Leaking out mouth: tape or FFM?

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AMK
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Leaking out mouth: tape or FFM?

Post by AMK » Tue Mar 03, 2015 9:47 am

I am leaking air out my mouth during the night. I tried tape but it would come loose, possibly from the force of the air. Last night I used tape and a chin strap which is an awful lot of armor in addition to the mask. There were only small leaks then in Sleepyhead. I have never tried a full face mask. A big issue for me is leaking into my eyes and the nasal mask I have now is pretty good about that. I'm trying to figure out if it's better to just continue taping or if I need to try a ffm. I have been told that taping is potentially dangerous.

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Julie
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Re: Leaking out mouth: tape or FFM?

Post by Julie » Tue Mar 03, 2015 9:52 am

Why not just try a selection of FFMs? I think you've asked about this in the past and not had much luck either, so maybe just do the obvious thing which might turn out to do the job.

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AMK
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Re: Leaking out mouth: tape or FFM?

Post by AMK » Tue Mar 03, 2015 10:11 am

I probably did ask about this in the past. I still don't have my memory back. Thanks.

Guest1

Re: Leaking out mouth: tape or FFM?

Post by Guest1 » Tue Mar 03, 2015 10:17 am

Why don't you try an athletic mouth guard with a little hole in the middle. It may do the trick with or without the chinstrap.

sleepydc
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Re: Leaking out mouth: tape or FFM?

Post by sleepydc » Tue Mar 03, 2015 10:32 am

I'd suggest considering both. I use a full face mask (FFM), but still found that the mouth opening/jaw drop thing can cause problems: chief among them, the face changing shape as this occurs, resulting in leaks from the mask that wake you up. The "partial taping" solution suggested by others, combined with learning to relax with my tongue placed on the roof of the mouth, as well as learning a bit of a breathing technique to accompany a-flex on my machine, has worked wonders.

Everyone has different needs. But taping has worked wonders for me, and frankly I hardly notice it anymore. Below is some stuff I've posted elswhere, thanks in large part to others who have kindly posted advice on these forums. Good luck!

***

For my FFM (full face mask) use I found it started working a whole lot better when I started using tape. For me, the "partial tape method" solves most of the issues with "mouth breathing" and "draw drop," which interrrupts the seal of a FFM (full face mask) because my face changes shape when that occurs and the seal is broken. It's not for everyone, but here's what I'd suggest:

Some people end up using chin straps with FFM's. I tried and disliked chin straps. I have now been using surgical tape for about a year now, and it has worked wonders and works very well for me. I use silk surgical type tape you can get off of Amazon, 2" wide. There's also a 1" wide version. If you gently pull it off in the morning, there's usually no problem. Just type something like "3M-Durapore-Silk-Tape 2 inches x 10 yards - box of 6" or the like on the Amazon site. For me, it works very well with a full face mask (FFM) -- the FFM helps prevent pressure problems if my jaw does open slightly, and the tape substantially prevents my jaw from dropping and also thereby keeps my face largely in the same "position" as I fall asleep (thereby avoiding the inevitable leaks that can occur when your facial shape changes from the point of initial placement/tightening of the mask). .

I was actually worried about not being able to breath with the tape if there was a shut-down. I've found that this set-up, however, offers very few worries:

For the silk tape, apply a 2inch wide strip vertically from a spot just above your upper lip (the indentation just below your nose) down to just under your chin (with your lips closed and your jaw in a comfortable place). As you bring the tape and press it underneath your chin, "fold" the edge back on itself (maybe a 1/2 inch or so) so that the edge hangs a bit from your chin -- makes for easier removal in case of emergency. Because it's only 2 inches wide and vertically placed, your entire mouth is actually not taped -- you can, in a pinch, breath around the edges -- and the silk tape itself I've found by accident (in opening my mouth with it being placed) will also let a little air in if you open your mouth forcefully. In short, it doesn't take too much force to maneuver or breath around the silk tape, but at the same time the tape seems to mostly keep my jaw from dropping when I relax and fall asleep, which is the whole point. [The setup also seems to work best when combined with the technique, described elsewhere on this site, of learning to relax with the tip of your tongue against the roof of your mouth as your mouth is closed, which "seals" the mouth from the nasal passage and helps prevent dry mouth]. (In placing the tape, I've also found it helpful to focus on firming the contact with the skin at the point below the nose and under the chin more than the lips, which seems to leave a little area of the lip region feeling less taped, if that makes sense). [To remove with less "tear", try pulling up vertically from underneath the chin till you reach your lip, then pull across "horizontally" for the remainder.]

The usual caveats about making up your own mind about this, considering safety issues, etc. apply, of course. But frankly, I'm surprised more people don't do this.

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AMK
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Re: Leaking out mouth: tape or FFM?

Post by AMK » Tue Mar 03, 2015 10:43 am

That's great information, sleepydc, thank you VERY much. I had been taping my mouth completely shut. Thanks for the detailed instructions. Very helpful!

TedVPAP
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Re: Leaking out mouth: tape or FFM?

Post by TedVPAP » Tue Mar 03, 2015 5:26 pm

I use the Ultimate Chin Strap as explained here viewtopic.php?f=1&t=103689&p=975600#p975600

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