SleepTight Mouthpiece Review
SleepTight Ratings
Comfort - 75%
Effectiveness - 70%
Quality - 55%
Service - 65%
66%
Good
Pricing structure, custom fit is comfortable, FDA approved, all comes with instant relief. But, the custom settings feature wore out after overuse.
SleepTight Mouthpiece Review
The SleepTight Mouthpiece is a product that is priced to sell, but in my opinion, has one significant, one might even say amateur flaw. I still feel it is worthy of your consideration provided you take into account the various caveats that I mention in the review.
It’s relatively new on the scene having been introduced in 2014 following a string of clinical research and trials which it successfully passed with great results. Before I became so fascinated with finding the best anti-snoring device on the market, I have no idea how much research and development, went into what I assumed was a relatively simple product. The reality it seems is much more than I could ever have imagined.
The first and to my mind most important point about the Sleep Tight Mouthpiece is that it is FDA approved. This means you know you aren’t risking your sleep and health with an inferior quality product that provides bogus claims about its efficiency. That accreditation made me feel a lot more confident about putting an alien object in my mouth before going to sleep!
We’ll go over the details of the Sleep Tight Mouthpiece itself including price and specifications. As with all of my reviews, this is a totally honest and unbiased review where I’ll do my best to give an accurate idea of what product is best for *you*.
The fit – how does it work?
There are several higher quality products in the world of snoring prevention that fall into what are called MADs – mandibular advancement devices. It’s a bit of a mouthful, but it’s all down to how they sit in the mouth and use their shape and resistance to alter the airflow.
I’ll go over now how this works in particular.
The STM works through an easy system called “boil and bite”. It’s very easy to get set up and as we’ll discuss it’s quite adjustable. The process of boiling the mouthpiece softens its unique thermoplastic material so that you receive a full and comfortable fit after biting down and letting the plastic cool and settle into its new shape. I strongly advise you to take your time and follow the instructions carefully, as this ensures the optimum fit, which is individually tailored to your mouth.
The mouthpiece works by clamping your lower jaw in a position that’s a little further forward than your natural resting position. It’s worth noting that the slight pressure of the extension is spread easily over all your teeth – I didn’t experience any tooth pain at all when using it.
With my airway opened up, I experienced a drastic reduction in snoring which is due to there being a significantly bigger gap for the air to pass through. It was a fantastic feeling going straight from the snoring of old to a completely refreshing nights sleep literally overnight. The only real downside and this applies to all MAD devices in my experience, is that for the first couple of nights, you might wake up with a sore jaw. This is due to it being forced into an unnatural position; the key here is to persist with the device and very quickly your mouth will adjust.
Not all mouths are made equal so it’s also nice to see that the STM can be well adjusted down to an impressive detail. After initially placing it in my mouth even I experience slight discomfort which surprised me as I thought my mouth would now be used to MAD devices. However, I was proved wrong as it would seem that even a slight variation causes initial stiffness. Upon further consideration, I guess it is the same as when you have a new filling at the dentist. It takes a little while for your mouth to readjust.
The STM comes with five levels of adjustment horizontally. I found I only had to tweak mine once to make it feel just right. The maximum range of these changes provides the option of pushing it out from its default shape by almost ten millimeters. This gives a wide range that will easily accommodate the majority of people.
It’s an important point to note here that, unlike many of the snoring mouthpieces, (MADs, remember!) these adjustments cannot be reversed. This for me is the main flaw in the product although personally, I didn’t find this to be a problem. However, I do feel quite strongly that this is not a good solution, and could easily leave a first time user with a poorly fitting product.
Keeping it clean
Let me touch on the important topic of hygiene here. As you might imagine our mouths are far from their best during the night after a long day talking, eating and drinking – regardless of how vigorously you brush before bed. I’m a stickler for keeping things clean, and it is very important to me that any of the products I test are both easily cleaned and low maintenance. That was a great comfort when considering the different snoring mouthpieces out there.
We mentioned the SleepTight Mouthpiece being a “boil and bite” product. It’s very easy to keep things hygienic when using it and a key point I didn’t realize until after purchasing is that the FDA compliant nature of the product is due to it being made out of thermoplastic elastomer and the fact that it’s latex free. I’m no scientist but after reviewing the properties of that thermoplastic, I learned that it’s essentially a very rugged and durable type of plastic that still can be very pliable and elastic which sounds perfect for an environment like a mouth during sleep.
How much does it cost?
In my opinion, I really liked the payment method for the SleepTight Mouthpiece, and for this, the company scored huge bonus points.
The company charges you an initial $9.95 up front which gets the SleepTight delivered directly to you. I was then able to try it out for 30 days with the understanding that if I were happy with it I would then be charged a further $69.95. For any product, the best option is to lower the barriers to entry, and this is the perfect solution to an age old problem.
I think it says a lot about the quality of a product when such an offer is made – keeping in mind full refunds are available if you aren’t happy.
Especially with somewhat niche products like this, it demonstrates a lot of confidence in the product for a company to have such an offer as standard and not for a limited time only.
Pros
- I like the pricing structure which lets you try it before committing
- The boil and bite tech does help it fit comfortably – you can’t compromise on the fit
- The FDA approval gives me a little more confidence regarding the build quality
- The relief you get from snoring is experienced immediately instead of taking time to work
Cons
- The biggest flaw of this product is the one time set and forget option. If you accidently alter the settings too much, then the product becomes useless. This is not a problem that other designs suffer from, which in my mind puts the SleepTight at a distinct disadvantage.
- Although I found the right setting for me I did find it took a few nights of use before it really felt comfortable enough to fall asleep easily and naturally while wearing it.
Final words on the SleepTight Mouthpiece
Don’t get me wrong; I do like the SleepTight Mouthpiece. The pricing scheme is genius and inspires confidence in the product.
I have evaluated and tested a lot of anti-snoring mouthpieces, and consequently, I have a lot of experience in setting up my mouth guards just right. Even with my knowledge, there is always the temptation to alter the setting just once more, but of course, with that option, there is the inherent risk that you will alter it just that little bit too much and then be unable to go back. To me, this is a fatal flaw in the design and something that should have been fixed in the prototype.
I view the SleepTight Mouthpiece as a great tester product, due to the clever pricing structure. For an initial cost of $9.95 you can try a MAD device for a couple of weeks, without risking any more money. If you don’t get on with it then, in my opinion, you can disregard all of the other MAD devices on the market. If it does work well for you, then you have the option to pay the rest of the price, or to return it and try a different product. For me, the SleepTight Mouthpiece is the perfect entry level device to decide if a Mandibular Adjustment Device us the solution for you.