Mouth drying out even when taped... please help if you can.

[AMinNJ]

Hi everyone,

I have read hundreds of posts here about mouth leaks over the past year or so and have gotten lots of good advice, so I'm hoping someone can help me with my problem.

I have struggled with mouth leaks and large leaks from my mouth since I started CPAP, but finally started taping my mouth shut, with good results. My AHI has improved dramatically, from an average of about 19 to now less than 3 every night.

HOWEVER, I am having a problem where every few nights I wake up with my mouth parched completely dry. It's like my mouth is filling with air and its blowing around in there (but not escaping) and drying it out. The worst part is three times in the past few weeks, I have woken up with the inside (mucous membrane part) of my lower lips stuck to my teeth/gums or folded in upon itself and stuck together like glue. This has resulted in painful sores in spots when I moved my mouth and the parts became unstuck. OUCH.

I'm presently using two criss-crossed bandaids to keep my lips closed, and I get a good seal, so I don't think it's my lip sealing method that's causing the problem. It's the air coming in from the back of my throat that's causing the problem. Does anyone have some information about what I can do? I would really appreciate any advice.

Angela

[AMinNJ]

I forgot to add that I use my humidifier between setting 3-5 every night.

[jules]

Talk to your doctor about Sjogrens Syndrome. We had a person in chat a month or so ago who ended up being diagnosed with this with major dry mouth problems.

[AMinNJ]

Off to Google Sjogrens...

My mouth has no problems with dryness during the day. It just happens about 40% of the time when I tape it shut at night. On those occasions, the dryness resolves immediately upon waking up and reactivating the old salivary glands, or taking a drink of water.

Has anyone else experienced the inside of their mouth glueing itself shut during the night when taped?

I know you're out there!

Angela

[zorrro13]

Air could be escaping out the corner of your lips and its hard to tell when awake as the bandage appears normal. Try this when you wake up, pinch your nose and try to blow out of your mouth with force. If there is no air escaping try what Jules said. Also crank your humidifier to max

[RipVW]

I use these Oasis dry mouth products--they do help quite a bit. Get them at any drugstore.
http://www.oasisdrymouth.com/

[Kenv]

If you're struggling with a nasal mask why not try a full face mask. I used to have the dry mouth problem with a nasal mask, had no such problem with a full face mask. I use the F&P Flexfit 431 and I find it very comfortable.
Ken

[ozij]

Air could be escaping out the corner of your lips and its hard to tell when awake as the bandage appears normal. Try this when you wake up, pinch your nose and try to blow out of your mouth with force. If there is no air escaping try what Jules said. Also crank your humidifier to max.

Yes, make sure no air is escaping from the corners, but don't blow forcefully when you pinch you nose - just try to blow air out of your mouth.

You may need a stronger humidifier the the one you have - Fisher & Paykel's HC150 is loved by many who find the integrated ones don't do their jobs.

O.

[sleepyguy1]

What kind of tape do you use to tape your lips?

[damncows]

try johnson+johnson all purpose cloth tape the kind with serated edge straight across lips . seals well but easy to remove in morning without removing skin.

[AMinNJ]

Thanks for all of the advice...

I checked, and sure enough, air can (and probably does) escape from the corners of my mouth the way I've been taping it (with two criss-crossed bandaids). So it's keeping my mouth shut enough to prevent the wide-open mouth large leaks and improve my AHI, but not enough to prevent some air from blowing straight through and causing dryness.

I am going to try the J&J tape tonight, but can you tell me damncows, do you extend the tape past the corners of your mouth, or just cover the lips only?

Thanks again, everyone!

Angela

[AMinNJ]

kenv: Forgot to say, I have the UMFF mask but I have a problem getting a good seal, and also usually wake up with a very dry mouth when using it. I reserve it for when I have a cold/stuffy nose only.

Perhaps if I upgraded to the stand-alone humidifier as recommended by ozij, I might see some improvement. I'll try to work that purchase into the budget over the next few months.

[Guest]

It probably is air in your mouth. I have same problem several times a week (taping every night). I manage to unstick things by moving my tongue around, particularly between the front teeth and sealed lips (if I happen to wake up during the night with the dry mouth).

[damncows]

I use a couple of inches of tape on each side of mouth. just 1 piece of tape inline with lips.

[AMinNJ]

I tried the J&J tape last night. It was very comfortable and was pretty easy to remove in the morning, so I was pleased. Unfortunately, I did still wake up at one point in the night with my mouth dry (but not parched) and the area between my lips and teeth all gummed up and stuck together, so perhaps the tape came loose a little. I will try it again tonight. I'm hoping this is the answer for me!

When I woke up with my mouth dry and lips stuck, I did what another poster suggested, which was to get the saliva flowing a little and then slowly and gently use my tongue to unstick the inside of my mouth, so it caused no rips or soreness. Definitely good advice!