anyone out there ever have any problems with your teeth moving? it seems to me that it is a problem that would affect mainly older (not kids) players due to minor changes in the teeth. i`ve had quite a change that i think is partly a reversion of extensive orthodontics that i had when i was younger. the problems has devastated my ability to play and has eventually started to lead to tmj (temporo-mandibular-joint [your jaw])problems. would love to hear from anybody who might have experience with this sort of thing.

I haven`t had major teeth work done but my front 2 big teeth tend to move and have moved since at least mid-High School.

I`ve recently started using mouthpiece patches and those are doing wonders for loosening my bit. The teeth aren`t pressing so hard against the mpc anymore.

Try some mouthpiece patches and chime in later on if they are helping. The patches are quite inexpensive, like $3.00 at wwbw.com for a set of 4 Yamaha or Runyon.

i`ve considered using mpc patches and understand that there are 2 types. what i wanna know however is how long they last? never really seen one before, but from what i know, they`re pretty plastic-y right? so is it possible to just like kinda wipe off after a performance or do i have to put on another fresh piece like a cotton bandaid?

thanks a lot for the replies. yes, i`ve used the patches for some time but i find that i still don`t feel comfortable with the mouthpiece in my mouth. the movement of my teeth seems to be extreme enough that more is needed. i am studying right now with a teacher who is a big proponent of the joe allard style of playing that involves minimal pressure from the teeth but it`s early days yet. i feel a little foolish. i`ve posted this question on numerous sax forums and don`t seem to be getting many responses. my hope was that more people might of had to deal woth something like this.

i`m sorry too that there aren`t more replies because this is one of the very very few questions which actually warrant not only a posting, but an indepth discussion.

i actually hoped there were more nods too because i used to have problems with excessive pressure from my upper teeth on the mouthpiece which not only results in minor pain after but also a disfigured mouthpiece. i`ve since corrected it with constant reminders to myself but of course, i still fear the possible after-effects of continued pressure on my teeth.

actually, now that i thought about it, i personally feel that you should talk to your dentist about this. braces will probably be a last resort which i feel you won`t have to come to. what i think will happen is your dentist will suggest some sort of retainer to be worn to bed or teeth alignment device attached behind your teeth. i`m not very clear on my facts, but i do vaguely remember reading something on wearing something like a retainer while playing. if i`m not wrong, it was supposed to help kids who were wearing braces to play saxophone better. so if you think about it, it probably served to prevent your playing from reversing all the work your orthodontic braces have done for your teeth while at the same time being inobtrusive enough to make playing with braces a lot easier. being vague as they are, what i just said probably didn`t help much. you should drop paul coats a mail and see if he can give you any advice. also, try talking to your dentist, just in case this may lead to more severe complications.

thanks for the follow up. unfortunately, i`m way ahead of you. i spent probably a year with an orthodontist attempting to return my bite to previous positions and it never really seemed to work. i didn`t go as far as using braces but we did achieve quite a lot of movement with reatainers. i don`t think the movement is directly caused by playing anyway, i`ve been told by dentists that a fair amount of movement in the teeth is normal as a person ages. but it does seem to really affect my ability to play. i`ve also heard that when teeth undergo the orthodontoc proccess they are never as stable again and are even more prone to movement. as i said, i worry that maybe i`m making more of this problem then i should, but it has been quite detrimental to my playing. i have considered going the orthodontic route again, braces and everything, but you bet i see that as a last resort! right now i`m more than happy to try and radically change the way i play. as i said, it`s early days yet and i haven`t really seen any results one way or another. but we`ll see. i`d much rather be able to solve this by changing the way i play than having to mess around with braces again. more to the point tho` i would be interested in anyone that has developed any sort of jaw or tmj problems associated with playing. my teeth moving really only affects my sound and my satisfaction with my own playing but the numerous medical symptoms that i`ve picked up (too numerous to mention here) are what really worry me. my working theory at this point is that when my teeth did move my reaction was to really over compensate and force myself to play the way i could before the movement. this approach i think put undo stress on my jaw, leading to the jaw problems i now have. this seems pretty likely to me but i`m wondering (as unlikely as it sounds) if there is the possibility that one`s teeth can be in just the right position to preclude playing and lead to jaw problems if the playing is continues?

the mouthpiece patches do come in 2 common varieties. one is a fairly thin (approx.<1mm), clear plastic type that is fairly hard. it doesn`t provide a very soft cushion to play on but it mainly protects the surface of the mouthpiece from wear. the second type is quite a bit thicker and rubber, quite cushion(y). the amount of life that you can get out of them usually depends on how hard you bite. i know players that can go through them in weeks, others that can use them for months. i don`t know of anyone who goes through them any quicker as that would probably indicate using way too much pressure to play for a very long period of time or safely! one thing to remember is that adding a patch to the mouthpiece will dampen the vibration of it a little so you will be changing the sound of the mouthpiece to some extent. obviously more so with the thicker, rubber patch.

Sorry .. i didn`t see this topic growing.

There are actually 3 types. 1 thin, 1 medium both usually white/clear such as from Yamaha. The 3rd a thick one black like from Runyon. They also come in different sizes .. small (soprano), medium (alto and clarinet and tenor) and large (tenor and bari). But I just use medium on all my horns - sop, alto, tenor, clarinet.

All are simply wiped off after playing.

I`ve tried the super light pressure technique on the mpc. It works but if you move your horn around while playing i tended to either pull it out or shove it in a tad while playing. Not very good.

The mpc patch provide a bit more stable platform for your teeth to keep the mpc from moving. It also has allowed me to have a more relaxed embouchure.

I haven`t been using them for more than 6 mths or a year and haven`t had to replace any as of yet. Anyways, even if i did have to replace them frequently it would cost far less than reeds and last longer. 4 patches for $2 basically.

I should also mention when i used to play a ton, marching band, etc. I used to have jaw problems crop up. Since then though I play less and don`t have that problem.

Alot of it i found out was from stressing my mouth too much into the perfect embouhure, which was also a result of a very tight embouchure. small tip opening (like a Selmer C*) and a hard reed, like a 4 or 4-1/2.

I *had* to learn to relax when i went to a larger tip opening like a C** or D or greater.