 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Jessica
Date: 2001-06-12 16:54
When I play for more than two hours straight one of my back molers starts aching & the gum around it gets very swolen; I was wonder if something similar has happened to anyone & if anyone knew why this happens?
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Author: Joseph O'Kelly
Date: 2001-06-12 18:11
I hate when this happens to me. I have found out that some days I can practice hours upon hours non-stop and some days I can barely practice an hour without fatigue. At a recent honors band weekend I got really tired out halfway through the day. My mouth was in pain whenever I put the clarinet to my mouth. I guess my gums couldn't take all that pressure. I guess people thought I was getting boared of playing when I had to sit out a few minutes and not play. They would ask, "How did you get so good and become first chair if you don't like to practice?" I explained my situation to them and they recomended putting paper between my teeth and lips. It did sort of work and I was able to reherse with no more problems.
If I do get these pains in my mouth I feel its best to just sit out and not play for a little bit if appropriate.
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Author: susannah
Date: 2001-06-13 08:45
what about aches in your top front teeth??I sometimes get this if I play for ages
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Author: Gordon (NZ)
Date: 2001-06-13 11:38
The air pressure is really very low It is difficult to blow hard enough into a tyre pressure gauge and get it to even register.
Swollen gums can be inflamation from food stagnating for some time, perhaps between the back teeth. Have you tried regular flossing, and brushing before playing.
Pain in around the mouth can be confusing. Let me describe one I had that felt like back teeth. In the cheek. adjacent to the bottom of the top teeth, and roughly between the 6th & 7th from the front, is a major duct for supplying saliva. If you stroke down the side of your face (from ear & cheek bone area) while eating Minties you can probably taste the saliva as it comnes from the duct, hence locate it! Well it works for me 
This saliva is produced in the parotid glands which are in the vicinity of the back teeth, i,e inside the cheek tissue, in front of the ears and below the cheek bones. Now the saiva is made continuously here and drains to the duct through a tube which goes through the main jaw muscle. I had a very much over-developed jaw muscle (too much very chewy food, or grinding at night) which tended to constrict this tube, especially when I was tense, resulting in a painful pressure from build-up of saliva in the gland. This is the feel that many have experienced when, while blowing up balloons, they blow air up into the parotid gland. At least I think that is how it happens - I can massage the sair back down for relief. (Hint - keep the cheeks tight against the teeth while blowing balloons)
Now, where is all this leading..... When pulling the cheeks firmly against the teeth during playing it is easy to block the ducts against the teeth. This causes saliva build up in the gland, resulting in an ache near the back teeth. If this is so then some relief may be had from GENTLY 'milking' the excess saliva down to the duct. Having regular breaks during playing to relax the area would help.
Only a possibility. And no, I am not a dentist!
This may not apply to you but it may well do for somebody else. :-)
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Author: C. Hogue
Date: 2001-06-13 18:08
Do you have your wisdom teeth? Or maybe I should put it, have you had your wisdom teeth extracted? This might be a contributing factor.
See your dentist. S/he will probably help you more in person than we can electronically.
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Author: Jessica
Date: 2001-06-13 23:37
Thanks for all the suggestions, I will try some of them out--we are having another long rehearsal tonight.
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