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Do You Use a Lip Guard?

  • Yes

    Votes: 44 34.4%
  • No

    Votes: 63 49.2%
  • Sometimes

    Votes: 21 16.4%

"Lip Guards"

28K views 58 replies 46 participants last post by  Achristocrat 
#1 ·
Me and a lot of my other Saxophone buddies use these things I dub "Lip Guards." Which is basically medical tape that covers your bottom teeth so your bottom lip is a bit more protected from being too worn out too quickly. I've seen some people use wax or special paper.

I'm curious to see what other peoples experiences are with these. I find that using it makes me bite a little harder than without it, and even when I do use it my lip gets worn out eventually. It almost seems like it's not worth it to use a lip guard. Does anybody use any other material perhaps? I've almost never seen a jazz player use one of these things, it seems like a classical kind of thing.

-AP
 
#2 ·
I use the EZO denture cushions (15 lower heavy type--probably the waxy ones you mention) Maybe it's a North Carolina thing? ;)
 
#56 ·
I've found that temporarily using a bit of tape really extends my playing time from one hour a day to two. This denture cushions sounds a good option. I've never seen these things before. It is quite fine/thin? About the fineness of a plaster? I don't want anything too thick because that will change my embouchure.
 
#4 ·
I'm lucky... my bottom teeth are straight and level (thanks, Mom and Dad!), and I think that's half the battle with lip pain. The other half...the biting, I haven't quite conquered, but I feel like it's a "work on your embouchure" thing, and not a "wear a lip guard" thing for me.
 
#6 ·
I used to use EZO. Now I use something that I made out of a football mouthguard. It's not huge or anything. I made it about as wide as a little longer than my two bottom teeth and not too thick. When I make these correctly, they last a very long time until I lose them.

I don't really think it makes you bite harder with your embouchure. If you do end up biting harder, then well..... don't do that?
 
#23 ·
I always use one for classical playing--and never for jazz, since my embouchure is different for each. In any case, I also use football mouthguard material, heated and stretched thin on a plaster mold of my lower jaw that my dentist made for me years ago. I made some yellow ones, since they're harder to lose, but have used the same clear one most of the past five or six years at least. I have some crooked lower teeth with rather sharp corners, so it's a must for me.
 
#7 ·
I had my dentist make a thin guard for me and that worked great for years. Now that I've got braces, I've been using ezo with a strip of cloth tape under it so it doesn't get caught in the brackets. Works just great. I think you'll find that most people us some form of guard...

SP
 
#57 ·
Warp I concur. I had essentially "retainers" made for my upper and lower teeth and I always play with them on. They cost me approx AUD $150 and I too recommend them.

Your dentist will take a mould of your teeth, then send the mould to be made into retainers or teeth guards. On your second visit your dentist wil fit them and make any minor adjustments that are necessary.

They always throw a case in. If you have private health insurance then your cost also becomes less, as they usually cover a large percentage of this item.
 
#9 ·
I started using athletic tape a few months ago. I tried it for about a month but then accidently threw away the roll of tape. It seemed to work, but didn't make enough of a difference for me to go out and buy more tape. It also made spit in the mouthpiece more of a problem. When I would try to suck out the spit the tape would come out too.
 
#10 ·
The sucking of the spit was never really a problem although one time
My quartet at a summer camp played a piece where I had to close all the keys and suck in through the bell so that the reed would make a "SCREECH"-ey sound. And during a rehearsal I did that but I almost choked on my lip guard it was scary and I had to spit it out before I came into the next phrase, everyone was laughing at me even though I was scared for my life! Consequently I did not use my lip guard for that performance :p
 
#11 ·
Sometimes I use tape, I used to use ezo, still do sometimes. I've also made a lot of the guards Dannel was talking about (though I've found, possibly due to them being too thick, that they hinder my playing :( ), and sometimes I just don't play with anything. It just depends on what I have on hand or how my mouth is feeling at that time.
 
#17 ·
I had no idea there were this many players that needed anything to guard their lip. I have never used anything or had the slightest need to use anything. I take for granted it is not something you will need for ever, right? Eventually mouthpiece and lip will get to know each other and feel comfortable.
 
#22 ·
I'm not convinced that a proper embouchure means that you won't have lip pain after a few hours of playing. If that is really the case I think you may be relying too much on your muscle tension instead of using your bottom teeth as support while your lip cushions (by adding the right amount of dampening) the reed.

I use the exact thing Dannel uses. It's homemade, form fitted to your teeth (so there really is no issue with accidentaly swallowing the tooth guard), and lasts until you lose it.
 
#24 ·
BLueLight - you said something in your first point that i have found strangley true. I was a legit performance major back in college and - yeah - used the medical tape (as did 95% of the sax studio). It was the only way to get through the day lol.

However, i never needed it playing jazz and since I left college and have stopped playing legit - i haven't needed one since.

Now granted I do practice less than i did in college but i think there is more to it than that. I think my jazz embouchure is truly more friendly to my lip than my classical embouchure is/was.
 
#25 ·
Sounds just like what my dentist made for me, Drakesax. I too have (soon to be had!) very crooked lower teeth, with some sharp corners. Even when I was first starting out, I had to put something on the bottom just to be able to produce a sound. After a major accident when I was but a small saxophonist, I was unable to have braces. It took 15 years, and significant playing troubles to finally decide to take a big risk and get things moved around. It has been about a year, and my bottom teeth have gotten much, much better. Now, I can play without a lip guard if I want (and I do on occasion). But, having played with one for, well, 15 years, it feels very strange not to!

Steve P
 
#28 ·
Yep. Im at that stage now too... My front two are uneven at this point. I just build up a one side with a few cut strips of mouthpiece patches. Evens things right out.

Oh, the things I do to continue to play... haha.

Kumoi came to IU last year. What a great person, and a fantastic player. And he knows the value of bling. I can appreciate that.

Steve P
 
#29 ·
I 've used one for many years-was told with my bite that my lower teeth show little wear. They seem to be sharp so that's why I use a guard.
I recall in the 60's meeting clarinetist Rosario Mazzeo and if I am correct I think he used one, anyway he suggested I use one.
I make mine from clear fish tank air tubing long enough to cover my four lower front teeth. Make a slit lengthwise with a single edge razor blade and your all set.
 
#30 ·
I use EZO. My embouchure is VERY relaxed, but my bottom teeth are sharp enough to be a distraction almost immediately if I don't put something on them. I don't recommend anything to students until they complain about pain after embouchure problems are ruled out.

Angel
 
#31 ·
I use Mole skin which is a very thin (about 1 mm thick) adhesive felt type material. It is Normally used to cover blisters. Available in most drug stores or from medial supply in large rolls. Cut it into small oval shape, wet it and place felt side against teeth. Works great and it is cheap.
 
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