Mouthpiece for regs and small jaw?

[sparrowdiver]

Probably a dumb question, but my board search skills aren't as good as they could be and I'm new, so.

I'm new to diving; I've done one PADI resort course, so 2 hours in the pool and one OW dive of sorts, to 11.8m. I noticed that I had to pay a fair bit of attention to keeping the reg in my mouth, and I wondered if it's possible to buy a mouthpiece that makes that easier. I have a pretty decent overbite and a small jaw overall, and felt like I had to keep adjusting the mouthpiece as it tried to float away up to the right. It was do-able but distracting.

I will likely be renting gear for some time, although if buying a reg would make everything more comfortable I might be able to swing it at Christmastime. Is it possible to just buy a different mouthpiece to use in rental regs?

Any recommendations for those with small mouths or overbites? Regs and/or mouthpieces.

Sorry if this is an uninformed question... I'm really trying to learn as much as I can while I get in better shape to pursue an OW cert.

EDIT: 11.8, not 111.8! Aieeee!

 

[highdesert]

My wife and I are big fans of SeaCure moldable mouthpieces. Warm it in boiling water, bite it, and voila ... it fits perfectly. If it's too long, you can also trim the ends off of it.

 

[James R]

I use SeaCure as well, the issue you may run into with them for renting regs is that they are not universal. They've got a few different sizes to fit different brands of regs. I doubt a dive op would mind you using your own though. It's not like zip-ties are expensive...

 

[USCScubaboy]

One of the great reasons about owning your own regs (among many other great reasons) is the ability to modify it however you like. Additionally, once you've modified it, you don't really have to worry about it (particularly mouthpieces). While you are not certified yet, if you decide to commit to the sport, this might be the more appealing option.

However, if you end up being more of a vacation diver, the cost associated with owning and maintaining your own regs may not be worth the hassle. In this case, using your own mouthpiece on rental regs may be the way to go.

As a side note, you can easily search for threads on ScubaBoard through Google. Add "site:scubaboard.com" (without the quotations)to the end of you search and it will return only links to thread on SB.

 

[TMHeimer]

Same here (not sure of the brand). Works great, hasn't shown wear in 4 years and mouthpiece is always secure in your mouth, which is especially good if you're in a really fast current. If you ever have to buddy breathe and you're the doner, it's tough for the buddy.

 

[James R]

Same here (not sure of the brand). Works great, hasn't shown wear in 4 years and mouthpiece is always secure in your mouth, which is especially good if you're in a really fast current. If you ever have to buddy breathe and you're the doner, it's tough for the buddy.

I have had to donate my long hose in a real-world incident, and he told me that he didn't really mind having a SeaCure molded to my teeth in his mouth. He said "Beats being dead, right?" I can't argue with that, can you?

 

[Drewzim]

Just wrapped up my OW course. My jaw was getting a little fatigued from the stock mouth piece. Bought a Seacure and 100% better. Used it during my certification dives and never had my buddy complain. In a real life OOA situation I highly doubt the recipient would complain about the fit not being perfect. I'd like to meet the guy who actually would.

 

[sparrowdiver]

Thanks all! I'll check into the bite fit mouthpieces and then ask when I do start OW cert if we can make it work.

 

[gsk3]

I agree that in a OOA situation you'd be grateful for any gas you can get, but as the potential donor why plan for merely barely acceptable?

 

[sparrowdiver]

Not to be contrary when new but (and again, maybe dumb): Couldn't I put a fitted mouthpiece on my primary reg and a "normal" one on the... octo? Is that the right term? And maybe it's jerky but I guess I'd think that me being the primary diver being able to keep the reg in without jaw pain and excess water is of primary importance. Yes/no/maybe?