Twisted Tooth Source of Embouchure Woes!

[Buffaloman]

Hello! This is my first post as a member! Hope it reaches well.
I've been playing since I was 6, about 25 years now.
I always had an Embouchure problem that teachers tried to correct.
It was first off to one side, and my various teachers all tried to change that.
I went through my Undergraduate in Jazz Music Education on a 6.5al mouthpiece, a Bach 42 small bore, and later a Conn 88HO and a 5G.

I spent so much time trying to fit into my professors molds for me.
(I had some really good professors).

Now I took a break for a while and came back, and I practice like there's a fire under me! Where was this fire in my undergrad?

Anyways, I've got an issue. I played for 5 hours, and then 3 the day before and then 4 the day before.
And I formed a sore spot, and it helped me figure out what was going on with my Embouchure all along!

Turns out my left incisor is CROOKED! It pushed up against the inside of my mouth and forms a sore!

What can I do to fix this, aside from the obvious (LIGHTEN UP... LESS PRESSURE)?
I've messed with mouthpieces for a while, and settled on my current situation as the best I've found. (1921 Conn 4H and a Conn 2 mouthpiece or a 1954 Vega Straight Horn .500 with the same Conn 2.)

I never liked the 6.5al because I had no upper range and the rim was sharp and affected my endurance. Went through my whole college career thinking I was half rate, turns out I just needed some equipment changes...

[tbonesullivan]

I had that problem, and It was wearing my lip thin at the time. Right incisor. I ended up getting braces to fix it.

[2bobone]

This discussion reminds me of the "snaggled tooth" embouchure that John Marcellus displayed [RIP]. His lower teeth were a tangled mess and yet he overcame the disability and was a fabulous trombonist. I would imagine that having "perfect" teeth could be an advantage when forming an embouchure, but there are plenty of examples of fine players who clearly have less than ideal dental arrangements.

[Doug Elliott]

yet he overcame the disability

It was never a disability for him.

The only issue is if a tooth causes a pressure point.

[AndrewMeronek]

If you haven't had orthodontic work, I'd recommend you at least talk with an orthodontist and get feedback. That is the obvious answer for a misaligned incisor, but many people would benefit without seeing obvious problems, because sometimes top and bottom teeth not aligning correctly can lead to very serious problems like teeth cracking - from what I've seen, most people who have teeth crack do not realize there is a bite problem until it's too late.

[psybersonic]

My left lateral incisor is a crown . If I use a 4 or smaller mouthpiece I eventually get an ache in the root area and the crown over time becomes loose and needs resetting resulting in a slow reduction in the amount of root left . Didn’t want to end up with an implant so I now play a Wedge from Dave Harrison. Don’t get the ache with this no matter how long I play . The curve on the Wedge eliminates any pressure I might apply in the critical area. Not too sure about any other claims Dr Dave has about the benefit of his Wedge but it helps me. I’m an amateur in my late 70’s . Don’t know whether this will help the OP.

[Buffalospiritgathering]

yet he overcame the disability

It was never a disability for him.

The only issue is if a tooth causes a pressure point.

That's it, Doug. It causes a pressure point. It limits my endurance.
6.5 al pushed on the pressure point!
Conn 3 I play now is smaller, and helps with range and to some extent articulation, but is way too small and I have no volume!
I'd be curious to take a lesson from you! I'm a George Mason Alumni and I think we crossed paths at some point!

[timothy42b]

Teachers tried to fix your embouchure by moving it more centrally? but it just seemed to want to move back?

Maybe because that's where it needs to be.

Could be the pressure point is another symptom of not being in the right place.

Get Doug to look at it.

[Doug Elliott]

Send me a nessage here.

[ZacharyThornton]

Doug once made me an amazing Lexan rim to with a divot carved up for an incisor I have that protrudes too much. Over time I was able to learn to play with less pressure so I no longer use that rim but Doug is a life saver.