Klarinet Archive - Posting 000602.txt from 1995/09

From: Fred Jacobowitz <fredj@-----.EDU>
Subj: Teeth problems
Date: Thu, 28 Sep 1995 13:25:38 -0400

I'm hoping some dentist/clarinetists out there might help me out with
a diagnosis here. I have a rather odd condition which occurs when I have
been playing for an extended period of hours at a time (as often happens
when I am playing a wedding, recital or long practice session). My lower
middle teeth (incisors?) start to get bent inwards towards the back of my
mouth resulting in a severe overbite. This both ruins my embouchure and
makes it uncomfortable to chew. I have also bitten my lower lip rather
badly while eating (after a concert) as a result of this sudden overbite.
Eventually, after a period of hours, the teeth start to find their way
back to their original position. I can also, during the playing session,
pull these lower teeth back into position, with some discomfort, by
manually yanking them forward. This, however, is only a temporary fix, as
they just bend right back to where they were if I keep playing. It has
become a real problem for me, as I lost a competition because of a badly
bitten lower lip and have not performed well in recital because of poor
embouchure control. Does anyone have any comments? I mentioned this
condition to two different dentists, who both told me that this was
physiologically impossible and they had never heard of anything like it.
If anyone wants to e-mail me privately, that is fine too.

Fred Jacobowitz
fredj@-----.edu