New Oracle 452 Oral Mask

General Discussion on any topic relating to CPAP and/or Sleep Apnea.
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Titrator
Posts: 580
Joined: Tue Aug 24, 2004 1:58 pm
Location: Oak Ridge, TN

New Oracle 452 Oral Mask

Post by Titrator » Thu Sep 30, 2004 4:12 pm

Greetings,

Go to the Interviews and Pre-Release Product Information folder to see that latest on the Oracle 452 Oral Mask.

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Additional Comments: Patiently waiting for the Intellipap Auto Software

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rested gal
Posts: 12883
Joined: Thu Sep 09, 2004 10:14 pm
Location: Tennessee

new Oracle 452

Post by rested gal » Thu Oct 14, 2004 11:49 pm

I bought the new Oracle 452 from cpap.com. It's much, much better than the original design, which I tried unsuccessfully earlier this year.

F&P corrected almost all the things I had not liked about the old Oracle - they removed the clumsy "tongue guide" and added a handy dial to adjust the snugness of the flaps that fit inside and outside the lips. A cute touch was the inclusion of nose plugs to prevent "wake you up fast" nose-snorts that can happen when air leaks through the nose. Kind of the opposite of mouth air leaks that people experience when using nasal masks, but a nose snort is more jolting, imho.

I've slept several times now with the new Oracle. Works fine for me. There's still one more "tweak" it needs when I find a friend with the tools to do it smoothly. I want that nub inside chopped off flush with the inner shield! Even though F&P removed the bulk of the old tongue guide thingy, they did still leave a half-inch nub inside for the side-directed air holes. Half an inch doesn't sound like much, but to me it's still an aggravation... an unnecessary blob of silicone covered hard plastic extending into the mouth just far enough for my front teeth to have to rest on it or bump it.

I suppose F & P thought the remainder of the nub was needed to direct the air delivery slightly to the sides inside the mouth, but hey, F&P, are you listening? Air blowing into the mouth is ...air blowing into the mouth... whether it's coming in sideways or straight. Dry mouth is going to happen no matter what, with an oral air delivery system, unless a heated humidifier is able to at least partially alleviate it. My F & P HC 150 heated humidifier handles that well enough.

All in all, the new Oracle is a definite improvement over the old Oracle. Far more comfortable to wear than the original was. It's an interesting alternative to a full face mask for people who must mouth breathe all the time, or for people like me who like to have several choices in our arsenal for nights when we have a cold or congestion and can't breathe well through our snouts.

My autopap usually rocks along at a pressure of 8 - 10 most of the night. People on higher pressures might find the Oracle tugs too much on their lips. The optional strap that comes with it might relieve that somewhat. Like many other masks, the Oracle is a "love it or hate it" kind of interface. I hated the old one. I love the new one. At least, as much as we can "love" any of this stuff we put up with in order to breathe while we sleep.

My edit: The nose snorts eventually became more numerous and more and more disruptive to my sleep. "Love" changed to "this ain't working." Even when I used nose plugs that stayed put more comfortably than the ones that F&P ships with the Oracle, the force and frequency of the nose snorts became too annoying. Oracle joined a multitude of other masks in the discarded mask drawer.
Last edited by rested gal on Sun Sep 17, 2006 8:19 pm, edited 1 time in total.
ResMed S9 VPAP Auto (ASV)
Humidifier: Integrated + Climate Control hose
Mask: Aeiomed Headrest (deconstructed, with homemade straps
3M painters tape over mouth
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txlxk
Posts: 3
Joined: Tue Oct 19, 2004 8:35 pm
Location: Escondido, CA

I was wondering if anyone had tried this

Post by txlxk » Tue Oct 19, 2004 8:48 pm

I tried the original and had terrible problems with blow-by through the nose - I don't need to get into details but the sheets definitely needed to be washed.

I'd be even more reluctant to try it since my pressure has been cranked from 10 to 15 since I gave it a whirl...

For the moment, the Resmed Activa is working well enough...