The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: alliejayde
Date: 2007-07-03 22:48
Hey everyone, I'm a 17 year old high school senior planning on majoring in music. I know the topic of TMJ has come up in other posts, but no one has really offered any success stories or advice besides "go to your doctor," which I have already done on multiple occasions.
This summer I'm getting ready for college auditions and also dealing with the fact that I have TMJ. This has a severe impact on my ability to play the clarinet. After a good practice or a long rehearsal, I can barely open my mouth without intense pain. I had an MRI of my mouth, which indicated that I have a dislocated meniscus. When I went back to my oral surgeon, he gave me a mouth-piece for my lower teeth that looks just like a retainer to wear during the day. For the nighttime, he gave me a plastic mouthguard for the upper teeth. It seems to me that a retainer will do nothing to lessen the pain/ pressure of my jaw on my embouchure when I play. He says that it may take a few months to ease the pain, but I cannot wait. Playing constantly with this pain has had huge effects on my confidence while playing and my joy in the clarinet.
I feel like my doctor has no idea of the pain my jaw causes while playing the clarinet. He cannot comprehend the physical exertion of the embouchure on the jaw or the intensity of professional playing. Has anyone else had painful TMJ or jaw problems that they felt their doctors didn't understand or treat correctly? What has worked for you to help ease the pain?
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TMJ / Jaw pain new |
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alliejayde |
2007-07-03 22:48 |
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Chris Hill |
2007-07-03 23:38 |
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MikeH |
2007-07-03 23:39 |
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skygardener |
2007-07-05 03:50 |
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Bartmann |
2007-07-05 15:27 |
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clarinetwife |
2007-07-05 17:50 |
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Chris Hill |
2007-07-05 21:47 |
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connie |
2007-07-11 17:20 |
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bob49t |
2007-07-11 19:55 |
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diz |
2007-07-12 21:57 |
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alliejayde |
2007-07-14 16:45 |
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