Please don't put off your dental work!

[iiipopes]

Off the wall, but necessary to discuss: dental work. A couple of years ago I had a bad fall and lost yet another tooth in my left lower jaw, as well as a crack in my right lower jaw. I did not think much of it at the time, since it "healed," but my playing suffered. Out of nowhere I would crack notes, get the dreaded "double buzz," and so forth. Thinking it was simply my personal lack of discipline, I practiced more, which, ironically, only made things worse.

It came to a head these last few weeks when I was practicing on Souzy at home for upcoming outdoor concerts. Intonation was all over the place. Second space C was so flat even 1+3 with the slide shoved could not bring the pitch up. Was it the small practice room? It could not have been Lee Stofer's work - he would not have let it out of his shop otherwise. Was it mouthpiece? Was it a leak or obstruction in the horn? Etc. I had no clue; I was totally frustrated.

This week, after inevitable scheduling delays and mandatory wait periods for collateral dental work to heal, the implant to heal, the re-doing of what they call the "abutment" for the cap on the implant to better fit my jaw, impressions to get the proper cap made, etc., I finally got the cap this week. I waited as my dentist recommended for the cap to set before picking up a horn today.

WOW! Now that I essentially have a new tooth in my jaw, and now the same number of teeth on either side of my lower jaw, finally I have again a balanced foundation for the lower orbital muscles of the embouchure. Double buzzing is gone. Random cracking of articulations is clearing. Range, both top and bottom, are coming back with good tone and good articulation/intonation. Now, finally, after two years of sorting out the mess of my fall, which includes a line of scar tissue on my lower right embouchure that I had to have other mouthpieces modified for when I play upper brass, by the Grace of God, a lot of hard work, listening to medical and master class professionals, etc., restoration of faculty is getting there. No, it will never be as it was before, but it will be back at a level where community band, Dixieland gigs, brass quintet gigs, etc., will be more enjoyable, not wondering if and when out of nowhere I'm going to splatter all over the floor, so to speak.

So: If you need dental work done, DO IT! NOW! Don't put it off. With inevitable delays in healing, labs to construct and supply the necessary hardware, referrals and conferences between your dentist and your oral surgeon, etc., it is going to take some time anyway. So get your dental work done ASAP.

And I haven't even touched on the usual personal dental maintenance: daily routine, periodic checkups, cleanings, etc., which I am sure all of you do.

Your playing, your director/conductor, your section colleagues, the other members of your ensemble(s), etc., will all thank you for it.

[arpthark]

I am glad to hear you are healing up and things are returning back to normal for you!

Relatedly, oral surgery. I got my wisdom teeth out when I was a tooba performance major in my early 20s and the dental surgeon nicked a nerve in my mouth, which made the left half of my tongue numb. I had been working up the Carnival of Venice and some other things that used a lot of tonguing which basically required relearning how to tongue, and especially how to double tongue again. It was the oddest thing; my tongue felt like a foreign body part in my mouth. The surgery happened early in the summer so I had the rest of the summer to relearn before school started again, but it was not a whole lot of fun. I am just glad that I got the surgery, because the teeth were occluded and pressing against my molars which made for some pretty annoying jaw pain, which was impacting my playing (and my life) in a different way.

Now, 15 years later, I would say I have back about 90-95% of the sensation on that half of my tongue. I don't even really notice it anymore. I guess it is what it is.

[LibraryMark]

I had braces put on the summer before my senior year in highschool. They removed four teeth. Before that, my embouchure worked really well for me, everything was pretty easy to do. The braces were hell in college, my prof didn't seem to care that I was facing some challenges with them; might have been since I was an ED major he wasn't going to spend much time on it, who knows.

After the braces came off, my embouchure never really recovered. To this day there are things that I could do easily before the braces that I can't do well now. If I had to do it all over again I might have told my parents thanks but no thanks.

[bloke]

I had braces put on the summer before my senior year in highschool. They removed four teeth. Before that, my embouchure worked really well for me, everything was pretty easy to do. The braces were hell in college, my prof didn't seem to care that I was facing some challenges with them; might have been since I was an ED major he wasn't going to spend much time on it, who knows.

After the braces came off, my embouchure never really recovered. To this day there are things that I could do easily before the braces that I can't do well now. If I had to do it all over again I might have told my parents thanks but no thanks.

All surgery involves risk.

bloke "expressing sympathy - just to be clear, and not indifference"

[Mary Ann]

My dentist wants me to do inivisalign because teeth on the bottom in front are getting crowded. I had braces as a kid, have a trumpet playing friend who is currently doing invisalign with the same dentist. The dentist's excuse for me was they are hard to clean, yet the hygienist says I am in spectacular shape for my age. So, nope. I'm missing an upper near front tooth, did not do an implant because I am allergic to damn near everything, don't care what people think, and it has not impacted my ability to play any instrument. (Especially cello, which is still on a steep upward curve.)
If someone had to do braces for whatever reason, the invisalign do look like the best option for brass players.

[iiipopes]

My dentist wants me to do inivisalign because teeth on the bottom in front are getting crowded. I had braces as a kid, have a trumpet playing friend who is currently doing invisalign with the same dentist. The dentist's excuse for me was they are hard to clean, yet the hygienist says I am in spectacular shape for my age. So, nope. I'm missing an upper near front tooth, did not do an implant because I am allergic to damn near everything, don't care what people think, and it has not impacted my ability to play any instrument. (Especially cello, which is still on a steep upward curve.)
If someone had to do braces for whatever reason, the invisalign do look like the best option for brass players.

Yes, if teeth are so far out that any sort of braces would help align the teeth in order to make the embouchure better, then of course. Beyond that, a player MUST get a dentist/orthodontist/oral surgeon who understands what a brass player needs. I was fortunate: my oral surgeon plays saxophone, and played with me in a 10-piece party band including a three horn Chicago style horn section. If the dental professional does not understand the requirements of a brass player, or indeed any wind player for that matter, then it is time to consult a different dental professional who does.