Dry mouth using CPAP full face mask

by Paul
(Medina OH)

Answer

It's very difficult to live normally when you wake up every morning with dry mouth from CPAP mask.

Some problems that you may find with dry mouth are:

• the ability to taste food is affected,


• your teeth can feel gummy and may start to decay,


• your tongue goes numb,


• and your throat may start to hurt.

There many ways to prevent dry mouth when you use CPAP therapy, and please read the CPAP dry mouth article to learn all these methods.

However, if you can't prevent this problem, you need a way to deal with it. You need something helpful to keep you going throughout the day.

How to Find Relief From Dry Mouth?

Biotene Oral Balance

Biotene Oral Balance moisturizing gel is a helpful product used by many CPAP users to relieve dry mouth.

You can start using the Biotene gel before bedtime. Before you put the CPAP mask on, you put some gel in your mouth, enough to cover and coat the mouth very well.

It's no problem to swallow some gel, but the point is to keep your mouth coated.

You'll see that it works really well at maintaining proper moisture in your mouth.

Biotene contains milk and egg derivatives so by morning your breath may smell interesting, but definitely it will improve your dry mouth problem.

Remember to choose the moisturizing gel, because Biotene has many products and not each store will have the gel. They also make a dry mouth spray, but many CPAP users didn't find it helpful.

Heated Humidifier

The heated humidifier is supposed to help replenish the moisture that is dry out from the CPAP pressurized air.

It won't suddenly treat you from dry mouth, but you will start to feel a relief in one week or so.

One example of heated humidifier is ResMed Climate Line Heated Tubing, but you can find many types of tubes for different types of CPAP machines.

You can adjust the level of heated humidity to lessen dry mouth. Some CPAP users will find the maximum temperature of the heated tube to be most effective, some won't.

Well, it sounds counterintuitive, but you could try turning the humidity down. Some CPAP users find that their dry mouth is relieved with less humidity, rather than more.

I will like to add a note here: some people when using the maximum setting will sometimes experience rainout, or the condition where the moisture condenses in the tubing and rolls back into the mask.

That usually happens when the room air is cool, like in winter or sometimes air conditioning.

If that happens and the high setting is needed and works, you can get hose covers from the supplier, or make cloth covers for the hose. There are even heated hoses for this purpose.

But if you experience rainout (tube condensation), I'm prepared to help you with this. A reader asked for help to prevent CPAP tubing condensation and my answer is here.

The bottom line is: the heated humidifier will ensure a better level of humidity, so if you have dry mouth from CPAP mask, try getting a heated tube.

Xylimelts

Xylimelts is another soothing oral lubricant similar with Biotene. It moisturizes the mouth, but it will also stimulate the flow of saliva during sleep.

You will find positive reviews from CPAP users on their website.

I hope it helps. Don't be afraid to comment back.

Remy Thierry
Founder of Sleep Apnea Guide

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