{"id":351,"date":"2026-05-06T09:33:00","date_gmt":"2026-05-06T09:33:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thewoodlandssleepdentist.com\/blog\/?p=351"},"modified":"2026-05-15T21:34:07","modified_gmt":"2026-05-15T21:34:07","slug":"adjusting-to-your-oral-appliance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thewoodlandssleepdentist.com\/blog\/2026\/05\/adjusting-to-your-oral-appliance\/","title":{"rendered":"Gear Up for Good Sleep: Adjusting to Your Oral Appliance"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignleft size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"601\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thewoodlandssleepdentist.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/AdobeStock_1561899722__1778877195_62943.jpg\" alt=\"A closeup of an oral appliance that treats sleep apnea\" class=\"wp-image-352\" style=\"aspect-ratio:1.3311809263628462;width:307px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thewoodlandssleepdentist.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/AdobeStock_1561899722__1778877195_62943.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.thewoodlandssleepdentist.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/AdobeStock_1561899722__1778877195_62943-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.thewoodlandssleepdentist.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/AdobeStock_1561899722__1778877195_62943-768x577.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>Even if you want your sleep apnea to fade fast, treating it takes time. You won&#8217;t see major changes or effects until you adjust to your oral appliance. With that said, perhaps you&#8217;re wondering how you might get used to <a href=\"https:\/\/thewoodlandssleepdentist.com\/oral-appliance-therapy.html\">this device<\/a> just a bit more quickly. You&#8217;re in luck; your sleep dentist in the Woodlands has some key advice on that front. Simply keep reading to learn relevant tips for adjusting to your oral appliance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Your Appliance May Cause Aches at First<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>In the first place, you shouldn\u2019t expect your appliance to feel \u201cgood\u201d right away. A wearable device for sleep apnea will often cause aches at first.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Keep in mind that an oral appliance is a foreign object. When you first start wearing it, your body will feel \u201coff\u201d due to the device\u2019s hard plastic and experience some discomfort. You may also drool more than usual, as your mouth may \u201cmistake\u201d the appliance for food and thus produce saliva. Some patients even struggle to place their device due to their strong gag reflexes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How to Adjust to Oral Appliances Smoothly<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>While \u201cinstant adjustment\u201d isn\u2019t possible, key practices can make it easier to acclimate to your device. These actions include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Consistent Use<\/strong> \u2013 Your body will see your appliance as foreign if you only wear it sometimes. Given that fact, try to wear your device consistently.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Daily Practice<\/strong> \u2013 If you actively practice with your appliance each day, it\u2019ll feel familiar to you more quickly.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Nose Breathing<\/strong> \u2013 \u00a0Try to breathe through your nose while wearing the device. That way, your throat and lungs will calm down enough to weaken your gag reflex.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Calm Focus<\/strong> \u2013 Give yourself grace and take time to calmly focus on your appliance. Through this approach, you might be able to block out the device\u2019s sensations after 2-3 weeks.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">See a Sleep Dentist if Problems Persist<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Ultimately, you should only talk to a sleep apnea expert (or sleep dentist) if your adjustment takes longer than three weeks. Getting professional help is warranted at that point.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Sleep apnea experts and dentists can do several things to assist you. For example, they might alter your appliance to ensure a comfier fit. Another approach is to suggest an entirely new oral appliance. Depending on your situation, you could even get more customized solutions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Adjusting to your oral appliance isn\u2019t always easy, but it\u2019s a worthwhile process. Use the tips above to help it go faster!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">About the Author<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thewoodlandssleepdentist.com\/meet-dr-dernick.html\">Dr. Robert Dernick<\/a> is a sleep dentist based in The Woodlands, TX, having earned his DDS from the University of Texas Dental Branch at Houston. Given his years of experience, he has immense expertise in safe, effective, and non-invasive sleep apnea treatments. You can thus rely on him for top-tier oral appliances, which will ensure you get a good night\u2019s rest! Today, Dr. Dernick practices at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thewoodlandssleepdentist.com\/\">The Woodlands Dental Group<\/a> and is reachable on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thewoodlandssleepdentist.com\/contact-us.html\">his website<\/a> and by phone at <strong>(281)-783-3419<\/strong>.<u><\/u><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Even if you want your sleep apnea to fade fast, treating it takes time. You won&#8217;t see major changes or effects until you adjust to your oral appliance. With that said, perhaps you&#8217;re wondering how you might get used to this device just a bit more quickly. You&#8217;re in luck; your sleep dentist in the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-351","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thewoodlandssleepdentist.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/351","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thewoodlandssleepdentist.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thewoodlandssleepdentist.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thewoodlandssleepdentist.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thewoodlandssleepdentist.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=351"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.thewoodlandssleepdentist.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/351\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":355,"href":"https:\/\/www.thewoodlandssleepdentist.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/351\/revisions\/355"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thewoodlandssleepdentist.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=351"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thewoodlandssleepdentist.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=351"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thewoodlandssleepdentist.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=351"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}