Troubles before my diving life even begins

[chillyinCanada]

Does your secondary have a swivel adjustment?

 

[cmarkham5]

ah... good to remember. Ill have to tell the hubby but i do believe dad mentioned that when i told him i was getting a new mouthpiece. One thing my he did make sure i remembered and practiced in class was in case i cant get my reg back in my mouth or for whatever reason, free flow and surface immediately. i dont think that will be a problem though i was able to get it in ok last time just was a bit painful.

the second honeymoon trysts will have to be creative

---------- Post added March 17th, 2014 at 02:13 PM ----------

actually it does not have a swivel.. i was debating on that one. The first time my reg bothered my jaw we moved it back one port to better angle my hose from tugging on it. Then we switched to the miflex... i thought i might see how this feels and try that in addition if needed

 

[TSandM]

I had the same problem -- I was having some issues getting my mouth open and I forced it in order to dive, and by that evening, I couldn't open my mouth more than a finger's width. After two weeks of it, I went to the dentist, who diagnosed me with bruxism and made me a mouth guard, which helped not at all. I did a bunch of reading on the temporomandibular joint and its mechanics, and one day, while driving my car, decided to "relocate" my joint. I opened my mouth as far as I could, pulled downward and forward, and felt a huge pop (hurt like the dickens). After which, I could once again open my mouth fully! When I told my dentist this story, she was completely astonished. But ever since, I've had problems off and on, mostly related, as far as I can tell, not so much to my mouthpiece as to the backwards force on my chin from my hood. I am currently back to only three fingers worth of opening, and trying to steel myself for another attempt at relocation

 

[cmarkham5]

i think they are going to try manipulate when they knock me out.. along with injecting it with steroids. yipee. i am scheduled for that next tuesday.

 

[BRT]

I could care less what mouthpiece I have but for a friend I dive with the Seacure made a big difference. Another big difference was a longer hose to the mouthpiece, and a third was a Miflex hose. He used to come out with jaw lock, but no more.

 

[pasley]

I had the same problem -- ...I am currently back to only three fingers worth of opening, and trying to steel myself for another attempt at relocation

Ummm, I only have 3 fingers of opening between the front top and bottom teeth. I always thought that was normal. Are you saying that is not?

 

[ajtoady]

Eliminate the mouthpiece all together. Go to a Full Face Mask. Could be the simplest answer.

 

[TSandM]

Range of motion of the mandible varies -- it's one of the things we assess when we are trying to decide if a patient will be easy to intubate. For me, normal is about 4 1/2 fingers.

 

[anelson-OTS]

One big advantage of going the full face mask route is that there is nothing you need to bite down on...Along with others, such as, the mask defogs itself with every breath you take, the mask can afford you an extra chance at life if you ever happen to have a seizure or go unconscious underwater, can keep your face warm in cold water, our mask has a double seal to fit a larger variety of faces (better than 9 out of 10). The mask also has a semi-positive pressure inside the mask (is still a demand regulator), but because of this, even if the mask is pulled up to an inch away from your face, air will come out and water won't come in, which makes getting water in the mask difficult. And of course, you also have the ability for communications if you are interested in that. A lot of divers use the mask without communications for the other benefits.

We work with wounded veterans for this exact purpose. Some have jaw problems from combat or other military related injuries. I myself, have a case of TMJ and biting down on something for hours is pretty uncomfortable. The only thing I dive is the Guardian, and won't go back to conventional SCUBA if I can help it.

Full face masks are making their way into the recreational space more and more and may be something worth checking out.

If you're interested you can take a look at our mask here : Shop | Ocean Technology Systems

We also have a variety of training videos here : Videos | Ocean Technology Systems

If you have any questions about The Guardian FFM or our underwater communications, ask away and I'd be glad to help you out in anyway I can.

 

[chillyinCanada]

TS&M, my mouth only opens 3 1/2 fingers and that hurts, if try for 4 it pulls my skin. I also thought that was normal. Fortunately, don't have to open it that wide to insert the reg mouthpiece, or that often for any other reason.

Must say that fullface mask sounds appealing. Let's hear some down sides to it, anyone?