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Lip Savers Revisited

Author: orchestr
Date: 2017-05-27 23:39

I know this topic has been gone over several times, but maybe it's worth revisiting as new products come out (or are discontinued). I've been looking for a lip-saver to recommend to my students (especially during marching season where good embouchure habits go to die), and I can't find something that fits my needs perfectly. I want something either extremely cheap (I can make like 200 of them for under $5) or something students can buy at a store, something durable (more than single-use), that forms somewhat to the teeth (to make it less of a choking hazard), and is non-toxic. I've always used a 1"x1" square, so I'm also looking for something around that size. These seem to be the commonly recommended lip-savers, followed by why they don't fit the above criteria:

Cigarette paper: not durable, students can't buy it
EZO: I can't seem to consistently find it in stores, isn't as cheap as other options
Medical tape: Doesn't form to the teeth
Parafilm: Must be ordered online, not very durable
Floral tape: I can't find 1" width
A piece of football mouth-guard: This is what I use, but requires boiling water and is really hard to get it thin enough and without sharp edges.

I've been looking at some other materials, but I haven't tried them. I'm also not sure if they're non-toxic, as parents are (rightfully) very wary of non-food-grade materials going in their children's mouths:

Fabric medical tape
Fabric sports tape
Lacrosse Tape
Silicone Self-Sealing tape

I used to use Curad Wet-Pruf tape because it was a little less "waxy" than other medical tape so it would form to your teeth better, and it was super cheap and available. It also didn't absorb too much moisture like fabric tape might (making it gross and possibly drying out your mouth). But they stopped making it.

I'd appreciate any suggestions not mentioned above that might fit my criteria, or if anyone has had success with any of those tapes.

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