
- Cleaning your device
- Performing basic jaw stretches
- Using a morning realigning tool (if provided)
Performing these as recommended will increase the longevity of your dental sleep device, prevent unwanted side effects and increase your comfort level during your oral appliance treatment.
How to clean your dental sleep device
Cleaning your device will help improve longevity, reduce odors and avoid discoloration of your device.
Learn more by watching My Sleep Devices educational videos or read our articles on how to clean your device.
For your specific type of Prosomnus device, you may follow any of the suggestions on our site except for:
- Daily (Part 1) cleaning is recommended only.
- Weekly special cleaning (Part 2 ) is NOT necessary.
- The Prosomnus company DOES NOT recommend soaking their device in any cleaning tablets/solutions.
- Scrub with soft brushes only using liquid detergents (dishwashing liquid or hand soap)
- Air dry in an open container
- Home ultrasonic units are NOT recommended for Prosomnus devices currently
Minimize bite changes using jaw stretches and a morning aligner
It is normal for your teeth to feel strange after removing your Prosomnus device for up to an hour.
This occurs most commonly from your jaw not being realigned into its regular position. This is commonly experienced.
To help prevent bite changes and help the jaw realign into its natural position, there are 2 actions I strongly recommend, performing jaw stretches and using a morning aligner tool.
Performing jaw stretches and using a morning repositioning tool (if provided) are very important to long-term oral appliance care.
Helpful articles
How to use a morning realigner tool
When do I advance the Prosomnus Evo, IA or IA Select Oral Appliance?
Your first trays of the Prosomnus Evo, IA or IA -Select are usually labeled -Uo and Lo. These trays have been ‘preset’ to have your jaw slightly forward or similar to the position of your jaw when awake. For some patients, this is the most effective treatment position and you will not need to further advance your jaw. For many others, further jaw protrusion (advancement) is needed for the dental sleep device to be effective.
Here is a review of when it’s best to begin or stop advancing your device.
The following is a list of positive effects that would indicate that minimal or no changes are needed:
- Bed partner or roommate observes that your snoring is significantly reduced or gone
- No apneic events or waking up gasping for air is witnessed by the bed partner
- Increased dreaming
- Decreased or complete elimination of nighttime walking or urination
- Decreased leg movements (for those who have Restless Leg Syndrome)
- Feeling refreshed upon waking and daytime sleepiness is diminished or gone
These subjective changes help us determine when to advance the appliance.
Once you are comfortable with general wearing but still have noticeable apnea symptoms, it’s time for you to advance your dental sleep device.
NEW ARTICLE COMING SOON: When do I advance my oral sleep appliance
When do I STOP advancing the oral appliance device?
It’s time to stop advancing to the next tray if any one of these occurs:
- PAIN
- If pain occurs, you may need to skip a night
- If comfort doesn’t increase over a few days, you may need to return the appliance to the previous comfortable tray combination by decreasing the advancement setting
- All symptoms are resolved, and you “believe” the device to be working well
- At this level, snoring reports have stopped, or you might awaken refreshed, no morning headaches, and less sleepy during the day
- You reach the last set of trays. In this case, your dental provider may order more to advance further.
The best way to establish that your device effectively treats your sleep apnea and eliminates oxygen desaturations is to perform another sleep test, either with a home sleep test or polysomnography test performed by your sleep apnea medical or dental team.
Your sleep apnea dentist will help guide you as to the proper timing of getting a sleep test with your oral appliance inserted.
How to advance the Prosomnus Evo/IA
– New Video Coming Soon!
- Do not adjust the appliance for the first 7 days
- If advancements are needed, move up to the next larger appliance number in 1 mm increments by following the chart below
- Each tray is marked with a letter and a number in the ‘fin’ of the device (see image)
- Repeat this process using the next tray combination after about 7 days.
- Never change trays and advance if you are not comfortable with the current pair of devices.
KEY: U = upper tray, L = lower trays.
NOTE: You may have a select number of trays based on the specific type of oral device you have.
If you live alone and snoring is your only symptom
If you live alone or cannot receive feedback on your snoring levels, it may be challenging to know if the device is working and if an adjustment is required. For these circumstances, I recommended using the Snorelab App. Click here to learn more about this useful app.
What do I do if my mouth drops open while wearing my Prosomnus oral appliance?
Some Prosomnus devices have built-in acrylic hooks that can accommodate small elastic bands.
Elastic bands can be worn on your Prosmonus Evo and IA device if you experience dry mouth or feel your mouth is popping open during sleep.
Nasal breathing, if possible, is encouraged with oral appliance therapy. Nasal breathing may improve the results of your therapy and keep your mouth free from dryness.
Elastics are also available in non-latex material. If you have a latex allergy, it is important to use non-latex elastics.
If your trays do not have any hooks, your sleep apnea dentist may ask the dental lab to accommodate this request. Other suggestions may include using mouth tape.
What follow-up appointments are recommended once I start wearing my Prosomus Evo, IA, or IA-Select?
Approximately 2 appointments are recommended with your sleep apnea dental team to help you maximize the results of your appliances and to troubleshoot issues that may arise.
It is important to follow up with a visit to your oral appliance dentist to verify the device is working beyond symptom relief. In many situations, the device may need further advancements to eliminate oxygen desaturations and/or sleep apnea events.
Once there is verification that your oral appliance is effective in controlling your symptoms and apnea events, it is recommended you return in 6 months then annually.
At these visits’ your sleep apnea dentist will evaluate the integrity of your oral device, and assess for potential dental /oral side effects.
Please contact your prescribing sleep apnea dentist If you have questions or need help.
Helpful Articles
7 Habits of Highly Successful Sleep Apnea Dental Device Users
Cleaning and Replacement Products for Oral Sleep Devices
Why do I need another sleep test with my oral device if my snoring has stopped?
