Now My Jaw Has Issues

I had to get a night guard for my jaw. My first half of the school year was fraught with TMJ-like issues, mostly in the form of jaw fatigue peppered with some pain and clicking on one side.

I started having problems in early October, during my never ending music program preparations, after several zealous episodes of mouthing the words to "Grandma's Feather Bed." (Thank you, John Denver, for singing so fast.)

I told the sixth graders it was their fault, "You're the reason I have to get a mouth guard!"

They weren't even in any of those first semester programs.

A theater friend of mine, who happened to be directing a show at the time, told me he said something similar to his actors, "Only it was more along the lines of, 'You're the reason I drink!'"

"I can't say that to sixth graders."

Since joining the night guard club, I've discovered almost every teacher has one. My music teacher friend said she chewed through hers. I hope I'm not that stressed. $150 down the drain would really make me grind my teeth.

"So many of our teacher patients have one," the hygienist said when we decided I needed one. "And it's funny. They wear it during the school year but not during the summer."

They took dental impressions which consisted of pressing my teeth into a tray overflowing with pink putty.

"Some people gag!" the dental technician said cheerfully.

I didn't gag. Everything was fine.

Now that I have my night guard, it gives my husband, Dan, one more reason to laugh at me.

He says I sound like my three-year-old nephew and makes me repeat words with "s" over and over (or as I say, "thhh . . . ").

I drool over night now, like a large dog, and wake up with a tiny pool of saliva on my pillow.

I swear the splint passes canker sores around the inside of my mouth. It is better now that I deep clean it every week. I have become a woman who buys vinegar and hydrogen peroxide in bulk.

The night guard has helped me relax my jaw though. I felt fine during my fifth and sixth grade spring musical and kindergarten graduation. I guess that means I can't blame the sixth graders anymore.

The big question is, do I still need one now that school is out?

Yes. Apparently, I am a stress case during the summer too.

For the latest blog updates, visit and "like" Rebecca Turner-Duggan.

My Summer So Far

I've been on summer break for one week, and so far, so good. This year, I kept hearing about "MAYcember," apparently a clever way of saying, "May is as crazy as the winter holiday season, only without the presents." I survived MAYcember, and that's saying a lot for a music teacher. I made it through all of the end-of-the-year recitals, festivals, graduations, and concerts (aside from one more studio recital in June).

I ended the school year with a wonderful group of choir kids. This year, my choir also included a sixth grader who accompanied us on drums.

My fifth and sixth graders had a successful run in our annual musical, Mary Poppins.

The last week of school, we had a fun Kindergarten Graduation and third grade camp sing along.

My three-year-old nephew finished his first year of preschool and listed "singing" as his favorite subject. As you can imagine, that made his Aunt Becky super proud!

Speaking of my nephews, my brother and his family visited us on Memorial Day. I can't think of a better way to spend my first weekend of summer break.

And then I found out . . . Sleater-Kinney is coming to Boise!

Me waiting to see Janet Weiss and Kathy Foster at Treefort, the best little concert no one knew about . . .

Little known fact: I saw Janet Weiss and Kathy Foster (The Thermals) at Treefort in March. They performed in a highly unpublicized set that Dan and I just happened to stumble upon. I was so close to the stage, I could see their tonsils.

Sleater-Kinney! Guys, this is as exciting as my Weezer (AND The Pixies) proclamation! Not bad, for my first week of summer . . . so far . . .

For the latest blog updates, visit and "like" Rebecca Turner-Duggan.