Klarinet Archive - Posting 000637.txt from 1995/09

From: Lisa Gartrell Yeo <ux403@-----.CA>
Subj: Re: Teeth problems
Date: Fri, 29 Sep 1995 19:08:38 -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
>
>Fred Jacobowitz
>fredj@-----.edu
>
>
Fred,

I had orthodontic work as a teenager and wore a retainer for years after
getting my braces off. I found that my bottom teeth were moving from
playing the clarinet after I stopped wearing the retainer. I now have a
wire behind my bottom teeth (the front 5 or 6) and they are now stable.
However, my condition was not nearly as extreme as yours! I suggest you
have something done to stabilize your teeth or eventually they could
become so loose that you lose them.

Lisa Gartrell Yeo