Braces

[ericcheng2005]

People out there who have suffered from the torture devices dentists put on your teeth known as braces, how did it go for you when you initially got them on? I’m getting them at the end of this month, and I don’t know what to expect :/ I use very little pressure when I play and I use air pressure (not my left bicep lol) to ascend, so I guess I got that working for me

[8parktoollover]

I got braces about 6 months ago and it was terrible playing with them at first. Basicaly everything went down the toilet. After a few months I'm pretty much back to normal although sometimes they still make cuts in my mouth that make it difficult to play but anyways, thats my experience But iv'e heard that I have it pretty good. I think it depends on your mouth structure.

[Couchpotato]

I had braces my softmore and junior years of high school. I played mostly bass trombone at the time. It'll take time to get use to it. Try not play too high at first. Maybe ease into it. The second day is by far the worst. I didn't try it but i believe there's something you can get to put over your braces to make it easier to play.

[ericcheng2005]

I got braces about ago and it was terrible playing with them at first. Basicaly everything went down the toilet. After a few months I'm pretty much back to normal although sometimes they still make cuts in my mouth that make it difficult to play but anyway, thats my experiance But iv'e heard that I have it pretty good. I think it depends on you'r mouth structure.

Would thick lips help? Mine are extremely thick lmao

[Kingfan]

Had'em in high school. I don't remember how long it took me to adjust, sorry. I do remember that marching band was not fun for my chops - we marched 160 bpm with high step and horn swagger while playing (a la Ohio State) and I was given the nickname "Hamburger Lip".

[ericcheng2005]

Had'em in high school. I don't remember how long it took me to adjust, sorry. I do remember that marching band was not fun for my chops - we marched 160 bpm with high step and horn swagger while playing (a la Ohio State) and I was given the nickname "Hamburger Lip".

Thanks dude! Rip those hamburger lips tho lol

What does it feel like compared to playing without braces? Does it like leak air?

[tbonesullivan]

I had them on for a few years. They seem to have some better devices now for protecting the insides of your mouth from the braces. The biggest issue is that you have to almost learn to play again. Your mouth gets stretched out more due to the braces, and your embouchure angle gets messed up, etc.

Lots and lots of long tones helped me.

[bassbone721]

I had braces, but that was before I played trombone. But I had another option, invisalign, which is like a weekly retainer and I have finished that so now I'm on a retainer now. Playing trombone puts enough pressure on my teeth that I need to leave it on while playing and its pretty similar to usually playing, excerpt my top set has a ridge that slightly dispruts the airflow so the upper register is slightly harder, but I've gotten used to it.

[ericcheng2005]

I had braces, but that was before I played trombone. But I had another option, invisalign, which is like a weekly retainer and I have finished that so now I'm on a retainer now. Playing trombone puts enough pressure on my teeth that I need to leave it on while playing and its pretty similar to usually playing, excerpt my top set has a ridge that slightly dispruts the airflow so the upper register is slightly harder, but I've gotten used to it.

Parents won’t let me get it, they say the treatment time would take too long

[ericcheng2005]

I had them on for a few years. They seem to have some better devices now for protecting the insides of your mouth from the braces. The biggest issue is that you have to almost learn to play again. Your mouth gets stretched out more due to the braces, and your embouchure angle gets messed up, etc.

Lots and lots of long tones helped me.

Thanks dude! Would reducing pressure right now help? Sometimes I feel like my embouchure is floating cuz I’m using very little pressure, it feels great lol

[Kingfan]

Had'em in high school. I don't remember how long it took me to adjust, sorry. I do remember that marching band was not fun for my chops - we marched 160 bpm with high step and horn swagger while playing (a la Ohio State) and I was given the nickname "Hamburger Lip".

Thanks dude! Rip those hamburger lips tho lol

What does it feel like compared to playing without braces? Does it like leak air?

Ummmmm... I graduated high school in 1975. That was a loooooong time ago and I can't really remember.

[harrisonreed]

My dentist told me I needed braces in high school, because my lower jaw has an underbite and that I would definitely be in a world of hurt later in life and miserable. I told my dentist that I was not going to get braces because I played the trombone, and wouldn't come in for anything other than a cleaning no matter what my parents thought. I think secretly my folks were happy they didn't have to shell out. The dentist was like "damn, this kid realized that we can't actually force him to do elective cosmetic procedures now that he is 6 ft. tall...". 17 years later or whatever it's been, and I am not in a world of hurt. I think my slight underbite is the reason I have a really great range on the horn. I called their bluff and came out just fine.

I will say that the Army dentist saw the actual problem and said "you have impacted wisdom teeth because your lower jaw is too small. We have to remove them or you'll be in a world of pain" and they showed me the picture of some sideways wisdom teeth. Maybe they were mine. I did ask "I don't have a choice do I, sir?" And the Colonel said "umm, no". In this case, removing the teeth was a good thing. Took a lot less time than braces would have to solve the actual issue (like a week vs. a year or more). Braces I think would have been purely cosmetic, though.

[tbonesullivan]

Thanks dude! Would reducing pressure right now help? Sometimes I feel like my embouchure is floating cuz I’m using very little pressure, it feels great lol

Less pressure is definitely good, and also good in general. Pressure cuts off the blood flow to your lips which means quicker fatigue, and even damage. It really helped me learn use the strength in my lips to get notes higher, not the strength in my arms.

[ericcheng2005]

Thanks dude! