watch: experts don't agree with the #mouthtaping trend for better teeth

tiktokers looking for a dual oral health and sleep hack are taping their mouth shut at bedtime, but dental professionals and sleep specialists warn that this trend could have dangerous outcomes.

the reasoning behind mouth taping is vague, but generally revolves around the idea that keeping your mouth closed during sleep forces you to breath through your nose, resulting in calmer breathing, as well as stopping the mouth from drying out. keeping the mouth moist then protects the teeth and results in better overall oral health .

while there is truth to the claim that breathing through your nose is preferable to mouth-breathing, dr. izchak barzilay, a dental surgeon and vice-chair of the board of directors of the royal college of dentists of canada , warns that taping should only be done under the careful guidance of a dentist or sleep specialist.

reasons someone might breathe through their mouth at night range from a simple habit to more serious concerns like a deviated septum , nasal polyps , sinus irritation or enlarged tonsils, explains dr. lisa bentley, a dentists in mississauga, ont. and the president-elect of the ontario dental association . these conditions may impair breathing through the nose and require the sleeper to get extra air through their mouths.

nose breathing versus mouth breathing

while mouth-breathing won’t have many harmful effects for the majority of people who do it, breathing through the nose is preferable if possible ( without taping your mouth shut).

as we inhale, the nose filters and warms the air before it reaches the airway, explains dr. abhinav singh, a medical review expert at sleepfoundation.org and medical director at the indiana sleep center. this is better for the lungs, protecting them from allergens like dust or pollen, more than if we inhale through our mouths.