Mouthpieces... my jaw is killing me!!

[ffestpirate]

Good info from everyone. Walter is right, you shouldn't be clamping down on your mouthpiece. But just like all of your gear, there are a myriad of options out there. Find what makes you comfortable and happy. The more comfortable you are the better your dive experience!

 

[texdiveguy]

The SeaCure mouthpiece is great...also on all but my primary reg which is the SeaCure I use the Dive Rite 'long bite' mouthpiece...very comfy.

 

[loosebits]

What a bunch of wienies, real men just sip off the tank valve.

 

[ffestpirate]

What a bunch of wienies, real men just sip off the tank valve.

You have to use a tank???:shakehead

 

[Walter]

What a bunch of wienies, real men just sip off the tank valve.

I've done it, but it's very wasteful of air.

 

[phoenix09]

SeaCure!!! I had the same problem after my first dives, it was so bad my jaw was even locking up. I switched to a SeaCure and it was so much better...most of the time I don't even notice that I'm holding something in my mouth, and I barely have to bite down at all to hold it.

One word of caution - make sure that you get the right model. If you have your own gear, get the model that fits your regulator, or if you rent, make sure they know which model you have so that the reg they give you will fit your mouthpiece. I made that mistake my first time using it, and spent a couple dives with a leaky reg.

 

[texdiveguy]

Yea,,,I have to re-set my SeaCure from having recent dental work done,,,I guess with it being so dang HOT hear in Texas waters this summer...I will just dip it in the lake to heat up while kitted...save me time!!

 

[bperrybap]

While a softer more comfortable mouth piece can relieve jaw
fatigue due to clenching or biting; it is good to try to eliminate
the clenching to begin with.

Alot of it I've noticed is simply not biting on it so hard to begin
with. I've found that the mouthpiece can stay in you mouth
with very little biting pressure.
However,
what I have noticed, with my setup is that the position of the tank
and its orientation in the BC can make a big difference.

The vertical position of the first stage directly affects where hose
will be relative to my mouth. Too high or too low and it places
force in a upward or downward direction relative to my mouth
and the regulator wants to sit at an angle in my mouth and I
have to bite on it a lot harder to keep it in my mouth. This angled
torque makes my jaw very sore even after a single dive.
Rotating the tank in the straps has also has an effect but
to a much less extent.

When I get the tank positioned just right, the mouth piece
will sit effortlessly in my mouth without having to bite down
on it.

That being said, my wife went with a SeaCure and she loves it.

--- bill

 

[archman]

Roughly one-third of my student divers this summer generated excessive bite force on their mouthpieces.

I know because they all chewed off the inside parts. I suppose my training sites on San Salvador were scary, or something.

Since most divers I know just use generic mouthpieces, it's quite likely that your current situation is merely reflective of you being a new diver. You can also try fiddling around with your hoses and 1st stage positions, like bill says.

Of course, I dive with a SeaCure too.

 

[Land Locked]

I bought a seacure in Key West 4 years ago after I bit though the
right side of my mouthpiece. I don't know if the Bull Shark had anything
to do with my clenching so hard! But I love it, and it has been transferred
to my new reg with no problems. Make sure of the model so it fits your reg.
I like the fact it works very well with my denture and can be re-shaped if
need be. You could trim it shorter, but I prefer to have a full denture fit.
Jaw fatigue is history!