How to prevent pressure leakage through lips

[peterorr]

I'm new to CPAP and started out with just a nose mask. I do not have a problem with mouth breathing while asleep or having my mouth fall open, but with my prescribed CPAP air pressure air would leak out through my lips even though my mouth was tightly closed. That forced me into using a full face mask, which I am having trouble adjusting to. For folks who have experienced this problem I was wondering whether a standard mouth guard (not the type specifically designed to modify the jaw position) works to keep air from leaking out between the lips. If not, anyone know of any other trick to solve this problem? A chin strap obviously does not address this problem.

[nanwilson]

A full face mask is for breathing through your nose OR mouth, no difference. The only time you have to worry about mouth breathing or lip fluttering is if you are wearing a nose only mask. Nose only mask you breath in through your nose and the good therapy goes out your mouth if you can't keep it closed. With a full face mask you can breath with either mouth or nose or both....that is what a ffm is for. If you want to use a nose only mask you must use a chin strap or tape, a mouth guard doesn't work...I have one and all it is good for is to keep you from grinding your teeth in your sleep.

[Pugsy]

To keep air from entering the mouth and inflating cheeks (chipmunk cheeks) and then forcing its way out the mouth is to use the tongue as a barrier to prevent air from ever entering the mouth. Generally air goes up the nose and back down the airway and when the tongue acts like a door it prevents the air from trying to exit prematurely through the mouth.
Easy to do while awake but sometimes the tongue leaves the door open when we are asleep. Sometimes a lot of practice during the day will help the tongue to learn to stay put.

If you can make the full face mask work then you don't have to worry about it because the pressure is stabilized with the nasal and mouth being covered.

If you wish to use a nasal interface mask of some sort then you have a problem with losing therapy pressure out the mouth and it is also highly annoying. If you can learn to keep your tongue blocking the mouth and lips closed than you could use a nasal interface mask if you wish. Chin straps and/or tape are often used to help keep the lips from falling open but if the cheeks inflate from the air it is highly annoying because the air doesn't want to retreat easily.

Welcome to the forum. Please add your equipment to your profile. Hopefully you will have a full data machine and we can point you to some software to help you evaluate several aspects of your therapy and leaks are part of it.

[Julie]

There are a fair number of people who regularly use 3M Micropore tape (from a dispenser similar to ordinary Scotch Tape) from the drugstore... there are other types of tape (e.g. painter's blue) and denture products that are also popular, and if you do a forum search on taping you should get more information... a little trick would be to just fold over a 1/8-1/16" of the tape at one end for easy removal... If you find it helps, you might try different FF masks in different sizes if yours isn't doing the job.

[kopoloff]

I use pillows, and was having trouble with moth leaks also, so I tried taping. I found that Micropore and the CM blue taps just peeled off during the bight, so I started using Elastoplast strapping tape. It stays on all night, and is easy to remove ('m clean shaven) and my mouth lakes have gone. But then, I' am a tapir!

Unfortunately Mrs K doesn't like it!!

K