injecting silicone to keep tongue in place

[wildman 2]

Friends,
I am really tired of trying to keep my tongue on the roof of my mouth so that I don't mouth breath. I have read the posts about making oral appliances out of sports type mouth guards. Here is my idea and I would like any suggestions or concerns. I have a friend who can get me some medical grade silicone. This is the stuff that is pure enough to be used inside the body. I'm thinking about putting my tongue in the proper position so that it's on the roof of my mouth and slightly back towards my throat. I will then inject the silicone in my mouth and under the tongue. It will harden quite fast and even in the presence of saliva. After it hardens I can remove it and trim off any areas that I don't want. Since this device goes under the tongue , there is no way that I can swallow It. I realize that I will still have to use a chin strap or tape to keep the mouth closed.
If this works, I'm going to have my dentist make me a oral appliance that will lock onto both the upper and lower teeth. BINGO! No more tape or chin strap! Okay, I realize I might be thinking way to far outside of the box!! The thing is that until I get your feedback I don't know why this won't work. I'm open to all positive and negative comments. Be gentle with me however, because I'm a 2 month newbe!!
You folks have been a great help to me and I know I can depend on your comments, ideas and warnings .
Know His Peace,
Wildman 2

[LSAT]

[Vader]

[portiemom]

Are you related to Pamela Anderson?

[SleepyToo2]

The problem with sleep apnea is that the tongue tends to fall back when you sleep, blocking the throat. IMHO, using silicone to force it back is just going to make the problem worse. Not to mention the risk of choking while you are putting the stuff in your mouth. Secondly, there are already devices that go on both jaws to bring the lower jaw forward. These will help keep the mouth closed. I know, I have one. Doesn't always work, and I do use a chinstrap and CPAP as well. However, most of the time it work well.

[wildman 2]

Friends,
How come my wife doesn't think I'm that funny? On the serious side however, once you stop laughing I truly would like you to give me the reasons that it is not a good idea. The way I look at it is that it's just a variation of the sports mouth guard with the extension to hold the tongue that has been mentioned as a good idea in previous threads. The final goal is to have the silicone piece duplicated in acrylic and attached to the oral appliance.
Know His Peace,
Wildman 2

[wildman 2]

Sleepytoo 2,
I have worn an oral appliance for the past 10 years. Even with the appliance in place I still end up with the air coming into the mouth. I see your point about the position of the tongue. Should the tongue just be held to the top of the mouth and not pushed back?
Thanks,
Wildman 2

[blakepro]

I promise not to laugh at you. Who hasnt been desperate to find better solutions to the problems they face at various times?

Wildman, can you help me understand it just a little bit? I use a nasal mask and have never had to face the issue of mouth breathing, I naturally keep my mouth closed and I dont have air enter my mouth either.

Is the idea behind the tongue stuff to keep air out of your mouth? Like, if you only use a chin strap and a dental appliance (or tape your mouth closed) your mouth fills with air like a blowfish or something? Or is it something else? Can you help me understand the particular problem you are trying to remedy?

[Julie]

You can't know 100% that when you're asleep your tongue won't go sideways enough to let the thing slide around and down, choking you, and it really sounds like a theoretically good thing that you should not mess with at all...

[archangle]

Be really sure you can't swallow it.

Some such compounds may be safe once hardened, but heat up enough to burn and may give off some chemicals as they harden. Be sure it's REALLY safe for that particular application.

I've always wondered of something like an oral mask interface or SCUBA gear interface couldn't be made to stop mouth leaks. For instance, something like Oracle HC452 Oral CPAP Mask, but with the air hole plugged.

This would present an asphyxiation hazard if the CPAP machine quits blowing, just like taping your mouth does. Without an anti-asphyxiation valve and a nasal mask, there's a small chance you won't wake up and can die from rebreathing your own CO2. There's a reason all full face masks have anti-asphyxia valves and you're essentially turning your nasal mask into a full face mask with no anti-asphyxia valve.

[Starlette]

I give your idea two thumbs down. I for one wouldn't consider someone a friend in collaborating to have this done. True friend would be saying, "Come again???" I think you're seriously asking for trouble with this idea. As for dental appliance, I've been using "Silent Nite" since July 2009.
http://www.ihatecpap.com/oral_appliance.html. Its about 3/4 the way down. I've never had an issue with it. The only thing I've had happen is that it broke twice, just returned it back to dentist for a repair.
I've used my dental appliance with pillow, nasal and FFM masks. When I've used my nasal and pillow mask, I still have to use a chinstrap. The only time a chinstrap is not necessary is when I use my FFM.

Starlette

[archangle]

Other than that, let the man inject silicone in his mouth! Funny as hell.

Be sure to have someone film it for youtube.

[HoseCrusher]

I wouldn't recommend it for the average person, but it sounds like you have experience with oral appliances. You may be able to figure out a way to make your own. If you think you can make it in such a way that you don't kill yourself, go for it.

[ems]

This sounds beyond the beyond... and dangerous!

[LittleRedTruck]

If you survive! Please let us know how it works out for you ! Might be prudent to test it on a mouse first! LOL