# Climber fractures lower jaw



## lync (May 14, 2005)

This Thursday while removing a few leaders from a large Oak I fractured my lower jaw. This occurred when my climbing line which i was holding with my teeth, for just a second, accidentally became loaded with a pair of mar-bar ascenders. The shock load pulled the rope from my teeth and caused the front segment of the jaw that holds three of the front teeth to fracture.
After making the ascent and securing myself with a lanyard, I released the cams on one side of the mar-bars to lower them, after sending down a few feet of climbing line I realized the mar-bars were still attached to my saddle. I tried to open the triple action beaner, but I was in an alkward position. I pulled up a few feet of rope to lighten the load on the ascender beaner, and held the rope in my teeth. I have done this countless times over the years since i often need more than the two hands that I have. When I opened the beaner, I accidentally dropped it with the mar-bars attached.
It must have free fallen a few feet. The shockload ripped the 
rope from my teeth, causing the damage.
A trip to the dentist, oral surgeon, and a few feet of stainless steel wire, and I am at about 90%. There is still an alighnment problem which the dentist can correct after the fracure heals.
What have I learned, don't put anything in your mouth your not going to eat! Seriously, I can't be the only climber that occasionally chomps down on a rope when he's got no other place to put it. A word to the wise should be sufficent.

Corey


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## NeTree (May 14, 2005)

Ouch!!

No, you're not the only one to use yer teeth.


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## MasterBlaster (May 14, 2005)

Geez!


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## P_woozel (May 14, 2005)

Hope it gets better soon, every time I hold the line in my teeth I wonder what could go wrong, now I have a better idea of the damage plan. I think I'll drag my fingernails down the chalkboard for a while. :umpkin:


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## Tom Dunlap (May 14, 2005)

Ouch!

There have been threads on rock climbing forums about mouthing ropes. Most of them start out with a variation on your accident. 

How would you like to have been on the wall in Yosemite and rip out your teeth? 

The conclusion for rock jocks is to only put the rope in your lips, never teeth. There are setups in lead climbing where I can see that gumming a rope might be necessary once in a while. I can't imagine the time in tree climbing though. But you found one. 

How about some pictures?


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## Koa Man (May 15, 2005)

I only put 3 things in my mouth, things that are edible, things I use to clean my teeth, or body parts of another human.  I don't like to use my mouth as a 3rd hand....I keep thinking of germs and bacteria that I might ingest. Some how I have always found a way to hold things without using my mouth as a 3rd hand.


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## a_lopa (May 15, 2005)

TreeCo said:


> I have used my teeth in the past for holding rope but not often. It's a practice I just this minute gave up for good.
> 
> Dan


 ouch, me too


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## Jim1NZ (May 15, 2005)

Never really thought about holding rope with my teeth, i never will now!


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## Lumberjack (May 16, 2005)

I have never thought of or needed to hold a rope in my mouth. The thought has never crossed my mind. I never put anything on my teeth, but I will hold somethings with my lips. 

I am suprised to hear it is such a common place, but I am glad this has converted several people. 

I am at a loss as to what happened, I read it but I dont fully understand, I will read it a few more times, 

PICS PICS


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## darkstar (May 16, 2005)

ive been rockclimbing for 20 years+ climbers use their teeth to hold the rope every day many times often ... you pull up some slack in the rope while holding on to the rock with one hand ,put the rope in your mouth bite down and then pull up more slack to clip your protection ... if we fall in the meen time ...open your mouth . real quick like .... sorry to hear about that ...ive always been waiting for it to happen to me ... thinking id lose all the front teeth ... hope you heal soon dark


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## Tom Dunlap (May 16, 2005)

Darkstar,

Go to rec.climbing and search for stories about teeth ripping falls. Pretty gruesome


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## darkstar (May 16, 2005)

yeah it happens but if you want to [send hard ]you got to use those chompers .... sometimes when we are 100 feet out its a bit of weight to hold ... but you simply dont have 2 hands ...and you cant clip anyother way .... i really concentrate about letteing go the rope if i do fall ... that also means dont grab the rope with hands either and keep your legs in fron of the rope ....or else nasty rope burn .... we dont always have to use the teeeth to clip maybe only 10 % of the time ..... dark


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## kf_tree (May 16, 2005)

funny how you do things with out even thinking about it....i was removing a cherry today that was halfway across a roof. i was tied into, and rigging it out of another tree. i pulled up 2 ropes, one to lower from and the other as a pull rope. i untied them both and went to stick one in my mouth while i tied the other.............oooops then i remembered this thread.


