Affect of playing with one less tooth?

[tofu]

So last week I at the endodonist to get a root canal on tooth #2 - upper right back on mouth - half way through the endodonist says - gotta stop - tooth is cracked - will have to be removed. He says you could get an implant, but since it's the last tooth and your teeth line up without it -you don't really need to replace it. He sends me back to the dentist.

Dentist discovers an infection above tooth and puts me on antibiotics to get rid of infection so tooth can be removed and starts talking about implants. He also says that the infection is probably the cause of the pressure on my right ear which has played havoc playing with my hearing with left and right hearing being out of sync.

So I'm getting the tooth extracted later this week and I'm wondering whether to get an implant or not which would involve a bone graft.
I'd just as soon avoid the process of an implant (and the cost as well which is around $3000-4000 and of course not covered by my dental insurance. But I don't want to be stupid and not get it if it is necessary.

Anybody playing with missing tooth? Any effect on your playing?

[GC]

Removal of a problem tooth had no effect on my playing. It was the next to last top right molar. I got a lot of relief from its removal and no problems once I got used to not chewing hard food in that area. My dentist said he'd gladly do implants or a bridge, but that I'd probably be better just living with it, and he was right.

[ckalaher1]

I caught a baseball with my face at one point in my youth, and had subsequent root canals after the fact.

My post broke once, and I played for a number of weeks with a temporary that came out after @24 hours, which left a gap where my front tooth was. No real problems came of it though. Articulation was maybe off a little more than usual, but nothing that couldn't be worked out temporarily.

[Three Valves]

I wouldn't think a tooth that far back would effect embouchure.

And for $3K+, I'd try chewing on the other side of my mouth for a while...

[Matt Walters]

I could notice a difference like two different mouthpieces. Next to last lower right molar got infected under the root canal that never felt right from day one. My wisdom teeth were removed when I was a teenager as anyone who knows me will attest. Oral surgeon pulled infected tooth, scraped out the infection, installed bone graft and sent me home with antibiotics for that to heal. After healing I played again and I could tell a difference like I was using a bad mouthpiece. After long enough healing I went back to get the post screwed in. After discussing the depth on the post and where the nerve was, we decided the odds of my face going numb were minimal. My playing returned to my normal mediocre self with just the post installed. I wanted to have a crown (another $1800) in place by now but our house has been a financial strain this year with first electrical issues and now an un-planned complete bathroom gut and remodel in progress. Luckily the molar above lands on the most back molar I have to prevent it from dropping. New crown is cosmetic at this point. Don't regret the money I spent making things safe and sound in the jaw.
If you can afford it, I suggest at least get the bone graft done so your teeth won't shift.

[timothy42b]

I lost a tooth, not a back one, nor a front - about halfway around the side. It had a big filling and cracked just like they warned, guess I should have had the crown. It was extracted by a German dentist when I was overseas.

I played several years without it and you could see a little furrow in my embouchure when it firmed up to play.

Eventually I got crowns on each side of the missing tooth, and a bridge to replace it. I was hoping for some improvement! Zero effect on my playing. FWIW, I'm a trombonist mostly on upper parts. The embouchure furrow did go away over time.

[swillafew]

I have two missing teeth and I can't say it's any different. If we had to chew while we played though...

[Doug Elliott]

I recently had the same tooth pulled, top right back molar, with a recurring small infection. Feels MUCH better, and no difference in playing although it felt a little odd the first time I played.

You have to wait at least a few months for the bone to fill in on its own before getting an implant. My dentist said in that particular position an implant isn't really needed but it does help to prevent the gradual bone loss that happens when there's a missing tooth.

[hubert]

Experienced a comparable situation a few years ago (left upper jaw).
My dentist as well as the implant specialist said you only need 2 premolars and 1 molar next to the eyetooth (for different reasons, not only for playing the tuba). The rest can be missed.
So that is my left upper "configuration" now. No problem at all!!

In case you prefer to go for a "repair', implant is by far the best choice, but it is necessary to wait half a year before starting the treatment. Your jaw bone needs enough time to heal.
Hubert

[David Richoux]

The very first public gig I had with one of my bands, back in 1978 - old street guy in the audience comes up to me and said he played the tuba back in the 1920, but can't do it anymore - "no teefus!"

I had one implant done a few years ago (upper middle, I think the tooth is called the canine, could be wrong.) As others have mentioned, a long and expensive process. Since it was not a back molar, I was concerned about my teeth shifting to fill the gap - that is something that usually happens, even at my age.

[pecktime]

How many teeth do you have to lose before you're legally obliged to play the banjo?

[Three Valves]

Curses!!

What next??

A ukulele??

[roweenie]

Curses!!

What next??

A ukulele??

IF and ONLY if one is

way down n Nagasaki Where the fellers chew tobaccy And the women wicky-wacky woo.

Hot ginger and dynamite!!!!!!!

[tokuno]

I lost my lower left back before implants were commonly available/affordable, and I remember afterwards thinking that any playing effect I experienced was more due to taking time off, than to the extraction.

I have 3 or 4 implants - sadly, have had so much dental work, I can't keep track of it - and I consider them a miracle of modern technology. I asked about getting that old hole back-filled with an implant, but my jaw bone had dissolved there, so if I were to lose another non-embouchure tooth, preventing that - apparently common - condition would be sufficient motivation to get an implant, and playing effect would be a minor concern.

I did lose an embouchure-affecting upper front, and had a temporary "flipper" (falsey on a roof plate) during the process that made my playing miserable. The implant restored full function.

[roweenie]

Secret shame: I like me some "old-timey" music and the banjo...

secret confession - in trad jazz, I prefer to hear (and play next to) a good tenor banjo player, over a guitar....(sorry, bloke)

[Rick F]

I recently had my lower left molar (#18) root canaled and crowned. Root canal was $1600, crown and build-up $1800! The tooth in front of that one (#19) has been missing since 1970. I was glad I was able to save #18 tooth. The missing #19 has never caused me any problems with playing.

Only you can decided on whether or not to spend the money for implants. I personally wouldn't spend the money on a back molar. Good luck with your decision.

[largobone]

A classmate of mine lost one of his front teeth-an alto sax player, he seemed to play okay (really well, actually) after a short adjusting period. He lost it in marching band, but he says he just got used to moving air through the other side of his mouth, basically avoiding the gap. The only other issue he ran into was biting down on the mouthpiece, but hopefully that's not an issue for most brass players. Good luck however it has to go!