very sharp lower teeth

[daigle65]

Yesterday I was talking to a clarinetist friend about how my lower lip hurts after a long playing session because of my very sharp lower teeth. I have one that's a bit crooked and has a sharp edge to it which cuts into the lip. It gets especially painful when playing altissimo on soprano.
He said he had the same problem which he solved by sanding it down a bit with an emery board :shock:
That seems a bit radical to me, has anyone else tried this?

[Finnerski]

Man, thats like listening to nails on a chalkboard! Go see your dentist, he can do a much better job with less pain involved. Does this person open up beer bottles with his teeth? I have known people that do that proudly.

[Pete Thomas]

I had my upper teeth done, but by a dentist. Do not try it yourself unless you have no fear of excruciating and unbelievable pain.

[Sasquatch]

A couple minutes with your neighbor's Dremel should do the trick.


Ok, seriously talk to your dentist.

[Graftonsax]

Like Pete, I also had my upper teeth "sanded" down by a dentist, not just for sax playing, but I had a small chip at the end of one.
While your waiting on the dentist and this is something I use for all my playing, something called "Ezo denture cushions" they are the shape of a mouth guard and are wax coated cloth. I cut each into 3, heat it with hot water, and form it over my lower teeth, then usually cool and harden it with cold water. The problem I had wasn't sharp teeth but after like 5 hours or more a day of playing, for weeks on end your lower lip will get sore. Just be sure to replace them once in a while, the wax will come off and they break down.

[Gange]

See your dentist if you're planning on sanding them down. Meanwhile you can use (fold) cigaret paper over the teeth, if you have not already tried it.

[Graftonsax]

A couple minutes with your neighbor's Dremel should do the trick.


Ok, seriously talk to your dentist.

That's basically the tool the dentist used to do my front teeth from canine to canine. Has a weird smell, and as Ralphie says "taste like burning"

[tempesax]

My dentist told me that I was grinding my teeth when I was sleeping and made me a "tooth guard" to wear at night. He first made me a temporary one which is very soft. Then, a few weeks later, a "permanent" one came in that was much harder.

I sometimes use the temporary one when I am playing the sax to cushion my lower lip from my raggedy teeth.

Works like a champ.

Only cost me ~$25.

Mark

[Bikertrash]

Getting your dentist to file your teeth sounds like a good idea - been thinking about that myself. I've always suffered with my lower lip and I keep thinking, ok if I stick at this game long enough my lip will toughen up - but I've begun to realise that's not how it works. Duh, when I think about it obviously one of the softest parts of the human body being pressed against one of the hardest and sharpest is always going to result in pain! Go see the dentist, or if you can't afford it just add some brickdust to your chewing gum.

[NatureColor]

tell the problem to your dentist and he'll do his magic. Ciggarette paper disolves after awhile and I don't like to put in any guards or anything in my mouth when I play. Dentist will do fine.

[gearaholic]

I use floral tape. You can find it in Hobby Lobby, WalMart, etc., but make sure to get the white kind. The various colored ones are usually too thick. It's thin enough that you really don't notice it while playing, but makes for a much better surface against your lip.

[retread]

Charles Bay offers "Lip Ease", a thin but durable transparent plastic strip designed for this problem. It's available through wwbw for $6 or $7.

[A.Smith]

I use florist tape as well. Have done for years. It takes the edge away and after about a week you don't realise your wearing it. But as mentioned above only get the white variety, not because of size difference but rather it looks odd if you having something green over your teeth.

[saxxsymbol]

i also use the lip ease whenever i get sore. works really well.

[SaxMandu]

You should definitely talk to your dentist. Ask yourself if this has always been a problem. If you are like me, it's something that developed over time and may be the result of grinding your teeth as mentioned in one of the above posts. Your dentist can lightly file down the offending teeth and make you a nightguard (if that's the problem) which will not only help the current problem but save a whold lot of dental issues down the road.

[E.L. The Sax]

if it's that bad i suggest a dentist. personally i have sharp bottom teeth too but i have fairly straight teeth and use water-proof medical tape. they use it to wrap bandages when they're expected to be exposed to light water. i just fold it a couple times and over my teeth. takes a while to get used to but it gives you so much relief.

[fungaalafia]

Do lower or upper teeth affect your playing more?

[littlemanbighorn]

A couple minutes with your neighbor's Dremel should do the trick.


Ok, seriously talk to your dentist.


I do cheap dental work in exchange for vintage saxophone equipment.
I habbent bean dooing itt long bud Im learnding.

[bari_sax_diva]

I've *almost* banished this problem from my existence, but when I was trying to get my clarinet chops back in shape and really suffering, I got one of those kids' mouth guards they sell at sporting goods stores. Cut off a corner, boil it, and gradually work it into a piece that covers the sharp spots but is thin enough to use with your mouthpiece. It will take some trial and error to get it the way you want it (I spent about an hour working on mine), but that was over a year ago and it's still in great shape in case I ever need it again.

But remember, too... tightening the *corners* of your mouth gets you up to pitch and doesn't hurt like biting does. You might also back off the reed strength a bit and see if that helps. The hardcore clarinet players will probably give you a relentless bunch hassle about it, but sax players tend to favor larger tip openings, anyway, and if you combine a fat tip opening with a stiff reed and don't support it with a megaton of air, you'll probably end up with a biting habit that totally kills that nice, round sound you were after in the first place.

And if none of this helps, ditch the soprano and stick to tenor...

[dburlone]

I second the Ezo denture cushions recommendation. I know a player that uses this (just rips a piece off and folds it over and done) who said it's a good idea if you're playing long sets... I tried it once and it definitely does make playing a bit more comfy without making you feel like there's a huge guard thing in your mouth... I keep some in my case in the event my bottom lip starts to hurt (just cause you never know), but have luckily never actually needed it.

[daigle65]

I actually did myself :D , it was a piece of cake, took me 5 minutes.
I used a metal nail file and I very lightly filed down the sharp edges, it wasn't at all painful.
I know the obvious answer is to say "GO SEE A DENTIST" but it was so easy (and cheap) to do.
Played my soprano afterwords and I played up to C4 very comfortably.
I have used a type of teeth cushion in the past but I found it too awkward to take it out of my mouth for a quick doubles change to flute.

[Pete Thomas]

I actually did myself :D , it was a piece of cake, took me 5 minutes.


You were lucky.

This is not something to do yourself. It may be fine in a small percentage of cases, but you even if you like pain, you could end up damaging your teeth and your saxophone playing career. It's too important to place in the hands of an amateur.