Is it safe to tape mouth to prevent mouth leaks?

[beylow]

Hello everyone.
I saw some people here they taping their mouth to prevent the leaks from mouth. I doubt is it safe to do that?
If the ventilator stop working for some reason during the night, the user cannot awake and lack of oxygen.......
I don't like my chinstrap beacuse there are always some nights it doesn't work properly. So that I'm thinking about to try the tape. Before I try it, I have to make sure it's safe, even my S9 never stop working but it still has the possibility.
I have also tried several full face masks in local hospital, none of the fits me. Then it's not an option.
I would like to here you guys' opinions about the safety of taping the mouth.

Wish all you guys have good xPAP therapy!

[LinkC]

I taped for many months before moving to the hybrid mask designs (first Liberty, then RespCare Hybrid).

If done properly, safety is not an issue. Use painter's tape for easy and clean removal. Roll lips inward to prevent chapping/peeling. Make "tabs" on both ends so you can remove tape quickly/easily if you need to.

[goldstandard-hah]

Hi,
I have been taping for at least a year, however, I only tape about 2/3 to 3/4 of the way across my mouth. There are some nights that I wake up because I hear myself breathing thru my mouth or because a little drool comes out, but not too often. I feel this is a good compromise in case the machine stops running during the night.

Inability to breathe thru one's nose while sleeping can be a sign of sinus problems, which may be exacerbating your OSA. I have a mold allergy and during the winter, when the level of airborne mold is low (thanks to the low humidity), I was actually able to abandon the tape and sleep for few weeks without mouth-breathing. As soon as the humidity in my house returned to a comfortable level, I was back on the tape.

Good luck.

[M.D.Hosehead]

I may be wrong, but I think your mask has a safety valve that opens up if there is an obstruction to the flow of air. Of course, you can test this yourself by putting on the mask without the hose and covering the inlet with your thumb.

[LSAT]

Hello everyone.
I saw some people here they taping their mouth to prevent the leaks from mouth. I doubt is it safe to do that?
If the ventilator stop working for some reason during the night, the user cannot awake and lack of oxygen.......
I don't like my chinstrap beacuse there are always some nights it doesn't work properly. So that I'm thinking about to try the tape. Before I try it, I have to make sure it's safe, even my S9 never stop working but it still has the possibility.
I have also tried several full face masks in local hospital, none of the fits me. Then it's not an option.
I would like to here you guys' opinions about the safety of taping the mouth.

Wish all you guys have good xPAP therapy!

Try a Full Face Mask....they prevent mouth leaks.

[rested gal]

I've been using tape over my mouth for almost seven years.

LINKS to: Mouth leaks - Air Leaks - Tape - DIY Guard
viewtopic.php?t=8011

[rested gal]

I've been using tape over my mouth for almost seven years.

LINKS to: Mouth leaks - Air Leaks - Tape - DIY Guard
viewtopic.php?t=8011

[chunkyfrog]

I was discussing my preference for blue painter's tape to one of the DME's (not mine) at the user group meeting.
It is such fun to make these guys sweat.

[Gerald]

I'm not sure if you can find it in Turku or not, but many of us use 3M 2" (5.08 cm) width #2080-EL Blue painter's tape. I use a piece about 25.0 cm long with the ends folded under (approx 1.5 cm). The tape extends almost from ear to ear across my mouth and works wonderfully. I've been using tape for about 3-years and I can find nothing better. I use a nasal mask and use tape so that I will not have to use a full-face mask. My AHI stays below 1.0 and my therapy is comfortable and simple.

[rosiefrosie]

I have been taping my mouth for the past 3 years. Even had the electricity go out and woke up immediately. I prefer to use nasal pillows and this help me prevent mouth leaks. Everyone has their own preferences and you will get lots of different advice, but it's worth a try to see if it works for you or not.

rosie

[archangle]

I may be wrong, but I think your mask has a safety valve that opens up if there is an obstruction to the flow of air. Of course, you can test this yourself by putting on the mask without the hose and covering the inlet with your thumb.

I think that's only on full face or oral masks. My nasal and nasal pillow masks don't have any valves, just the vent holes.

With the CPAP machine off, you'd be essentially breathing in and out through the hose, through the stopped fan on the CPAP machine, through the filters on the back of the machine. You'll be mostly rebreathing the same air back and forth. There'd be a little fresh air working it's way in through the back of the machine, but not much would work its way to your mask. There would also be some air coming in and out through the vent holes on the mask, but since the pressure is almost the same on the inside and outside of the mask, the flow rate probably be pretty low.

I'm not sure taping is safe. If you don't wake up, you might get a low enough oxygen level to be dangerous. I don't know if we can count on waking up due to the lack of O2. I've heard that a slowly increasing CO2 level can sometimes cause unconsciousness without necessarily causing the victim to notice. It also may be one of those things where some people will wake up and some won't. There may be a reason they put a safety vent on full face masks.

[DaveMunson]

Has worked for me.

[bdp522]

I've been taping for about 4 years now. I have sensitive skin but find a thin coat of Milk of Magnesia on the skin before taping keeps me from having a reaction to the tape. I have a couple of full face masks but get a better seal and am more comfortable with a nasal mask. During a power outage I wake before the machine is even done winding down and before the UPS on my pc beeps. I use Roosters method of taping that can be found in the links RestedGal gave.

Brenda

[dtsm]

I'm not sure if you can find it in Turku or not, but many of us use 3M 2" (5.08 cm) width #2080-EL Blue painter's tape. I use a piece about 25.0 cm long with the ends folded under (approx 1.5 cm). The tape extends almost from ear to ear across my mouth and works wonderfully. I've been using tape for about 3-years and I can find nothing better. I use a nasal mask and use tape so that I will not have to use a full-face mask. My AHI stays below 1.0 and my therapy is comfortable and simple.

On the advice of Gerald, used the same for 8 months without a problem. Switched to papcap - only after trying to train myself to keep my mouth shut
Never had a problem, even with power outages. You wake up fairly quickly.

[archangle]

Yes, it's worked well for a lot of people. However, suppose 1 of 100 mouth tapers will die per year if they tape their mouth. Doesn't that make it a bad idea?

Note: I'm not saying it's a bad idea, just pointing out that having a lot of people who do it successfully doesn't mean it's a good idea. I've done it myself, but don't really seem to need to need it that much.