Oral Mandibular Device causing dry mouth

[dharma2255]

Hi everyone,

Hoping to get help with anyone else that has dealt with this issue.  I have mild apnea and my doctor prescribed me an Oral Mandibular device because I was not able to tolerate a CPAP due to an ear dysfunction I suffer from.

I started using the Mandibular device few days ago and it has caused severe dry mouth with absolutely no saliva when I wake up in the middle of the night.   I know that I am not breathing in or out through my mouth because I have been taping my mouth closed every night.

Does anyone know why this is happening and what I can do?  Will my mouth get adjusted over time and start to produce saliva again with the mouthpiece?  

Thanks in advance for the help

[Breathworker]

Nice to meet another oral appliance user on this forum. At least I know I am not the only one.

I think you are experiencing dry mouth because you are new to the device. As you said, you are mouth taping so you know mouth breathing can't be the reason. I think over time as you get more used to it the dry mouth should cease (although from what I've read it can persist). I have experienced it at times myself, although thankfully it is not an issue for me now. I mouth tape as well, but I use Myotape, so my lips can part a bit if need be.

I might recommend doing some breathing exercises that stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system before you turn out all the lights. One sign that the parasympathetic nervous system has been activated is saliva in the mouth (perhaps one reason it has been referred to as the "rest and digest" response, as opposed to the sympathetic nervous system being dubbed the "fight or flight" response. In addition to generating saliva in the mouth, these exercises are great for ones health, and also a fantastic way to quiet the mind to be able to fall asleep easier).

If you are interested, check out Patrick McKeown/Buteyko breathing/coherence breathing/heart rate variability. Tons of stuff on YouTube.

[Breathworker]

This page also seems to have a lot of useful information:

https://www.ihatecpap.com/oral-appliance...appliance.

[BoxcarPete]

I used a MAD for a year, and my dry mouth got better over the course of a few months. Unfortunately, the semi-permanent jaw displacement got worse as I used it, and I eventually abandoned it for CPAP and later nasal surgery. Jaw went back to a more natural position over the course of a month or two, so that was good. Your experience may be different, but that was mine.

[nh00]

I have found Xylimelts to be a wonderful solution to dry mouth with my CPAP machine. They might help in your situation as well