 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: ssax
Date: 2010-04-04 16:29
As I get older, my teeth are getting thinner and sharper! I'm finding that commercial mouthpiece cushions for clarinet and saxophone last about 2-3 days (say 4-5 hours of playing time) before I cut through them.
I've tried clear plastic, black, .3 mm and .8 mm but always have the same problem. I've also had my dentist try and grind down the sharp edges of my upper front teeth but this option is limited by the thinness of the teeth.
I'm wondering if anyone has experienced this problem or if this group might have suggestions. Thanks.
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Author: Megham
Date: 2010-04-04 17:07
I wonder if you could get your dentist to take a mold of your teeth and make some kind of hard plastic guard that will slip over your front teeth. They make something similar for TMJS. I have one, but it would need to be much thinner to make clarinet playing comfortable.
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Author: John J. Moses
Date: 2010-04-04 17:18
Try speaking to your dentist about fashioning you a custom "lip-saver appliance" in your case a mpc saver!
He'll take a mold of you upper teeth, the make a cast and put very thin plastic material in that will fit over your upper teeth. It's about a 1/2 hour procedure, but the guard will last a very long time.
The new plastic material is about as thick as folded cigarette paper, commonly used by players to protect their lips or mpcs.
The plastic guard is clear, so no one will know you're wearing it. I have used my "appliance" for many years on my bottom teeth, but many double reed players I work with, use their appliances on both upper & lower teeth.
Dental fees for the appliance run in price from $40-$80, but well worth the investment.
JJM
Légère Artist
Clark W. Fobes Artist
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Author: jasperbay
Date: 2010-04-04 17:20
If nothing else works, I got 48 rubber cushions out of Hong Kong or China (I forget which) on the auction site for something like $13. They're a little smaller that the black ones usually sold in the US, but seem to work about as well.
Clark G. Sherwood
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Author: TomA ★2017
Date: 2010-04-04 21:48
Had this problem also. I once found a Yamaha brand (I think it was Yamaha) that was a kind of beige-orange in color. Unfortunately I don't have the package any longer though I still have one of the patches.
They are virtually indestructable. Reminds me of surgical rubber, if there is such a thing. The have a medicinal feel anyway. Not very pleasant in the mouth, but they are tough.
I don't use them any more, having opted for upper and lower plastic guards from the dentist, as suggested above, and using clear, thin patches.
I'll look next time I'm in the music store where I found them and see what they are.
Tom
Bad Homburg, Germany
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Author: tictactux ★2017
Date: 2010-04-04 22:00
Yeah, these are the standard Yamaha cushions, at least as I have witnessed them. They must've been modelled for rabbits and other rodents with sharp teeth. They do last, or at least should outlast the average lip (ouch!).
If even these prove to be too soft, consider going down a notch in reed strength, or indeed get you a set of dental lip saver guards.
--
Ben
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Author: pewd
Date: 2010-04-05 01:08
perhaps you're biting too hard?
try practicing double lip embouchure for awhile.
- Paul Dods
Dallas, Texas
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2010-04-05 01:09
The most indistructable ones for me have been the clear Runyon brand (they have the 3M marking on the back).
For a cheap version, just get black, plastic tape and double it up before cutting to shape and size. This doesn't last as long as the Runyon but it's a heck of a lot cheaper if you don't mind putting in a little work. Sounds like you'd get pretty good at it too.
..........Paul Aviles
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Author: skygardener
Date: 2010-04-05 03:15
I would suggest using a softer reed and biting less.
Although the patches do not last forever, they should not get used up that fast.
Also, the dental mold is a good idea.
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Author: TomA ★2017
Date: 2010-04-07 13:01
Reporting back...the mouthpiece patches I mentioned above are Yamaha Soft Type 0.8mm. They are a different material from the thinner ones, so in this case size matters.
And they are orange-ish in color.
They may be soft, but they are durable.
Tom
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Author: A Brady
Date: 2010-04-07 16:33
As stated by a couple of other poster's, I concur that biting is likely the problem here, not the sharpness of one's teeth. I use Bay black patches on all of my instruments, and they last for many months; I change them when they become discolored, not because of bite damage.
Although a certain degree of pressure is obviously necessary to induce reed vibration, anything beyond that creates a multitude of problems, destroyed mouthpiece patches the least of them.
Tom Ridenour has some very useful information on this subject on his site; I teach double lip embouchure to my students as a means of learning to play without excessive biting, which can then be transferred successfully to single lip playing as well.
Good luck!
AB
AB
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Author: kilo
Date: 2010-04-07 16:51
Why use the pads at all? I have a small scratched area on the beak of my mouthpiece from one particular tooth but it hasn't gotten any worse over many years — I've yet to break through the roof! Is it for personal comfort? Is it to cut down on perceived vibration? Or is it to maintain re-sale value of your mouthpiece? Just wondering — I started using them on my tenor sax because they actually did feel better but because of the different angle of the clarinet I've never felt that I needed one.
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