Have you ever felt like you still have a regulator in your mouth after a dive? Or that every time you turn your head underwater it feels like the regulator wants to pull out of your mouth? So you grip it tighter, clenching your teeth around the mouthpiece to hold it in place. Does you jaw hurt during/ after a dive?
Jaw fatigue is a common complaint for a number of scuba divers. Usually newer divers experience it as they forget to relax their jaw and feel a sense of comfort in gripping the mouthpiece really tight. For others, renting scuba gear they are not familiar with or not setting up your scuba kit properly can be reason for this unwanted pain in the neck…er, I mean jaw.
If your BCD is positioned too high or too low on your scuba tank, it can cause the hose of to seem short and pull on your mouth when you turn your head. This tends to make you instinctively bite harder on the mouthpiece to stop if from falling out, invariably tiring out your jaw. However, if you’re still experiencing jaw fatigue despite correct positioning of your BCD and being relaxed underwater, there are two scuba equipment upgrades you should seriously consider
1. Changing the mouthpiece
Traditional regulator mouthpieces made from hypoallergenic silicone are ergonomically shaped for the average person. But everyone has a different mouth and their teeth too are different shapes, sizes and curvatures. The shorter mouthpiece tabs require you too grip with your side teeth, which might not be a comfortable natural position for you.
featured above: Seacure Hi-Flow Mouthpiece
Today, you can opt to change your own custom regulator mouthpiece specially molded for your mouth. We’re talking about the SeaCure “Boil and Bite” mouthpiece, much like a football mouthpiece. This custom mold-able mouthpiece is designed to precisely fit the individual diver’s mouth, teeth, gums and jaw configuration to provide maximum support of a regulator and, thus, eliminate jaw fatigue. The longer bite tabs can be gripped with your back molars, which is a more natural closed mouth position.
2. Getting a 360º Regulator Swivel
If an ill-fitted mouthpiece is not the culprit, then a 360º Swivel Low Pressure Hose Adaptor for your regulator may be just the key to help you achieve the freedom of movement, without feeling the tension in your jaw to hold onto your regulator.
featured above: The Oceanic EOS FDX10 DVT Regulator with Swivel
A 360° Regulator Swivel attaches between the 2nd stage and hose to allow freedom of movement between the 2nd stage and hose. As the swivel rotates freely, it reduces tension on the regulator 2nd stage and mouthpiece regardless of which direction your head is turning. It also makes sharing your regulator more comfortable as it makes the hose and 2nd stage more maneuverable.
There are a number of scuba regulators in the market today with this added feature already like the Aeris AT 400 ION Swivel Regulator, Oceanic EOS FDX10 DVT Regulator with Swivel and the Oceanic Delta 4.2 FDX10 Diaphragm Regulator. However, you don’t have to buy a new regulator to avail of this feature. You can just have an attachment like the Aqua 360 Degree Regulator swivel added to your current regulator. A small downside though, is that incorporating a swivel adaptor to a regulator gives you one extra thing to check for air leaks or as a failure point.
Whether you experience jaw fatigue or not, with a 360 degree swivel you’ll notice the difference in comfort when you dive. And despite adding an extra possible failing point to your gear, we highly recommend you give it a try, as it’s totally worth it. You won’t go back to non-swivel regulators if you do.
