Here's what the experts say about sleeping with your mouth taped
If mouth taping is really helping, you should probably get your airway assessed
The wellness industry's latest darling — mouth taping during sleep — has been increasingly infiltrating social media algorithms.
One Canadian mouth care company says its mouth tape has been flying off the digital and literal shelves.
But where did the trend come from? And, perhaps more importantly, is it good for you?
Mouth taping's most recent rise to fame can potentially be traced back to 2020, when science journalist James Nestor released his successful book Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art.
Nestor wrote that the practice has been around for decades, but has become more prevalent because of social media.
LISTEN | Is mouth taping all it's sticked up to be?
Claims online range from mouth tape creating a sharper jawline to it helping with snoring, sleep and bad breath.
Dr. Atul Khullar, medical director of the Northern Alberta Sleep Clinic in Edmonton, said taping your mouth encourages you to push more air through your nose.
That's why it can help with snoring, but it's possible there's a bigger underlying problem.
"It's usually indicative, if you're having to do that, that there may be some obstruction, somewhere along the line," Khullar said in an interview.
"Whether it be in the nose, in the back of the mouth, the tongue, it's usually a real good indicator that you may have a little bit of sleep apnea."
Khullar said if mouth taping is really helping you, you should get your airway assessed.
As for the oral health benefits, Dr. John Tran — vice-president of the Alberta Dental Association — said mouth taping is not necessarily a solution for people bothered by their mouth breathing.
Mouth breathing, in and of itself, has some downsides, Tran said.
"There is the issue of dry mouth, irritated tissues. You can have dry lips," he said.
"And bad breath is a thing when your oral tissues are not being completely bathed all the time and self-cleaned with the good effects, beneficial effects of your saliva."
He said as the mouth environment dries out, the pH drops, which makes your mouth more susceptible to bacterial overgrowth.
"Mouth breathing isn't good per se, but that's not to say mouth taping is the answer," Tran said, agreeing with Khullar that it would be wise to get your airway checked out by a medical professional if mouth taping is helping.
Tran and Khullar say there isn't enough research on mouth taping to fully assess the benefits.
A recent article in the American Journal of Otolaryngology also notes that literature about the practice is limited.
Despite this, some people swear by it.
Rhaelyn Gillespie is one of the founders of Mintier, a Toronto company that released its mint-green mouth tape in August 2024.
Gillespie and her business partner launched the company 3½ years ago and it was already in the space of mouth care and oral wellness.
"And from that we've done so much research over the years of all the benefits that could be linked to your mouth … So we do consult a handful of people that we just have [had as] trusted advisers over the years," she said.
"Ultimately, it's our customers and their results that keep driving us."
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
With files from Tara McCarthy