Is Mouth Taping Right For You?

I recently received an email from a patient and trustworthy friend sharing the positive effect mouth taping at night has had on his dental hygiene. While this is a somewhat controversial technique, his story speaks volumes: 

I started on this journey with you to tape our mouths 18 months ago. I started because I called, frustrated with a lifetime of cavities, and I was just told I had nine more. Again, more cavities! Since then, mouth taping has become a nonnegotiable part of my life.  

I use a simple light tape that costs $2 and last for months. I use only a small postage stamp size and it’s always there in the morning. Today I went back to the dentist for my first cleaning and checkup since starting mouth taping. I was told I had zero cavities, maybe for the first time in my life! She also said, “I can tell mouth breathers by their gums. You have none of the signs of a mouth breather.” Mouth taping may seem strange, but it clearly works! 

In my first article on mouth taping at night, I cited 20 scientific reasons to consider taping the mouth while sleeping. Since then, I have found even more compelling reasons to consider taping to become a nasal-breathing sleeper. 

Do you ever wake up with a dry mouth? If so, this is a good indicator that you are sleeping with your mouth open. Known as mouth breathing, an open mouth dries out the gums and teeth and dehydrates oral mucosa. This lowers the mouth’s pH and allows for proliferation of acid- and plaque-forming bacteria, like Streptococcus mutans.  

Streptococcus mutans can increase four-fold for mouth breathers compared to nose breathers and has been linked to bad breath, dental cavities, gingivitis, dental plaque, snoring, allergies, asthma, sleep apnea, arterial plaque, heart health, brain plaque, and cognitive decline.^1-4 

The risk of mouth breathing is more considerable for children. Keeping the mouth closed while sleeping is necessary for proper facial development, including a wide palate and open airways. One study linked 85% of mouth breathing in children to improper facial development and smaller airways, creating an unhealthy cycle of ongoing mouth breathing just to get enough air.¹ 

Science Backs Up Ancient Wisdom 

In James Nesters book, Breath, he writes about George Catlin, a researcher and artist who painted some 600 portraits of native Americans before any Westernization, and observed and reported on their health. In his 1962 book, The Breath of Life, Catlin describes mothers training their infants to keep their mouths closed when not eating, and to tuck their chins while sleeping to prevent mouth breathing. This is something I also saw in India when I was researching nose breathing for my first book, Body, Mind, and Sport.  

Today, volumes of science tell us mouth breathing changes the environment of the mouth by breaking down the mouth’s protective barrier, the gums. When the gums weaken, retract, or bleed, the plaque forming bacteria Streptococcus mutans finds its way into the bloodstream through the gums, where it deposits plaque in the body’s arteries, increasing risk of stroke and heart concerns, as well as buildup of plaque in the brain, increasing the risk of cognitive decline.^1-4 

We recommend "Breath with James Nestor": https://lifespa.com/104-breath-james-nestor/ 

Learn How to Mouth Tape 

Contrary to what most of us envision when we say mouth tape—suffocating underneath a huge piece of duct tape—a small piece of flexible surgical tape works great. I use 3M Transpore Tape, which is about the width of Scotch tape.   

Apply the tape vertically, a small piece from just above the upper lip (under the nose) to just below the lower lip (maybe halfway down the chin). Taping in this way allows you to breathe through the sides of the mouth if needed during the night. Over time, it gets easier and easier and less tape is needed.  

Have you tried taping your mouth closed at night? What have you noticed? 

We recommend "Is Your Face Too Small?": https://lifespa.com/palate-widening/

This article originally appeared in Elephant Journal.