Have you heard about the recent trend of mouth-taping?
People all over are mouth-taping to improve their sleep quality.
Why would anyone tape their mouth shut?
The idea behind mouth taping is to keep the mouth closed at night, forcing you to nasal
breathe. This is done by using a strip of medical-grade micropore tape, vertically over the lips.
Nasal breathing in itself provides the body with so many positive benefits such as:
- Increased oxygen uptake and circulation
- Nitric oxide production which regulates your blood pressure
- Increased lung capacity
- Increased immune support
- Filtering foreign substances from the air
- Lowered risk of allergies, coughing, and congestion
- Lowered risk of snoring and sleep apnea
- Better support for proper craniofacial development
What are the dangers of mouth breathing?
Breathing through the mouth was not the way our bodies were designed, we were born
obligatory nasal breathers. When somewhere along the way nasal breathing shifts over to mouth breathing, it can have dire consequences.
Mouth breathing can lead to:
- Relying on tonsils and adenoids to do all the air filtration, causing them to become
swollen and enlarged which then blocks a portion of your airspace.
- Narrow and elongated craniofacial growth, which leads to narrow dental arches,
crowded teeth, and the palate moving up into the nasal cavity.
- Drying out your oral cavity at night, which leads to an increased risk of gingivitis and tooth decay.
- Increased risk of sleep apnea. When the mouth is open, the tongue sits low and back in
the mouth allowing it to fall into the airspace and contribute to sleep apnea.
- Imbalance of the autonomic nervous system creating a chronic fight or flight response in the body. This means your body does not get the proper rest and repair it needs at
night.
Is mouth taping safe for everyone?
In short, no! Mouth-taping without talking to a professional can be very dangerous! There are many factors to consider before watching the most recent TikTok trend and taping
your mouth shut at night.
Things you should know in advance:
- Whether or not you have OSA (sleep apnea).
- What the current volume of your airspace is.
- Whether or not you have tonsils/adenoids taking up a large portion of your airspace.
- Whether or not you have a tongue tie.
- Whether or not you have a patent nasal passage and/or a deviated septum.
How can Pax Dental help me decide if this is an ok option for me?
At Pax Dental we have on-site, advanced CBCT technology that can look at your current
airspace, a take home sleep study to give you peace of mind about sleep apnea, and a certified MyoFunctional Therapist that can evaluate your current oral cavity volume and do a functional tongue tie screening. Once we have ruled out any serious risk factors, we can let you know if mouth taping is a safe option for you! If it is determined that there are significant sleep and breathing problems, rest easy, as well as have options available for that as well to help you get the rest your body has been longing for!
We got you!
Ready, Set, Schedule.
Really, we can't wait to meet you! Not sure what you need? Come in for a check-up or for a teeth cleaning. We can take it from there and evaluate what might be the next step in your dental care. You can schedule by phone (301-863-8822) or by our online portal www.paxdental.com/schedule. See you soon. Our myofuncational therapist is on standby waiting for your call....