Something to help with mouth leaks

[Gideon]

Read the Mask Primer, it has a section on Mouth Breathing.

[Maddcow]

Hi all. I appreciate the replies.

I now have a ResMed F30 full-face mask on loan for the next 2 weeks to see how that goes. I seriously considered a chin strap but it seems to defeat the purpose of having a nice low-profile mask like the N30i. The F30 is a very similar, modern design like the N30i and it might do the trick.

[SarcasticDave94]

I alternate between full face and nasal right now. I have both an F20 and N30i. I'm in school to address mouth breathing. My take on chin straps is it can cause negative effects to the mouth and jaw area including pain.

[Sleepster]

My take on chin straps is it can cause negative effects to the mouth and jaw area including pain.

Yeah, that can be true. But often a chin strap is used only as a training device (or so I'm told) until a newbie gets adapted.

I wore chin straps of various design for at least a couple of years. The only problem I had was that they just didn't work for me. It seems the pressurized air always found a way to seep out into my mouth. A full face mask fixes all that. Leaks, even if they don't interfere with your therapy, can interfere with your sleep.

[Maddcow]

So, I’ve just had 2 nights with the F30 full-face mask. My stats are ridiculously good but I’ve woken up with neck ache both mornings, likely due to how firmly my head is being held in the headgear. The mask was fitted by a technician and I also did some tweaking with the fit myself. I think the neck ache has more to do with long-standing back/neck issues (and exacerbated by the headgear design/fit) than a poor-fitting mask, but I don’t really like having to decide between noisy mouth/lip leaks and a sore neck each morning. My wife is definitely happier with the F30 but I’ll keep trialling it.

[ragtopcircus]

You shouldn’t need to strap the F30 that tight. The seal works similarly to the F20 - the air pressure presses the thin silicone cushion against your face.

If you get any of the adjustments too tight, you are likely to cause a leak. Then you have to crank the others down to try to balance it.

If you can’t get it to work without overtightening, it may just not fit your face. As you said though, the nose fit is very similar to the N30i.

[SarcasticDave94]

My take on chin straps is it can cause negative effects to the mouth and jaw area including pain.

Yeah, that can be true. But often a chin strap is used only as a training device (or so I'm told) until a newbie gets adapted.

I wore chin straps of various design for at least a couple of years. The only problem I had was that they just didn't work for me. It seems the pressurized air always found a way to seep out into my mouth. A full face mask fixes all that. Leaks, even if they don't interfere with your therapy, can interfere with your sleep.

Makes sense. I'm back on full face as well for overnight sleeping. I'm trying my N30i during naps to attempt nasal format and enjoy the nice N light mask structure while trying to get mouth leaking controlled better.

[ragtopcircus]

So, I’ve just had 2 nights with the F30 full-face mask. My stats are ridiculously good but I’ve woken up with neck ache both mornings, likely due to how firmly my head is being held in the headgear. The mask was fitted by a technician and I also did some tweaking with the fit myself. I think the neck ache has more to do with long-standing back/neck issues (and exacerbated by the headgear design/fit) than a poor-fitting mask, but I don’t really like having to decide between noisy mouth/lip leaks and a sore neck each morning. My wife is definitely happier with the F30 but I’ll keep trialling it.

FWIW, I just discovered that the cushion in the F30 can be rotated several degrees in the frame.

I have two new, identical F30s. I bought one directly, and was fitted for one. Both have the straps adjusted the same (matched mine to the fitted one). However, the fitted one , while usable, just didn’t seem to seal as well at home as it did during the fitting. It wasn’t bad, just .... Aha, the RT demonstrated how to clean it AFTER fitting!

Unlike the F20, which can only be assembled one way, the F30 can be tweaked a little as it is inserted into the frame. Once it is in though, it isn’t going to move.

That does allow fine tuning the fit, but also means more care is needed during assembly. I will probably use a Sharpie to add some discreet alignment marks.

[ragtopcircus]

I’ve also learned that exhaling forcefully once after the pressure is up helps “set” the seal.

[SarcasticDave94]

I’ve also learned that exhaling forcefully once after the pressure is up helps “set” the seal.

That's a good point. I've done that with my F20 at times too.