Climber fractures lower jaw

[lync]

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

 

[NeTree]

Ouch!!

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

 

[MasterBlaster]

Geez!

 

[P_woozel]

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:

 

[Tom Dunlap]

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?

 

[Koa Man]

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.

 

[a_lopa]

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

 

[Jim1NZ]

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

 

[Lumberjack]

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

 

[darkstar]

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

 

[Tom Dunlap]

Darkstar,

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

 

[darkstar]

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

 

[kf_tree]

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.

 

[tinman44]

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??

 

[lync]

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!!

 

[MasterBlaster]

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

 

[Stumper]

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.

 

[Eagle1]

(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.

 

[Koa Man]

(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.

 

[Eagle1]

"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..........