What “Mouth Taping” is and Why I’m Taking Part in It For Dental Relief and Health Benefits
Why “Mouth Taping” has become a recent trend and how it has impacted my health
In recent years, I’ve struggled with lingering issues from past jaw and dental issues I experienced throughout my childhood and young adulthood.
I was born with a ‘tongue-tie,’ or ankyloglossia, that restricted my tongue’s range of motion. While little was known about the long-term effects of an unmanaged tongue-tie at the time, much more research and information is available today. Tongue-ties are very common and can lead to problems with breastfeeding, eating, speech, sleep, attention, respiratory function, and dental and orthodontic issues such as underdevelopment or misalignment of the jaw, overbites and underbites, temporomandibular joint dysfunction (TMJ), gum disease, and cavities.
My family and I, like many others, were unaware of these consequences until I reached the point in my very long dental journey of requiring double-jaw surgery at the age of 21 years old. As a child, I had developed an underbite and dental crowding, and as a consequence, I began orthodontics at a young age. I wore braces for almost my entire childhood, wore weird contraptions and lots of rubber bands, and underwent multiple surgeries on various teeth. We thought we were solving the problem, but we were unaware of a root issue— my tongue-tie. So, as soon as my braces were finally removed, the limited range of motion of my tongue very quickly pushed my teeth and my jaw back into a state of misalignment (and this began during puberty).
I remember struggling with awful TMJ pain, muscle soreness, and headaches, especially while eating food, talking for long periods, or even simply just studying, and I was growing increasingly more insecure about the continuing asymmetrical growth of my facial structure. I was also always made fun of by my teachers and other students for always having my mouth open during class as if I were dumbfounded— but in reality, I literally could not mechanically close my mouth. Of course, this also affected my breathing. Typically, those with dental issues such as mine tend to breathe through their mouths, which only leads to further mental, cognitive, respiratory, and dental issues. Sadly, jaw misalignment often worsens throughout the lifespan, and more medical intervention is typically required.
I then began my journey of undergoing orthodontics once again and receiving multiple dental surgeries— including a frenectomy in which the tongue-tie is severed, to prepare me for my final double-jaw surgery.
After undergoing double-jaw surgery during my last year of college (and while taking four courses at the time without missing a beat), I believed my dental problems would finally resolve. However, I realized there was still more to address, like myofunctional therapy for my tongue. Unfortunately, even after strengthening my tongue muscles and learning how to operate and place my tongue in my mouth for optimal dental and physiological health, I still struggled with occasionally finding myself sleeping with an open mouth, experiencing jaw soreness, repeatedly waking up to large tonsil stones, and finding a cavity until I finally learned about the concept of “mouth taping,” and began utilizing it.
What is Mouth Taping?
Mouth taping refers to the practice of utilizing a special, gentle tape formulated to keep one’s lips together while he or she sleeps to encourage nasal breathing throughout the entirety of one’s sleep rather than allowing air to enter one’s mouth or for one to fall back into mouth breathing during the night. While this may sound strange, this technique is rooted in respiratory therapy and science. When the mouth is kept open during sleep, it can strain the jaw joints, affect breathing and oxygen quality, negatively impact cardiovascular and cognitive function, and dry out the oral cavity— leading to a disruption of the oral microbiome and encouraging cavities.
Although I have not yet been mouth taping for long, I’ve found some surprising benefits thus far.
(1) My jaw muscles genuinely feel less tense and sore throughout the day. I find myself massaging my jaw and tongue area much less than before.
(2) I’ve noticed I haven’t been waking up with a dry mouth or throat.
(3) I have yet to find any more tonsil stones in my tonsils.
(4) Even though I believed I always experienced good sleep quality, I feel as though my sleep quality has improved and I wake up feeling more energized and rested. It doesn’t take me as long to get out of bed in the morning and wake up feeling ready to go.
(5) While I never snored much, my husband hasn’t mentioned that I’ve been snoring since using mouth tape.
In the meantime, I’m holding out hope that mouth taping will also improve my cavity!
Mouth taping, however, should not be utilized if you struggle with severe congestion, sinus, or breathing issues unless you’ve spoken with a practitioner.
Since I’m all about holistic and low-toxin living, I of course found a mouth tape that I’ve been enjoying that claims to be nontoxic and is so light, skin-safe, and soft that you don’t even feel like you’re wearing it. I also bought the “vented” option to start, which has a tiny little hole so you don’t feel claustrophobic and I’ve been really enjoying it.
If you’d like to check it out, I have a discount code with oitape! I hope you enjoy it if you try it out!
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