CPAP and Gum health

I have a Resmed Air Sense 10 Autoset CPAP full face mask and I breathe through the mouth. I wonder if some of the CPAP, settings, particularly the air pressure and /or the humidity level. can cause bacteria growth in the mouth and affect the gum health..

The reason I am asking is that lately, I have a persistent gum irritation just below one of the dental implants. It is not painful, except for a slight burning sensation at wake-up. I have seen my dentist yesterday for the routine cleaning. He removed some plaque as usual, but didn’t notice any serious problem. It is not the first time and usually it disappears in a couple of weeks. This time it is still there, even after the plaque removal.

Usually, I clean the air filter, the hose connection to the mask and the silicon cushions (I have changed them twice). The holding straps have become a little stretched and require frequent adjustment. Often I feel increased air pressure and air leaking under the eyes or around the silicone cushions, before falling asleep but Oscar does not report any significant air leaks .Currently my air pressure is set at 10.4-15.4. I am using de-mineralized water in the CPAP water tub instead of distilled water because the latter is not always available. I wonder if this can be one of the causes.

My AHI’s keep within the normal range: mostly below 1.0, occasionally above, but never above 3.0 or so. I wonder if anybody can comment on this Thanks

Ittiandro

There is a dentist who has a Youtube video on the benefits of mouth taping for a better sleep. However, I don't think it is a good idea to mouth tape under a full face mask. The tape is likely to get soggy and come off. It would require a switch of masks to a nasal pillow type mask like the AirFit P10.

Demineralized water is just as good as distilled water, so that is unlikely to be a concern.

Gum irritation below a dental implant might... just might be related to dry mouth. Do you use water in your water chamber? If yes how much is gone in the morning? If you have more than about 1/4 of the tank left in the morning you could adjust the humidification setting higher to increase moisture.

If your mask leaks are minimal I don't think that would be an issue.

You might want to look at over the counter dry mouth products like xylimelts or a biotene gel mouthwash. Both are OTC products to help dry mouth issues.

Biggest thing I would do is talk to your dentist. What do they think? Not everything that goes wrong like getting some plaque is related to using cpap.