Got new masks to try

RandyJ wrote:But the trade off of having a mouthpiece all night would be too high a price to pay for me. I have little trays that were made especially for my teeth by a dentist for when I want to whiten them, and I can barely stand them in my mouth for 30 mins without gagging.

But what bothers one person doesn't bother another...

I totally understand but I was beginning to suspect that I was doing a bit of teeth grinding and having a little TMJ issues the last few months. So I was leaning towards trying a mouth guard anyway...so this kills two birds with one stone.
I was worried about the gag reflex but the mouth guard doesn't go back far enough to trigger mine. The last two molars on either side are left untouched by the mouth guard. So the gag thing has been a non issue for me. I gag when I brush my back teeth. so I was surprised (pleasantly I might add) that the mouth guard didn't trigger my gag reflex at all.

This is why everything with cpap comes with a YMMV sticker and one man's treasure is another man's trash.

Pugsy wrote: If you do want to try either the Swift LT or the Aloha later...try the Aloha first. It's pretty much a better version of the LT...or what the LT would/could have been with a few improvements.

Seconded! I tried the Swift FX, didn't like it and moved to the Swift LT, which was pretty good. Then the Aloha came in to being and its much better.

Wow, these things really are individual *smile*. They started me on the Swift LT, and I was relieved to move to the Swift FX after about 4 days, much more comfortable. The thing I did like about the Swift LT was that you could run the tube over your head, good for a side sleeper like me. So I tried the Swift LT again (after a year) the other day, and it was so much less comfortable than the Swift FX for me that I only made it through one night with it. Happily back to the Swift FX and the overhead bracket thingie that makes side sleeping easier, I can pretty much ignore that I'm wearing it. I did figure out that the large nasal pillows work better for me than the medium, although I think that I'm really somewhere in between, but more toward the large. The large nasal pillows stay in place better, less awakenings from large leaks than from the medium.

The Aloha felt fine to me when I tried it, but I didn't get the leak situation under control with it, and it didn't really seem better for me than the Swift FX, so I didn't continue to work with it.

Now I just need to work on the teeth clenching thing, but I'm getting down on that during the day by consciously focusing on it, hoping that at night muscle memory will take care of it *smile*. I got off track at some point recently (I think), and lost sight of the fact that one's top and bottom teeth aren't supposed to rest together during the day; i.e. "physiologic rest position".

In the continuing saga...

Last night I had my second great night with the Tap Pap (YAY!!). If I can get it tonight, I might have nirvana.

I have two concerns right now:
1) When I woke up my teeth were a little sensitive. Not in pain, not sore, but not feeling perfect. Not sure if that is understandable...
2) A common problem for me: The gums right behind the front teeth are a little swollen, so that my bottom teeth can touch (I do have an overbite, obviously). When I say this is common, it happens maybe 4 times a year. It's already going down, so it didn't get to the point where it gets inflamed and angry at me.

So I'm very hopeful for tonight. The last time I had a good night, I got in bed on night two and it hurt too much to wear it. Anyone else have similar problems with the Tap Pap?

khauser wrote:In the continuing saga...

Last night I had my second great night with the Tap Pap (YAY!!). If I can get it tonight, I might have nirvana.

I have two concerns right now:
1) When I woke up my teeth were a little sensitive. Not in pain, not sore, but not feeling perfect. Not sure if that is understandable...
2) A common problem for me: The gums right behind the front teeth are a little swollen, so that my bottom teeth can touch (I do have an overbite, obviously). When I say this is common, it happens maybe 4 times a year. It's already going down, so it didn't get to the point where it gets inflamed and angry at me.

So I'm very hopeful for tonight. The last time I had a good night, I got in bed on night two and it hurt too much to wear it. Anyone else have similar problems with the Tap Pap?

Not me. I've been wearing it several days to a week now (I can't remember exactly). Last night, the fit was a bit more snug, and I found I buried my face in my pillow a bit more than usual, and it was putting pressure on my teeth, but other than that, I'm good with my new favorite mask. Free cheeks is thrilling to me.

I haven't had any gum issues...so no help in that regard.

I think I may know about the teeth feeling weird and it being hard to describe. I had some sort of weird feeling with the teeth for about a week but every day in the morning when I woke up and removed the mouth guard...it became less and less of an issue. They didn't really hurt but felt "odd". Now that "odd" feeling is gone by the time I remove the mouth guard and unhook it and take the mask with me to the bathroom first thing so that I can rinse it off....I give it a good scrubbing later but rinse it off pretty much straight away...figure it will lessen the need for scrubbing. By the time the rinsing is done my teeth no longer feel "odd". I attributed it to just the newness of wearing a mouth guard..but having never ever worn anything like that in my mouth or over my teeth I don't/didn't know what to expect.
It did take several days of less and less "odd" feeling for the "oddness" to go away quickly. It's hard to describe the "odd" feeling. Not pain like a normal toothache pain so not really horribly uncomfortable but maybe like touching on a small bruise might feel. Sensitive might be a good adjective but not sensitive in the sense that I normally would talk about a tooth being sensitive (like to hot or cold).

Whatever it was/is...it's pretty much gone now and when I remove the mouth guard the teeth pretty much feel like nothing was on them during the night within just a few seconds. How long has it been now? 3 weeks? I would say that it took 10 to 14 days for this odd feeling to dissipate and it was a gradual thing.

Let my signature tell the story! No, that wouldn't be fun...

I've worn the Tap Pap for three nights and have declared it "the" mask. I wish I had the same level of success as others, but its still far better than any other mask I've used. I'm past issues with teeth feeling cramped except for a minute when I first put it on at night. My ONLY problem with it is that I still form leaks from time to time. They are SMALL leaks, but I'm overly sensitive ... TO THE NOISE more than the feeling. Lansinoh doesn't help me with this mask, and may even make it worse. What would help is if the pillows were just a millimeter or two taller. One of the reasons I had to re-boil the mouth guard so many times is that if I don't force my front teeth in ALL THE WAY I just can't get a seal. The first time I fit the mask I did just that, but it formed such a thorough mold that it really hurt the next day. The next several times I tried to avoid doing that, so I got to try the Elan one night (not much luck) and went back to my Swift LT in the end, and stayed there the next night after the third boil failed. So for the last attempt I went for the deep bite again and can get a good seal now, just. I might try some competing pillows (I think there are some that will fit) to see if I can get a better seal. My nostrils are big, so they need to be tall and large...

I will be trying the Elan once or twice more before I declare victory or defeat there, so no real news on that front...

Thanks for all of the reviews. I'm still waiting on mine to come in and getting a little impatient I might add. I feel like I have been wearing it for a while( with all the reviews) without the benefit of better sleep of course. I'm anxious to try it. I would have had it over a week ago if I wasn't being cheap and going through ins. My DME said she could Oder it and I was do for a new mask anyway so here I am waiting. Guess I'll call in a bit and see what I can find out. Thanks again for the reviews and hope mine are as positive.