I recently completed treating a patient who is a trumpet player in a band. He found that during the early part of his treatment his brace affected his ability to practice and perform.
The good news from him was that with practice he was able to adjust to wearing his brace.
Here is some advice for musicians playing wind instruments with braces
- Firstly let me reassure you, you will get used to wearing a fixed brace within a few months. The more you practice playing, the quicker you will adjust to your new brace.
- Those of you who play a woodwind instrument, such as a clarinet or saxophone, will probably adjust within a few weeks.
- If you play a brass instrument, such as a trumpet or trombone, you may struggle to play high notes when your brace is first fitted. It will probably take a few months to adjust to your new brace. But again, you will adjust with practice.
- It’s probably best to have your brace fitted at a time when you don’t have important music exams, auditions or performances.
- Your brace can rub against the inside of your lips and cheeks. We have a couple of products that can be used to treat this.
- If you’ve had teeth removed as part of your treatment, I recommend not playing until your healing is complete, usually about 3 weeks.
- To top out off, when your orthodontic treatment is finished and your brace is removed, it will take a little while to get used to playing without a brace again. Your mouth has to get used to not having the brace in it, and you have to unlearn the little adjustments you made in your playing style to accommodate your brace.
Having a brace will temporarily affects how you play, but the good news is that with practice and motivation, most wind instrument players can adjust to wearing braces. And you will have a great smile for a life time.
To book an appointment with Dr Perry please email info@castleknockorthodontics.ie
Or visit us at Dental house
Opening April 2016
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