CPAP and braces

Message

Wed Jan 18, 2006 12:37 am

OK this is really hard for me to admit, because I HATE it so much. I have sleep apnea and have to sleep using a CPAP machine. I was wondering if anyone here uses one. Sometimes my mouth is so dry in the morning that I have to literally pull my lips from my braces. With the mask on my face and the tubing and the headgear (for the CPAP) and the braces, sometimes I just feel like I have too much stuff on my face. With CPAP you are supposed to keep your mouth closed, which I have a hard time doing, so my sleep therapist wants me to wear a chin strap to hold it shut! Now all I need is headgear for my braces and I can look like an alien from planet Aluminum or something.

Don't get me wrong, I think the CPAP is a wonderful device and helps lots of people (including me), but I just hate that I have to use it. My husband has used one for 5 years and I think it saved his life.

Whine Whine Whine.... Sorry
Oh yeah, can you guess my husbands comment when I told him I needed to use a strap to keep my mouth shut ?? He said something like "FINALLY"

#2 Post by **mackenzie** » Wed Jan 18, 2006 4:25 am

Well I don't use one but my dad does. It's the best thing ever because before he used to make this really loud snorting noise that would wake me up from across the hall!

#3 Post by **Ev's Mom** » Wed Jan 18, 2006 8:10 pm

Hey Way Too Old--I too wear a C-Pap. What a trip!! I have used the C-Pap for about 11 years and really didn't give it much thought when I got braced until that night!! I had to get a different mask because the old one was actually pressing my lips into my braces--talk about peeling your lips off every morning!! Good luck to you--happy sleeping!

Wed Jan 18, 2006 10:12 pm

I do have a humidifier on my CPAP. My husband doesn't. Don't know how he does it. I think my mouth gets dryer because I have a problem keeping it shut. This last week has been a little better because I got elastics. I think they are helping to keep my mouth shut . I haven't had to change my mask because it seems to rest just above my braces. I have never remembered to tell my ortho that I use CPAP but I got to thinking if the pressure from the mask might change how they need to do the braces ?? Maybe I'll ask him tomorrow.

Bracedagain, if you feel that you might need CPAP you should get tested. I never ever snored my whole life, then all of a sudden my husband and kids started telling me I started snoring. Then I started being so tired that I could fall asleep at my computer during the day. I fell asleep everytime I was a passenger in a car....even for only a few minutes. Then one time I fell asleep at Home Depot when I sat down to wait for them to bring me something from the back room. So I had the test and now I get 6-7 hours of (breathing) sleep every night and I'm good to go all day! My niece tells me that my bedroom sounds like two Darth Vaders live in there!

#5 Post by **Ev's Mom** » Thu Jan 19, 2006 5:36 pm

My husband saw an episode of Oprah that had a whole family on it with sleep apnea. That evening he told me about it and the next day I called my doctor. I was having trouble driving, I ended up in a ditch one day in my father in laws car. I had even fallen asleep at the drive through of McDonalds. I recommend a trip to the doctor for anyone with these or other issues. My husband and Oprah saved my life!

#6 Post by **jenns91civic** » Thu Jan 19, 2006 9:05 pm

There are several kinds of masks available for CPAP use. Nasal mask, full face mask (covers mouth and nose. imagine an o2 mask), nasal pillows, even one that is oral only (called the Oracle). The chin strap is probably what you need. When your mouth is open while you have nasal CPAP on, some of the pressure escapes which decreases the efficacy. You may want to try a different mask style and/or the chin strap.

Sleep apnea is very dangerous and really needs to be diagnosed and treating. If you suspect you or someone you know has apnea, please talk to your/their doc asap to ask about a sleep study. The most common form of sleep apnea is obstructive apnea which is basically your tongue and other structures falling back into your pharnyx and obstructing your breathing. If you are overweight and have obstructive apnea, losing weight can cure it. CPAP or BiPAP are common treatments, but some people need surgery. There are two other forms of sleep apnea: central, and mixed. Central apnea is not very common and is, simply put, your brain forgetting to tell you to breathe. BiPAP is more effective on central apnea because of it's advanced features that enable it to give a breath if one is not taken in X amount of time. Some CPAP models also feature this. BiPAP is often used as noninvasive ventilation (it can almost breathe for you). Mixed apnea is a combination of central and obstructive apnea.

Wow, get the paramedic student started on a topic she knows about and she doesn't shut up!!! *pries herself away from the computer*