lm1234

Hi all,

I just had a tissue graft performed on my front bottom tooth - they removed tissue from the roof of my mouth and sewed it onto the (defective) gum. The surgery went great and I had/have literally *no* pain. So, of course, I'm anxious to get back on the horn.

It's been 1 1/2 weeks since surgery and I started easing back on (buzzing, long tones, but not playing much) about three days ago with no problems. However, tonight, after pushing it a little, I noticed a dull ache in the tooth and a bit of redness on the graft. My questions is, has anyone had this procedure done, and specifically in the area of the front teeth (that would be most affected by playing)? How long until you were back to 100%?

Total recovery time is 6 weeks, but the periodontist said I could play when I felt ready. I'm just concerned about displacing the graft.

Thanks in advance.

Khora

I didn't have that particular mouth surgery - mine was to fix something that went wrong when I started playing too soon after having my lip split open. None of the doctor's I've been to have been trumpet players, so they really don't know when to tell you it is safe to start playing again.

If you are feeling any pain/discomfort, or a tiny voice in the back of your head is telling you maybe not yet, you should probably lay off a little longer. Buzzing/ mouthpiece buzzing doesn't put the same pressure on your lips and teeth, so stick with that a while longer. 1 1/2 weeks isn't much time at all. The second time around I laid off completely for 2 weeks (had to wait for the stitches to dissolve anyways), and then took my time getting back into it. It took about another week, but then I could do several 10-15 minute sessions a day. I built it up from there, a few minutes at a time, several times a day.

Patience now will serve you better than pushing it too fast. Listen a lot now, pick some things you want to work on, sing them, finger them, buzz them a little. It all counts - and won't undo any healing that needs to happen.

Best of luck - keep us posted on how it's going.

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Sandy

Miyot

I'm no Dr. and never had that kind of mouth surgery. But come on! Take your time, whats the hurry. Better to heal well than have problems. I agree with Khora, work on other things for a while. Good luck.

lm1234

Good advice, I think I'll back off a bit for a while.

rowuk

You can still hold the horn in your hands and BANG out scales. The fingerings alone are worth the effort! You just need to syncronize the tongue afterwards!
Doc Severinsen used to advocate practicing scales only on the valves without playing. It works!

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Whenever I feel blue, I start breathing again.