CPAP Supply USA Community

I am a fairly new CPAP user. I have tried 3 masks, one a Repironics Classic Comfort (would not stay on without being so tight it gave me a head ache), Puritan Bennett Breeze with both Nasal Pillow and Dream Seal (the Dream seal would not seal right and the nasal pillows are causing horrible pain in my front teeth).

It is very frustrating to use any of these. The nasal pillow are the most comforatble and I can actually sleep with them, but the tooth pain really worries me. I got a mouth guard from my dentist, but it still happens.

Was hoping to find some recommendations on another mask prior to purchase. I was looking at the Nasal Aire II or the Mirage Swift LT. But really dont want to spend any more money on something that is just going to end in frustration and aggravation.

Anyone have suggestions??????

I've been using the Respironics Comfort Gel Mask for about 4 years now...  and it's been very good.  The mask itself is very comfortable.  My only complaint is the forehead pad assembly.  The bad is very delicate and breaks easily.  Fortunately, this pad can be replaced easily and not too expensive.  Also, the mask leaves a bad case of bed head!  :)

What can you tell me about the nose pillow mask...  I've wanted to try it, but i didn't want to spend money on it until I either test drove it or had someone who's used it, tell me their honest opinion

 

 I would definitly try the Swift LT. I don't think you will find a more comfortable nasal pillow system on the market

 I would look at going to a nasal pillow system such as the Resmed Swift LT. That will solve most of your problems if not all of them

I had very little luck with nasal pillows alone - because I could not keep my mouth closed. Even with a chin-strap, my lips would still pop open causing me to wake to the sound and feeling of spittle bubbles being blown out the side of my mouth. Therefore, I had to go to a ResMed Ultra Mirage Full-Face Mask, which worked great for about 3 years - however, now it is starting to put pressure on the bridge of my nose that it did not used to. So I would recommend it for a good length of time. 

I'm thinking that perhaps the issue is with the strap, and that the elasticity has worn off, requiring greater pressure to keep the mask in place, resulting in the bridge of the nose problem. I will be getting a new strap soon (dollars are tight!) and when I do, will report here. Does anyone have any other advice for full-mask users? 

 I have tried about 4 different masks and I keep switching once in awhile to try and get a good seal. Most all the masks leak until you put so much pressure on it that they hurt your noise. The one that seals the best is the confort gel full face but it hurts my noise .I put a velcro strap arround the noise section of my fishel paykel full face and it seems to help alot but still wakes me up leaking air. I keep trying to fine new masks that look good but haven/t found any yet that works 100 %

Rick S:

I am a fairly new CPAP user. I have tried 3 masks, one a Repironics Classic Comfort (would not stay on without being so tight it gave me a head ache), Puritan Bennett Breeze with both Nasal Pillow and Dream Seal (the Dream seal would not seal right and the nasal pillows are causing horrible pain in my front teeth).

It is very frustrating to use any of these. The nasal pillow are the most comforatble and I can actually sleep with them, but the tooth pain really worries me. I got a mouth guard from my dentist, but it still happens.

Was hoping to find some recommendations on another mask prior to purchase. I was looking at the Nasal Aire II or the Mirage Swift LT. But really dont want to spend any more money on something that is just going to end in frustration and aggravation.

Anyone have suggestions??????

 Welcome to Mask Hell. I'm on my sixth -- 2 nasal pillow types, three full-face masks, one "hybrid." The only one I've had a moderate degree of success is with the Fisher-Paytel FlexFit 432 full-face mask, though I need to keep it fairly tight to keep seal intact and prevent it from sliding up into my mouth (oh, how I love the taste of rubber in the morning). If speel apnea's as big a problem as experts lead us to believe, you'd think there'd be one profit-minded company that could corner the market by rolling out a real solution. I'll keep trying, and hope you will, too. "To sleep, perchance to..." SLEEP!

 

I am replyng to your forum i have been wearing the cpap masks for about 3 years i started out with the full face mask did not feel comfortable with that so i switch to the pillows that you are wearing and now experiencing the same problem with the teeth problem which concerns me i started experiencing a tight jaw so i bought a mouth guard from walmart. i have the mirage swift when i got this problem. so if you find out anything that fixes your problem i can use some suggestions too.

Not sure if this will be any help....I am still using the Puritan Breeze with the nasal pillows. I have gotten a mouth guard from my dentist (i tried the standard mouth guards from a sporting goods store but they were too big and bulky). The mouth guard fromt he dentist is thin and doesnt cause my mouth to open as much. I also lowered the pressure on my CPAP machine. It was set between 13 and 18 originally. The original prescription i got was for 13, so they set the lower limit at 13. I have lowered it to between 9 and 14. The lowered pressured seemed to be the trick. I dont know if i am snoring with the lower pressure, but have not been told by my wife that i have. The teeth issue seems to have been resolved with this change. Also, i have been more aware of my sleeping position, trying to keep my chin up and not dropping down closer to my chest. I think the teeth issue is caused by my lower teeth pressing on my upper ones (not due to air). But that is just me. 

All that said, the nasal pillow mask still puts pressure on my nose dependent on how my head is positioned on the pillow. So i often wake up at 2 or 3 in the morning and want to take it off.But i cant stand having anything straped to my face, it just really bothers me, so i am trying to stick with the puritan breeze mask.

I have seen a new "fabric" mask Sleepweaver (www.sleepweaver.com) and was interested, but it may be too much like a normal face mask for me. Also it is $170, so fairly expensive. Also was interested in the Swift LT, but have been trying to stick it out with the one i have since the whole teeth thing seems to have calmed down.

Thanks for sharing your experience with us, Rick. 

I had an appointment to try the appliance route -- waiting for Insurance Co. to authorize. I believe the appliance may solve all my trouble.  Interesting that you had the pressure turned DOWN, and that actually helped. Does that mean you sleep better and awake more refreshed with a lower pressure?

Higher pressure seems to be needed with my full-face mask, but the high pressure in the nasal pillows alone was incredibly difficult for me to get used to, so I abandoned it. Could be worth a try.