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Mouth Breather/Denture Wearer-Please Help!

Posted: Mon Jul 12, 2010 2:53 am
by slabbandit
I have tried every mask including hybrids. Always settle back on my Resmed Full Face. I notice that when I start to sleep on my back I can already feel my throat starting to close off and growl. I was wondering if an oral device might help and are they typically used in conjunction with the CPAP.
To complicate matters, I wear full dentures and must resort to sleeping with them in all night to try to keep my mask from leaking.
It seems to me that when I get to deep sleep my lower jaw drops back and my mask will leak so badly at the bottom that my wife will wake me or my leak alarm will be going off. Mask fits very comfortably when I first put it on.
I'm new to the forum and have been on CPAP since 1985. I just want to stay in bed all the time although my original problem of falling asleep while driving is OK.
Anybody, please chime in with suggestions.
Thanks,
Dave

Re: Mouth Breather/Denture Wearer-Please Help!

Posted: Mon Jul 12, 2010 4:03 am
by Julie
Hi, for starters, don't sleep on your back - it encourages more apneas and we do whatever we can to avoid it (whether or not the techs made you do it for the study... that was to get a worst-case scenario documented, not for you to otherwise use). If you can sleep on your side (the best way) or some version of it, there are many new and different full face masks out there, in different sizes, that can be adjusted to fit you, but you have to try them on (preferably lying down) at a local dealer. Look at Cpap.com (for reference and information) to get an idea of what's out there (click on full face masks once you get to "masks"). You shouldn't need to wear dentures overnight to get a good fit.

Re: Mouth Breather/Denture Wearer-Please Help!

Posted: Mon Jul 12, 2010 6:28 am
by needanap
I have heard of people sewing a tennis ball in the back of the pajama top to prevent back sleeping. That sure would stop me from sleeping on my back. Also, I wear a boil and bite mouth guard that football players wear. ( $1.00 at Walmart.) That stopped my mouth breathing that was causing a very dry throat in the morning. Might that work for you too? (instead of the dentures)

Re: Mouth Breather/Denture Wearer-Please Help!

Posted: Mon Jul 12, 2010 7:19 am
by Julie
Shouldn'a hit Send!

Re: Mouth Breather/Denture Wearer-Please Help!

Posted: Mon Jul 12, 2010 8:28 am
by slabbandit
Thanks for the comments. I like the tennis ball idea...At first, I thought that you were going to tell me to put it in my mouth!
I agree, that sleeping on my back is a bad thing to do and I usually just start out that way. I always end up on my side or front with my head turned. Have been thinking about a CPAP pillow to sleep on also.
Had my card read and the Doctor has asked to see me. He said that I have way too much mask leakage and that I am waking all hours of the night.
Thanks,
Dave

Re: Mouth Breather/Denture Wearer-Please Help!

Posted: Mon Jul 12, 2010 3:50 pm
by Devan
I had the similar problem, keeping my mouth open during sleep. Technically than m/c was not helping, since I wear nose only mask air was entering through nose and coming out from my mouth, so I was not getting any treatment for apnea. My doctor recommended to were chinstrap and it worked like magic.

Try wearing chin strap see if problem goes away ( $ 12 at Amazon )

Re: Mouth Breather/Denture Wearer-Please Help!

Posted: Mon Jul 12, 2010 4:10 pm
by jdm2857
Have you considered a total face mask? It covers the entire face, including the eyes. Since it moves the seal away from your mouth the dentures may become less of an issue.

Respironics makes two including:

The FitLife (not to be confused with the FullLife)

https://www.cpap.com/productpage/respir ... dgear.html

and the Total Face Mask

https://www.cpap.com/productpage/total- ... onics.html

Re: Mouth Breather/Denture Wearer-Please Help!

Posted: Sun Feb 06, 2011 10:21 am
by avi123
I have yet to hear from posters who use Total Face masks. What about the leaks with them? I wear removable dentures (up and down). When I put on the Fisher & Peykel FlexiFit #432 (it has a chin support) I then could stop the leaks, while I wear or not wear my dentures for the night. But this mask does not have a forehead support causing it to dig into the bridge of my nose. As to the Quattro, if I use it without wearing the dentures it leaks a lot unless I tighten the headgear straps very tight. So I been wondering about those Total Face masks.

Re: Mouth Breather/Denture Wearer-Please Help!

Posted: Sun Feb 06, 2011 4:09 pm
by SleepingUgly
Some people love the total face masks, and others find they leak. You won't know which it'll be for you unless you try them on with pressure.