face mask question

[lynne]

I started out with the res med nasal pillow and use a Chin strap. If you use a face mask that covers your mouth and nose do you still have to keep your mouth closed ?

[Wulfman]

Lynne,

From my experience, the full face mask helps keep my mouth shut. You can still get a dry mouth if you mouth-breathe in a full face mask, but you typically don't have to worry about leaking therapy air as you do with a nasal mask and you don't have to tape your mouth shut, either..

Best wishes,

Den

[TGregg]

I started out with the res med nasal pillow and use a Chin strap. If you use a face mask that covers your mouth and nose do you still have to keep your mouth closed ?

While I have never used one, it is my understanding that there are two main reasons to use a full face mask. One is for comfort/fit and the other is because you breathe through your mouth on occasion (or all the time).

The whole concept of this style of therapy is a constant flow of air keeps your airway open. If the pressure is coming in through your nose and you open your mouth, a lot of that pressure escapes out your mouth, thus defeating therapy.

Since a mask pumps air in through whatever it covers, a full face mask will indeed push air in through your mouth should it open.

One would be well served to read these forums to find other problems FF mask users have encountered prior to obtaining such a device. Perhaps a kind soul will link to a few threads.