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## tinman44 (May 18, 2005)

Koa Man said:


> I only put 3 things in my mouth, things that are edible, things I use to clean my teeth, *or body parts of another human*.  I don't like to use my mouth as a 3rd hand....I keep thinking of germs and bacteria that I might ingest. Some how I have always found a way to hold things without using my mouth as a 3rd hand.


  

uh maybe i'm just wierd but isnt everyones rope got sap and oil and dirt and all kinds of stuff on it??


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## lync (May 18, 2005)

Sure the ropes got some gunk on it, but its an aquired taste!!

Corey

P.S. I'm well on the mend, thanks for the support!!


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## MasterBlaster (May 18, 2005)

Haha. As long as it isn't dog-shat...


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## Stumper (May 18, 2005)

Tinman, Sure the rope has stuff on it but so do those other human body parts that Koa likes. I use my mouth occassionally but now it will be with even greater caution. I'll try clamping the rope in my armpit. Then when that doesn't work I'll transfer to the old liplock.


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## Eagle1 (May 20, 2005)

(Quote)I only put 3 things in my mouth, things that are edible, things I use to clean my teeth, or body parts of another human


That makes me alittle uncomfortable.


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## Koa Man (May 21, 2005)

Eagle1 said:


> (Quote)I only put 3 things in my mouth, things that are edible, things I use to clean my teeth, or body parts of another human
> 
> 
> That makes me alittle uncomfortable.



Come on now...don't tell me you never had a part of another human in your mouth, a tongue, a b----t, a (use your imagination), all fun stuff.


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## Eagle1 (May 21, 2005)

"That makes me alittle uncomfortable" was wrote in fun  

My joke was more of the homo-phobic kind. "Another human" was to general for me..........


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## Xtra (May 21, 2005)

I would hold a rope in my mouth once in a while. Then one day I got poison ivy on my neck from dragging the rope while flaking it back in its bag . . . good thing I didn't mouth my rope that day.

Hope your jaw heals soon . . . ouch!


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## MasterBlaster (May 21, 2005)

Hmmph. I've read all this, and it's like anything. Pay attention. The odder it is, the MORE you pay attention.


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## treeseer (May 25, 2005)

I cannot recall in 39 years ever putting a climbing rope in my mouth. Can't imagine the need; if gizmoes require it then that's one more reason to KISS. Mouths are meant for kissing and fun stuff.

I did something far dumber tho--my groundie put a knot in my bull rope intentionally, for some long-forgotten alibi of a reason; to help his grip maybe.. I couldn't untie it with my fingers and in my berserk-angered state of mind used my teeth. broke one in front that had been hollowed by a root canal; replacing it with a falsie cost $1000's and hours of discomfort and pain.

O and ignore Lumber's plea for pics; the imagination paints realistically enough.


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## Lumberjack (May 25, 2005)

I was talking to Koa Guy. just funnin around.


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## treeseer (May 27, 2005)

Lumberjack said:


> I was talking to Koa Guy. just funnin around.


O Ok but watch out Koa, post one of those pics and you'll join the boys in the banned.  I still remember sunrise hula lessons at Wackywacky beach; the instructor looked like she could nurse any arboricultural injury back to prime form. ))))

Learn form the noble raccoon, Stumper-san; wash your delicacies before enjoying them. Then the true flavor emerges unimpeded, as the lotus blooms inviolate.

I been watching too many Kung Fu reruns...


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