If you breathe through your mouth at night, choose a jaw-advancing mouthpiece (a mandibular advancement device, or MAD) that leaves a path for air at the front, or one that lets your mouth open while it holds your jaw forward. Of the mouthpieces we rank, ZQuiet is the one we list as best for comfort and mouth breathers, and SnoreRx Plus, our top-rated device overall, has an open front. Avoid tongue-stabilizing devices unless you can breathe comfortably through your nose all night.
One caveat before you buy anything: if you mouth-breathe because your nose is blocked, a mouthpiece only deals with part of the problem. That is covered further down.
Why Mouth Breathing Makes Choosing a Mouthpiece Harder
When you fall asleep, the muscles of your jaw, tongue and throat relax. If your mouth drops open, the lower jaw tends to swing down and back, and the tongue goes with it. That narrows the space behind the tongue. Air squeezing through a narrower space makes the soft tissue at the back of the throat vibrate, and that vibration is the sound of snoring.
This is why mouth breathing and snoring so often go together, and why open-mouth sleepers tend to wake with a dry mouth and a sore throat.
A MAD tackles the snoring by holding the lower jaw slightly forward so the tongue cannot fall back as far. Our guide to how snoring mouthpieces work explains the mechanics. The catch for mouth breathers is that a mouthpiece also sits between your teeth and lips, exactly where your air needs to pass. If the device blocks the front of the mouth and your nose cannot supply enough air, you will feel short of breath, sleep badly, or pull the mouthpiece out in the night without realising it.
So a mouth breather needs two things from a mouthpiece that a nose breather can ignore:
- An air path through or around the device.
- Some freedom to open the mouth, so the device does not fight the way you naturally breathe.
What to Look for in a Mouthpiece if You Breathe Through Your Mouth
- A front airflow opening. Look for a gap or opening between the upper and lower trays at the front. Product photos usually show this clearly. A bigger opening means easier breathing.
- A hinge or flexible connection. Some MADs join the upper and lower trays with a flexible hinge instead of fusing them into one rigid block. That lets you open your mouth, yawn, sip water or talk while the lower jaw stays supported.
- Jaw advancement, not tongue suction. Devices that hold the tongue with suction sit at the lips and need you to breathe through your nose. See the section on tongue devices below.
- Adjustability. An adjustable MAD lets you start with a small amount of jaw advancement and add more only if you still snore. That keeps the device comfortable while you get used to it.
- A money-back guarantee. Whether you can breathe comfortably with a particular mouthpiece is personal. You will only know after several nights, so buy something you can return.
How Each Type of Mouthpiece Copes With Mouth Breathing
| Device type | How it works | Fit for mouth breathers | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Living-hinge MAD | Upper and lower trays joined by a flexible hinge. Holds the jaw forward but lets the mouth open. | Good | ZQuiet |
| Adjustable MAD with an open front | Moulded trays that hold the jaw forward by a set amount, with an opening at the front for air. | Good | SnoreRx Plus |
| MAD with a small or no front opening | Holds the jaw forward, but the front of the mouth is mostly closed off. | Poor, unless your nose is clear | Varies by model |
| Tongue-stabilizing device (TSD) | A soft bulb holds the tip of the tongue forward by suction and rests against the lips. | Poor: needs nasal breathing | Good Morning Snore Solution |
The Best Snoring Mouthpieces for Mouth Breathers
ZQuiet: best overall for mouth breathers
ZQuiet is a living-hinge MAD. The hinge is the reason we list it as best for comfort and mouth breathers: your mouth is not clamped in one position, so you can open it to breathe while the device keeps supporting your lower jaw. It is also ready to wear out of the box, with no boiling or moulding, which makes it the simplest device here to try.
On our scoring it gets 9.2 out of 10 for comfort, the highest comfort score of the mouthpieces we rank, and 9.0 for ease of use. Its effectiveness score is 8.3. It costs $59.95, is FDA cleared and comes with a 60-night money-back guarantee. The trade-off is that you do not get the millimetre-by-millimetre adjustment of the devices below. Our ZQuiet review has the full details.
SnoreRx Plus: best adjustable option with an open front
SnoreRx Plus is our top-rated mouthpiece overall. It is a boil-and-bite adjustable MAD, so you mould it to your own teeth and then set the jaw advancement in fine 1 mm steps. For mouth breathers the key feature is its open front, which leaves a channel for air between the trays.
It scores 9.3 out of 10 for effectiveness and 8.8 for comfort, costs $99.99, is FDA cleared and has a 30-night money-back guarantee. Choose it over ZQuiet if you want a custom-moulded fit and precise control over how far your jaw is moved. Read the SnoreRx Plus review, or see how the two compare in SnoreRx Plus vs ZQuiet.
What about other adjustable MADs?
