VO-BB - 20 YEARS OLD!

[Foog]

Hello everyone.

New forum member here, bursting with angst and agitation over a big, scary issue I've been facing for some time now - dental work.

Some years back I had my 4 front top teeth replaced with a permanent bridge (implants, not dentures). When I initially had the implant put in, I felt like I was speaking with a wooden block in my mouth. For some weeks I despaired of ever doing voice work again. Time and practice have helped me return to form, more or less, even though I still feel that my diction/enunciation is only about 95% of what it was beforehand. Unfortunately, I will eventually need to replace ALL my teeth with implants. And this is not something I can put off for too much longer since apparently I am losing bone density in my jaw slowly but surely, and there will come a point where I no longer have enough bone to anchor any new implants. At which point I would have to resort to dentures as an option. And I fear that full dentures would be the kiss of death regarding voice work.

So my question to all you good folks is this: Do any of you have implants and/or dentures? If so, how has this affected your voiceover work? I'm curious about any and all tales of dental woe (and triumph over said woes, of course!) - the more invasive and significant the dental procedure, the better! What I really want to know is whether it is possible to have a viable voice career with a full set of implants or even dentures.

cheers, (and tell your kids to brush those teeth!!)
Andrew Fogarasi

[Bob Bergen]

Hey Andrew! Are you a brilliant actor??? It matters not your dental issues if your acting skills aren't stellar.

For argument's sake, let's say your acting skills rock. The buyers have to understand you. If your dental work gets in the way of enunciation, that's a problem. I think my biggest concern is that your dental work has altered your speech. I'm willing to bet there are many working voice actors out there with extensive dental work, implants and whatnot, whose speech isn't changed. Perhaps you need to get a second opinion from another doctor??

Your health is the most important thing!!!!! There can be no vo career without good health!!! Don't put anything off that could cause long term damage!

[todd ellis]

i agree with bob on the 2nd dental opinion. due to a childhood accident i had a TON of work done on my top front teeth (right & left central & lateral). about 4 years ago i had all that old work replaced with shiny, new implants. i noticed no difference at all - everything felt & sounded the same. however - the dentist had to rely on me, to a degree, to tell him what felt good to me & what felt odd in one way or another - so you have to speak up. so, i say, go get another opinion and make sure to tell them about your concerns visa via voice talking.
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"i know philip banks": todd ellis
who's/on/1st?

[Foog]

Thanks for the replies guys!

I have consulted with two dental surgeons as well as my family dentist. Plus, I have all too much evidence of my problem even without expert opinions: I needed the initial implants because my front teeth had become so loose that a good tug would have removed them. I have also lost a couple of molars to the same thing since. (Gum disease is a nasty, insidious thing. I had zero cavities for the first 40-some odd years of my life, so I never saw a dentist between the ages of 12 and 42. Little did I know cavities would have been a minor inconvenience compared to what was going on in my mouth all that time!)

And as for Bob's point - alas for me, I am not a great actor. The bulk of my voice work has been announcer/narrator style gigs. I have a fine range within that, from upbeat and friendly to gravitas-oozing sincere ("Sincerity is everything, once you can fake that you've got it made!" - George Burns or somesuch). But it all pivots on nice, clear enunciation. And I am terrified of losing that.

The good news is that my dentist knows about my voice work and is committed to doing all he can to make sure I can continue. He was quite good about grinding down some of the front implant to help reduce the "block of wood" sense I was getting.

The bad news is I saw Star Trek recently, and if Leonard Nimoy with all his resources, money, and connections shounds show lishpy and shybillant and hash s's shtronger than Shean Connery, I'm shunk!

At any rate, I'm mighty grateful for the replies - the more I hear good and bad, the better informed I am! There's comfort even in bad news, it's better than ignorance and worry! So if anyone else has had dental work done, please let me know how it worked out for you.

cheers,
Andrew Fogarasi (whose last name, coincidentally enough, is actually pronounced "fuh-guh-raw-SHee" in the original Hungarian!)

[Lee Gordon]

[Foog]

Thanks Lee. And point taken about health. Especially since this seems to be an even bigger issue than just my teeth and gums. Apparently there are links between gum disease and heart disease, and some studies that indicate that implants may reduce that risk.

[Ed Fisher]

FYI

A friend of mine who is (was) one of the best voices I've ever heard had his Wisdom Teeth extracted. It appears that, a certain number of these procedures can also affect the nerves in the Jaw.

He was one of those rare few.

He ended up sounding like someone who had had a stroke because of the numbness in his face.

I haven't spoken to him in some time, so I can only hope that his situation has since improved. But, it might pay to ask a lot of questions of the Dentist or Oral Surgeon before having any Dental procedures done.
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"I reserve the right to be completely wrong."

[Lee Gordon]

[heyguido]

I've been under the care of a periodontist for a number of years now. When I was first referred, the specialist I initially saw wanted to do a radical rebuild of my mouth, replacing a significant number of teeth with implants. Needless to say, I was shocked.

I sought out a second and third opinion, and found a specialist who didn't believe in radical reconstruction, preferring instead a more deliberate approach. Over the last few years, I've undergone numerous procedures to rebuild the bone in my jaw, and thus, reinforce the foundation supporting the teeth I have. I'm in much better shape today.

It hasn't been easy, and it hasn't been cheap.... But I've kept my teeth... Every last one of them. And my periodontist is confident I'll take them to my grave. These days, I see him a few times a year, and he tells me he's very proud of what we've achieved.

Get another opinion. Get two, or three, until you find the right specialist. You'll be glad you did.

And don't forget to floss.
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Don Brookshire
"Wait.... They wanna PAY me for this?"

[Simon Phillips]

Having heard far too many medical horror stories lately, I can only agree with the value of getting second and third opinions with any health problems that don't clear up nice and easy the first time.

I've started using interdental brushes recently which, according to my dentist, are even better than floss and, according to me, are a lot easier to use. They've worked wonders on my gums and my dentist is now much more optimistic about me keeping all my teeth into old age.

Incidentally, a quick once-over with the interdental brush before a session reduces mouth noise very well too. Best done in private though, as it looks pretty gross to anyone who doesn't care an awful lot about your gum health and delivery.

[Bob Bergen]

I had a situation when I was 18 where my lower wisdom teeth were resting on nerves. By taking them out there was a danger of causing nerve damage and a speech impediment. But leaving them in would definitely cause a speech impediment. I had no choice and had them removed. Scary! All was fine. (and my doctor's name was Dr. Flesh!!)

One last thing, Andrew. If you are a brilliant announcer, you are a brilliant actor. God acting is just, as you say, faking sincerity. Be it a narration, cartoon, commercial, on stage, or on camera, by virtue of being truthful under these imaginary circumstances, you are acting.

Most years I am a part of judging VO submissions for The Emmy Awards. The submissions are narrations and animation, both competing in this same VO category. With some of the narrations you just hear the announcer going through the motions/reading. Then, you hear a great actor. It's a smack in the face when narration is read by a great actor. Enunciation and voice come in second to great acting. You can be as clear as a bell with a lovely voice. But if you don't make those words come to life, nothing else really matters.

[Bailey]

Don... +1 on bone grafting. It's easy to do, and it works.
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"Bailey"
a.k.a. Jim Sutton
Retired... Every day is Saturday, except Sunday.
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AOVA Graduate 02/2004 ;
"Be a Voice, not an Echo."