Sensitive skin and teeth using Swift nasal pillow.

I have been trialing a Swift Nasal Pillow for about two weeks now and have encountered some problems.

I like the fact that the nasal pillow is not as invasive as the nasal mask.

I have been getting sores on my nares.

I have also found that my teeth have become more sensitive!!! What's up with that?

Any ideas on how to avoid these problems?

Thanks
Gina

I had the same problem with sore teeth and the Swift nasal pillows. I think the whole rigging was too big for my head - the semi-rigid straps going over my cheeks are too long.

I had to switch to a different mask. I'm still working out the bugs with the ComfortLite2. I'm having condensation problems but at least it doesn't press on my teeth.

Ann

The Swift pillows should not be pulled up hard against your nose. That will definitely cause sore spots in your nares. Another mistake that *I* made was starting out with pillows that were too small. I thought, "No way I'm a LARGE", so I started with the medium. After about a week I switched to the large just to try them. WOW... what a difference. The pillows should rest AGAINST your nares and remain almost entirely outside. If they are going IN then you probably want to try the next size up.

Why? Look at how flexible they are. What happens is that the pressure sort of inflates them. This actually makes them seal BETTER than when they are stuffed up into your nose and MUCH more comfortable.

The other mistake I made was cinching the straps too tight. I thought, "It's leaking. I must need to go tighter." ... WRONG! ... I needed to go LOOSER. Loosen up those straps. And adjust this one with the machine ON... very important. Start off with both top and back straps pretty loose. Bring the top strap tighter ... SLOWLY ... and till it JUST stops leaking.... may still puff just a little. Now the back strap... just a little at a time. Again... SLOWLY... bring this tighter. AT NO TIME should it ever be actually TIGHT. Once you have both pretty close... you kind of balance back and forth and I'm talking VERY small adjustments.

It sounds very complicated but it's really not. It takes just a minute once you realize that tighter is NOT better with this interface. Also, by tightening the TOP strap first, you're bringing the cheek pieces up so that the barrel with the pillows on it is just resting against your nares. LIGHTLY. And the cheek pieces WILL fit.

Again this sounds like a lot of fiddling but once you do it and you see how it FEELS when it's right, you can completely disassemble the straps and everything and clean it and then put it all back together and have it VERY close to exactly where you want it.

Hope this helps!

I agree with everything that yardbird said, but I would add a couple of additional thoughts:

1) if your nares are slotted rather than rounded there may not be a setting or size of pillow that will work. If they are not slotted, then you probably have an adjustment or sizing problem.

2) have you considered that your teeth may be sore because you are clenching your jaw, either to keep from breathing through your mouth or to hold the interface in a position that doesn't leak?

For me the initial joy of the swift was being able to relax my mouth, which was always tense with a mask. However I did experience the sore nares because someone on this forum said I should use the smallest size that doesn't leak. WRONG!!! As yardbird says you want a size that rests comfortably on the outside of the nares.

Also, I was able to switch to a mask while my nares healed, which helped a lot. Even so it took a couple of weeks to heal completely.[/quote]

Thanks for your suggestions regarding the Swift Nasal Pillow.

I have got the hardware fitted finally, but I am still experiencing sensitive teeth. I am thinking of getting some Sensodyne Toothpaste to see if that helps. It is the surfaces (not the biting surface) of my teeth, especially the front ones that are the most sensitive!!!!!!!

Gina