Horrible dry mouth - tried most suggestions =(

[Pugsy]

This sort of goes back to what I often say about mouth breathing with nasal pillow masks (and no taping) when the leak line doesn't show the large leak would expect, yet we do have a dry mouth on occasion. It sometimes doesn't take a raging wind tunnel of mouth breathing to dry the mouth out. Plus for some people the added moisture from the humidifier when using a FF mask simply isn't enough to moisturize the mouth adequately. It is mainly designed to replace moisture in the nasal mucosa and that area has much less surface area to deal with. The oral cavity is just larger area to try to supplement moisture to. Then some people simply dry out more easily than others.

Makes it awfully hard to deal with for some people. This is why some people use a chin strap with a FF mask. In hopes to help keep the mouth closed enough to prevent dryness.

Using the old fashioned method of heat only and really cranking up the humidifier will use more water and thus possibly add more moisture to the air going to oral cavity than we get with the new sensor tracking stuff climateline technology. Of course then the other ugly beast awakens ...rain out. Damned if you do and damned if you don't.

[Starlette]

Just a thought, what about adding a humidifier for your bedroom which would added more moisture to the surrounding air?

Starlette

[STL Mark]

I use the manual setting 6.0 humidity and 80 degrees and have good results with my ffm. I thought the suggestion to use a room humidifier was a good one.

[RandyJ]

Talon,

Do you have an idea WHEN you are doing the mouth breathing? Are you rolling onto your back? Could position be an issue? As others have said, you can prevent mouth opening w/chinstrap or tape, but if you can find out when you are doing the mouth breathing you might be able to devise a strategy if the answer turns out to be positional in nature.

As Pugsy said, making the air warmer might help ... you mentioned your humidifier was using a lot of water so that is not an issue.

[dragonbreathe]

I don't think the humidifier was designed to prevent dry mouth....It was designed to help you breathe through your nose when your room humidity is real low.....FA

[ZeroDigger1]

I've also had some problems with dry mouth. Lately, though, I think I'm starting to cope better. I tape almost exclusively, but I've also had some luck with the "Ultimate" chinstrap, and have tried all the humidifier settings. What I've discovered, strangely, is that I do best with the humidifier set at "1".

[joelrk35]

I had horrible dry mouth with both the Quattro and Quattro FX. I am an incurable mouth breather and tried everything suggested including a chin strap to no avail. I coudn't handle tape so I finally tried a RespCare hybrid and now have no dry mouth. Can't be sure it will work for everyone but I would give a hybrid mask a try.

[TalonNYC]

Last night was actually pretty good. ClimateLine on 70 degrees and auto, biotene gel right before I put the mask on. Woke up this AM a little dry, but not even at an uncomfortable level of dryness.

[Ineedanap]

Looks like you figured out the same thing I did at the same time. I have a cold, sore throat, thought turning up the heat would help. It didnt. Turned it down to 72 and its much better.

[TalonNYC]

yeah, sounds counter-intuitive, but it seems to work well LOL. I'll have to just find the sweet-spot as the seasons change.

[SMenasco]

I, too, suffered with extreme dry mouth. That is, until I finally found out what solved the problem. Increased humidification? No. Different medication? No. Hybrid or full face mask? No. Tongue training? No. Chin strap? No. CpapCap? No. Reduced pressures? No. In my case, I've tried them all. I've chased all the remedies everyone suggested. I've spent good money on straps, caps, masks, all to no avail. In my case, the answer? Taping. The ONLY method that will for sure keep your mouth shut during sleep, thus eliminating for good the old painful dry mouth. No one in the industry has addressed the open mouth problem with any success. Taping absolutely solved my problem, once and for all. One of the nice ladies on this forum suggested it to me. Although I really don't look forward to taping my mouth shut for the rest of my life, I am willing to do so, in order to achieve the sleep, rest and alertness the next day that taping affords me. You can go to nasal pillows if you like. I like them because they don't leak. But you do not need to replace your full face mask. Just tape up and put your mask on. My suggestion? Do not use duct tape. Paper medical tape leaves a terrible adhesive residue. J&J cloth surgical tape works fine, but it takes four strips for me and i Use a lot of it. The best I have found is 3m blue painter's tape, No. 2080 EL. Comes in 60 yard rolls for $10 at Wal-mart. You only need one strip about 5" long. However, it works best if you are clean shaven and clean the oils off with alcohol before taping. There are some well meaning folks on this site that will pitch a hissy when someone recommends taping, saying that it's dangerous, and that you will suffocate if the power goes off. I respect their right to believe that way, but in my opiniion, it's bunk. People can follow their own conscience. Me, I'm going to tape. I enjoy the uninterrupted sleep. Good Luck!

[Kayro]

I didn't have much luck with chinstraps, because my lips could still come open. Here's a couple of alternatives. Google the ultimate chinstrap. Innovative design, money back guarantee and great support. The other thing I'm going to try is an orthodontic chin cup. Designed primarily for jaw growth guidance, they specifically DO keep the lips closed. I'm going that route first because I have an orthodontist friend.

[Susan811]

I too had an awful time with dry mouth when I made a temporary switch from a full face mask to a nose mask (with chin strap), so I have an idea of what you are dealing with. As someone mentioned, I felt a bit like Marley in "A Christmas Carol." I raised the humidity level and went back to the full face mask. I also bought a vaporizer (winter air is very dry), and this seems to have corrected the problem. My skin is less dry as well