Other MADs we rank, such as VitalSleep ($119.95, our Best Warranty pick) and PureSleep ($59.95, our budget pick), also hold the jaw forward. The size of the front opening differs from model to model, so check the photos and the individual review before you buy, and make use of the guarantee if you find breathing through it hard work.
| Mouthpiece | Type | Why it suits mouth breathers | Price | Guarantee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ZQuiet | Living-hinge MAD | Hinge lets the mouth open; ready to wear | $59.95 | 60-night money-back |
| SnoreRx Plus | Adjustable MAD | Open front; 1 mm adjustment | $99.99 | 30-night money-back |
Why Tongue Devices Are a Poor Match for Mouth Breathers
A tongue-stabilizing device works differently from a MAD. You squeeze a soft bulb, place the tip of your tongue inside, and the gentle suction holds the tongue forward so it cannot slide back into the airway. The device rests against your lips and does not grip the teeth or move the jaw.
That design is a real advantage for some people. Good Morning Snore Solution is the tongue device we rank highest, and we list it as best for people who want no jaw strain or who have dental work that rules out a MAD.
The drawback is breathing. With your tongue held in the bulb and the device sitting at your lips, there is very little room to draw air through the mouth. You need to breathe through your nose for the whole night. If your nose is often blocked, or you simply cannot keep your mouth closed when you sleep, a tongue device is likely to be uncomfortable and you may not keep it in.
If you can breathe through your nose but tend to let your mouth fall open out of habit, a tongue device may still be worth considering. Our Good Morning Snore Solution vs ZQuiet comparison sets the two approaches side by side.
When a Blocked Nose Is the Real Issue
Most people who breathe through their mouth at night do it because nose breathing is difficult. Common reasons include colds, allergies, a deviated septum and other long-term nasal blockage. In that case the mouthpiece is treating the result, not the cause.
A few points are worth knowing:
- A MAD with an air opening can still help. It holds the jaw and tongue forward whether you breathe through your nose or your mouth, so it can reduce snoring that comes from the throat.
- It will not unblock your nose. If you are congested most nights, see a doctor. Long-term blockage often has a treatable cause.
- Nasal strips and dilators work on a different part of the airway. They open the nostrils and can be worn together with a mouthpiece. See our guides to snoring mouthpieces vs nasal strips and nasal dilators vs mouthpieces.
- Be careful with chin straps. A chin strap holds the mouth shut. If you cannot get enough air through your nose, that is a bad idea. Our mouthpiece vs chin strap comparison explains the difference.
Tips for Mouth Breathers Starting Out With a Mouthpiece
- Start with the least jaw advancement. On an adjustable device, begin at the lowest setting and move forward one step at a time only if you still snore.
- Expect a dry mouth at first. Sleeping with your mouth open dries it out with or without a mouthpiece. Keep water by the bed. Some people find the opposite happens and they produce more saliva for the first few nights.
- Give it time. Most people need a settling-in period before a mouthpiece feels normal. See how long it takes to get used to a snoring mouthpiece.
- Rinse and clean it every morning. Follow the steps in how to clean a snoring mouthpiece.
- Stop if you feel you cannot get enough air. Take the device out. Try a design with a larger opening or a hinge, and sort out the nasal blockage first if that is the cause.
When to See a Doctor
Loud snoring combined with mouth breathing can be a sign of obstructive sleep apnea. Talk to a doctor before relying on any over-the-counter mouthpiece if you notice any of these:
- Pauses in breathing, gasping or choking during sleep, often noticed by a partner
- Heavy tiredness during the day even after a full night in bed
- Morning headaches
- A nose that is blocked most of the time
Over-the-counter mouthpieces are made for snoring. They are not a treatment for sleep apnea. More on that in can snoring mouthpieces treat sleep apnea, and check who should not use a snoring mouthpiece if you have dental or jaw problems.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can mouth breathers use a snoring mouthpiece?
Yes, as long as the design leaves a way for air to get through. Choose a jaw-advancing mouthpiece with an open front or a hinge that lets the mouth open. Avoid designs that seal the front of the mouth.
What is the best snoring mouthpiece for mouth breathers?
ZQuiet is the mouthpiece we list as best for comfort and mouth breathers, because its living hinge lets you open your mouth while your jaw stays supported. SnoreRx Plus is the adjustable alternative, with an open front and 1 mm adjustment.
Can I use a tongue-stabilizing device if I breathe through my mouth?
Usually not comfortably. A tongue device sits at the lips with the tongue held in a suction bulb, so you need to breathe through your nose. It suits people whose nose is clear at night.
Will a snoring mouthpiece stop me breathing through my mouth?
No. A MAD holds your jaw forward to reduce snoring, but it does not train you to breathe through your nose and it does not clear a blocked nose. If congestion is the reason you mouth-breathe, that needs its own treatment.
Do snoring mouthpieces cause a dry mouth?
They can, mostly because sleeping with an open mouth dries it out. Some people get extra saliva instead, particularly in the first few nights. Both effects tend to ease as you get used to the device.
Should I use a chin strap instead of a mouthpiece?
Only if you can breathe freely through your nose. A chin strap keeps the mouth closed, which is unsuitable if your nose is blocked. A mouthpiece with an airflow opening is the safer choice for mouth breathers.
