Your problem is going to be to find the right specialist. I'll give you a lead that might help if you seriously follow through. It has to be done just so, with no room for substitutions or excuses for different treatment. Some people I suggested this to got spectacular results. The ones who didn't have success always tried to improvise, or got sidetracked by a good bedside manner. You have to go into this with a strong mental set, and persevere.
My dad was a doctor, so I believed him when he told me these instructions. If you're near a major city, there is usually one teaching hospital of some prestige. In Boston, the Mass General. In Chicago, Cook County. In the Bay Area, Stanford Medical center. What you do is go in on a general admission, through the clinic. This will get you assigned to some, hopefully, hot shot resident who is being trained by the prestigious medical staff, the really expensive private doctors who establish the prestige of institution. Once you're accepted as a patient, if you're persistent, that young resident has to get to the root cause of your problem and fix it. He's working for a credential. There's almost no limit to the resources that will go into getting the diagnosis right, these guys do not work alone. Probably, the resident will find the problem quickly. With muscles involved, there might be specific exercises which may not be fun. Don't check in until you are willing to go the distance, and do everything asked of you. Be really clear in your mind what expectations 'cured' will encompass. Robert Leach wrote on 7/10/2004, 12:53 AM: > Hi, > > Sorry if this is a double post. I just subscribed to both lists. Let > me know if I really only need to be on one. > > I was discouraged in high school when after braces, I started > experiencing jaw pain and periodic (very painful) muscle cramps in my > neck that either came from playing, chewing, or excessive yawning. It > may be a coincidence that I started having these problems at the same > time I got my braces off, I don't know. All I know is after the braces > were removed, my range was shot, I had no endurance, and my embrasure > moved way over to the left. I tried for a year and a half to regain > the abilities that used to be effortless, but eventually gave up. That > was over a decade ago. I still play, but only as a hobby. However > lately, it seems to be getting worse. I can only play for about 15 > minutes before I can't get above a middle C! I only recently started > to think that maybe my impacted wisdom teeth might have something to do > with my issues, so I started seeing a dentist. I'm surprised none of > my teachers growing up ever suggested tooth issues as being the > culprit. That aside, I was looking forward to doing something about it > now that I had some idea of the cause. However, I've been frustrated > with my dentist's apparent lack of knowledge. He doesn't seem to take > the issue seriously and I feel like he's just taking shots in the dark > while charging me a ton of money. He made me this mouth guard that > cost $800 that he said I should be able to wear while I play so that I > could rest my jaw against it and not have to hold my mouth open which > would relieve the muscle fatigue. First, I couldn't align my teeth > right to get the flat surface to rest the horn against, then he ground > it flat so I could, but now my upper teeth don't even touch it. It > seems useless. So I only wear it at night, although I need to have him > fix it again because it feels like it's having me move my jaw to the > left too far. Do you think that this thing is worth it? How long > should I give wearing it at night a chance? When should I expect to > feel results when playing? > > Personally, I think the problem is not the muscles that hold my jaw > open, but rather the muscles which stretch my lips over my teeth (i.e. > horizontally as opposed to vertically involved muscles). I think that > they're getting fatigued because I have a tooth in the back that's > sticking out to the side. It's being gradually pushed by the sideways > impacted wisdom tooth on the lower right side. I have another sideways > impacted wisdom tooth on the top on the same side. However, I have > pain/fatigue on both sides. The cramps occur only on the right however > and only ever happen now-a-days from excessive yawning. The dentist > was reluctant to remove the impacted teeth because they're sideways and > he can't see any reason to mess with it at all. He says I don't have > TMJ and he can't seem to figure out why I have fatigue/pain when I play. > > I was very excited when I first thought that an extraction would allow > me to play potentially the way I used to, but am now getting > discouraged again thinking it can't be solved. Any advice? > > Thanks, > Rob > > ******************************************************** > * Yoda: *sigh* "Always with you, what cannot be done." * > ******************************************************** > Swing Calendar: http://www.santafeswing.com > Photo Album: http://www.sharesnap.com > > _______________________________________________ > post: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > unsubscribe or set options at > http://music.memphis.edu/mailman/options/horn/billbamberg%40aol.com > _______________________________________________ post: [EMAIL PROTECTED] unsubscribe or set options at http://music.memphis.edu/mailman/options/horn/archive%40jab.org
