 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Alta
Date: 2003-10-01 17:22
I've searched on "tori" and come up with "Victoria" and "stories" and all kinds of stuff. Maybe this is a new question for all you dentists out there and anyone who's had this.
I have bilateral tori on the inside of my lower jaw that are growing and getting irritated, scraped up and more than a nuisance. How much is tone affected by the shape of the oral cavity? If I have the tori taken down, could it significantly change my tone (which I'm really pretty happy with)? How long a recovery period is it - I mean how long will I not be able to play?
Thanks.
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Author: hans
Date: 2003-10-01 18:58
A Google search for "oral tori" returned some hits that may be what you are looking for.
Hans
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Author: Alphie
Date: 2003-10-01 21:10
I can't find the word "tori" in any of my English dictionaries. What is it?
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Author: Alphie
Date: 2003-10-01 21:58
Thanks GBK. You sure learn something new every day. Tomorrow I'm gonna try to find out what it means in my own language.
I've heard about these before and unfortunately the article doesn't answer Alta's question. I find it hard to believe that the clarinet sound will change drastically after a removal so I guess you have to live with the sound you've got. The only person who can give you a hint about the recovery period is your dentist after a proper investigation.
Alphie
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Author: Alta
Date: 2003-10-01 23:32
I was hoping there were some clarinetist dentists or oral surgeons out there.
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Author: Garret
Date: 2003-10-02 05:04
Tori is the plural for torus. They are very common on the sides of the floor of the mouth and also in the center of the roof of the mouth. They are benign bone growths. In some people they can continue to enlarge and the patients I've seen have learned to accept them without difficulty.
To have your bilateral mandibular tori removed would require shaving the bone back after reflecting the gum tissue back. You would be pretty sore for at least a week. You may not feel like playing for a couple of weeks.
I don't know if it would make an impact on your tone since I've not had any clarinetists with tori ask me this question before, nor have I heard any comments from people that have had them removed. However, my feeling is that the tori would not affect your tone. After all, your tongue is down there covering them up while you play.
My feeling is this--are the tori truly getting larger or is it your perception that they are? Sometimes when people are more aware of something, they think it's changing, and they might be. The mouth is a very sensitive area and any change like torus growth can feel like boulders growing. The other question is, does it affect your tonguing ability or your speech? If it doesn't, I would leave them. However, if the gums covering them are constantly getting scraped and irritated, then have them removed. Chronic irritation of the gum tissue can lead to dysplastic changes (precancerous lesions).
Hope this helps!
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Author: Ken Shaw ★2017
Date: 2003-10-02 13:53
Alta -
I'm not a dentist, but I've been to one :-)
I can tell you that a small change in the conformation of your mouth can make a temporary but major difference in how it feels to play the clarinet.
I got a tiny chip in one of my front teeth years ago, and it took months to get used to it.
Then I had that tooth knocked out and the other front ones fractured, and had to have the three remaining ones ground down to stumps and a 4-tooth front bridge put in. The bottom of the bridge is thicker than my original teeth, extending maybe 1/16" into the space the tip of my tongue occupies. It took me a long time to get used to that, and I still notice it when I think about it, over 15 years later.
Of course, the teeth directly support the embouchure, but I think that any change in the conformation of your mouth will be quite noticeable for a while.
On the other hand, I don't think I sound or play any different. and I got used to it after a few months. If your tori are interfering with your comfort, by all means consider having them removed. From my experience, it won't make much difference in your playing.
Best regards.
Ken Shaw
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