• Confirm good dental health through normal exam procedures
• Evaluate patient's history and determine level of snoring disorder
  • Use Epworth Questionnaire
• If Epworth results indicate SNOREGUARD therapy, explain procedure.
• Take upper and lower full arch alginate impressions.
• Good detail of teeth and gingival tissues is imperative.
• Upper impression should include the entire hard palate with extension to the soft palate.
• Lower impression should extend to mylohyoid bone.
• Pour models immediately.
• For the most accurate bite registration, utilize the George Gauge.
  • George Gauge Instructions
• Send models, George Gauge construction bite, and Rx to lab requesting SNOREGUARD.

Delivery

• Insert and confirm seat.
• Explain how the advancement may seem uncomfortable at first but that their jaw muscles should adapt within a few days.
• Relief from snoring should be immediately evident if patient compliance is achieved.
• Patient should be instructed to contact office immediately if discomfort persists or any other negative symptoms arise.

The George Gauge

The most critical factor in the construction of the SNOREGUARD appliance is the correct bite registration. In order for the appliance to be effective in eliminating or reducing the snoring habit, it must hold the mandible in an advanced position while the patient sleeps. It must also be comfortable enough so that patient compliance is maximized.

Some anti-snoring devices are constructed with a "general" advancement of 70% of maximum protrusion. While this position may be effective in most patients, it could very well be uncomfortable for some. Where is the correct bite? It varies widely for patient to patient. It is obviously somewhere between centric and full protrusive. For example, an end-to-end position is a sufficient advancement for some, and an impossible strain for others. Ideally, we would construct the SNOREGUARD in a position that is comfortable to the patient but yet advanced enough to correct the snoring.

The George Gauge is an adjustable bite recording device that gives us this advantage. This simple device "automates" the process and takes the guesswork out of the bite registration. This instrument will provide a construction bite that maximizes the advancement but maintains the comfort level of the patient. Since we began utilizing the George Gauge for the bite registrations of the SNOREGUARD, patient satisfaction, compliance, and treatment success have increased significantly.

» The Epworth Questionnaire (.pdf)
» The George Gauge Instructions

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