SmartGuard Anti Snore Device. New Customizable Snore Reducing Mouthpiece – Reduce Snoring Aid for Men and Women – Most Comfortable and Adjustable Oral Appliance - Holds Jaw Forward to Open Airway

I first tried a more expensive ($120) adjustable mandibular advancement device (MAD), one not sold on Amazon. As soon as I put it into my mouth, it became clear that there would be severe problems with my use of it. Thus I searched Amazon for a device that addressed those problems. I found the SmartGuard and I have used it for just over a month. I am extremely happy with it and I expect to gladly replace it several times a year. I hope that it remains available! I offer these comments in the hope that they will help someone else choose an effective MAD for themselves.In my opinion, the SmartGuard has a unique set of features that address many of the problems with other MADs.First, it is assembled by the user from two separate pieces, a top tray and a bottom tray. The retainers for the upper and lower teeth are thus molded to your teeth separately, so that each can fit the teeth more precisely. This system actually works, especially for those of us with an overbite. I find that the resulting fit to my teeth is very secure. On the other hand, devices which require the upper and lower to be molded at the same time require you to align your teeth vertically during the molding process. For those of us with an overbite, this means you are molding while attempting to hold your jaw in a very unnatural position, making it difficult to get a good mold.Additionally, because there are two separate pieces, the whole assembly can be kept relatively small. In other words, it does not fill your mouth, and that fact allows you to keep your mouth closed while sleeping. Yet you can also open your mouth when needed. These were important criteria in my search.The separation of the upper and lower trays also allows the adjustment of the size of the arch of the upper tray to better fit your teeth. This was not one of my criteria, but it seems like it could help some people.Secondly, it is adjustable for the relative position of the lower jaw with respect to the upper teeth. In the SmartGuard, this adjustment was designed while keeping people with overbite in mind -- that is, the device can be set up with the lower piece not as far forward as the upper piece. This was the most important criterion for my particular search, as I do have an overbite, and where the furthest back position of the first device I tried forced my jaw into a very uncomfortable, too far forward, position.There are some things to be aware of about the SmartGuard:Because the upper and lower trays are molded to your teeth separately, it is important to pay attention to the alignment of each tray to your teeth. The trays each have an alignment notch that is meant to be centered on the middle of your teeth during molding. I suspect that some of the people who have found this device to be uncomfortable have not correctly aligned the trays with their teeth during molding. I know that happened to me the first time I molded it. If the alignment between upper and lower trays is not correct, the device cannot be expected to work properly.It is important to make sure that the soft parts of the upper and lower trays do not contact each other during the molding process. If they do, they will stick together. This is not mentioned in the instructions.While it is easy to assemble the device, it tends to be difficult to disassemble it to change the length of the bars. The instructions advise removing the bars from the lower tray first, and I have found that to be good advice.Update after nearly one year of use:The first unit that I used eventually failed by the soft portion of one of the trays separating from the hard portion. I had already prepared a second unit, and the transition to the second unit was problem free. However, when I prepared a third unit, I ran into a problem -- it did not fit well at all. I then prepared a fourth unit, and that one fit better than the third one, but it was not as comfortable as the first two.I closely examined all of the last three units for physical differences that could explain the comfort results. I did not find anything other than the fact that the fitting process leads to different results on different attempts (at least for me). In fact, I was able to increase the comfort level of the third unit a lot by repeating the fitting process on it.It seems clear to me that the amount of physical jaw advancement will generally differ between units that are assembled with the same numbered adjustment bars; depending on how the fitting process goes. I may get better at getting repeatable fitting results as time goes on, but as it is, I think I am getting about the same advancement with setting 3 on the fourth unit as I am with setting 4 on the second unit. This matters to me because this device is extremely effective at reducing the specific type of sleep apnea that I have, given the appropriate level of jaw advancement, as shown by multiple home sleep studies.I did also find that the manufacturer had increased the thickness of the adjustment bars for the later units -- this was not obvious by eye, but was easily discovered when I tried to interchange the adjustment bars between units.

I'm ashamed to say I used AI to help me decide. I entered all the links for every anti-snore device on Amazon and this is the one it recommended. For the price, I was a bit concerned, but the reviews looked like the money back guarantee was pretty solid so I figured I'd give it a shot.To start with, they 'why' I was searching. I have severe sleep apnea with my highest inpatient measurements being 28 episodes an hour lasting up to 4 minutes (yes, that's 4 minutes of not breathing). I use a nasal pillow on my CPAP and have tried the others that cover your mouth, but I find the high pressure of my machine pushes the mask away and causes leaks. I have an enlarged uvula which obstructs my throat even when I'm awake and a failed surgery to correct it. I also backpack and camp a lot. While camping, I bring a Jackery to power my CPAP, but this isn't an option when I'm backpacking so I've just dealt with the headaches and sore throat in the morning from lack of oxygen.I followed the directions to the T when molding my molds. I wouldn't put the upper and lower in hot water at the same time, they stick to everything within a few seconds. I opted to do one at a time because of this. The rest of the instructions worked well. I used the recommendations for the hinges and started with a 3, but after walking around with it for an hour, I found it pushed my jaw forward so much that it kept opening my mouth and was hurting my jaw. I laid on my back and tried to relax to test if my uvula was obstructing and it was surprisingly completely clear of my throat. I did remove the mouth piece every 10-20 minutes to give my jaw a break and it wasn't comfortable. I then swapped to the 2 hinge and it was tolerable. I settled on the 2 and went to bed laying flat on my back. When I relaxed and tried to snore, I did notice there was a very minor obstruction, but I could not force myself into a full on snore so I went to sleep. I woke up 9 hours later. My lips are dry and chapped, a little bit of cotton mouth, jaw a little tight and an annoying underbite. All of that went away within 30 minutes of flexing my jaw and drinking some water.So for now, will I be using it every night in place of my cpap? No. But will I be taking it backpacking with me when I can't have my CPAP with me? Absolutely worth it and highly effective. Let's just hope the reviews on durability aren't true and this thing lasts. Will update if there are any changes.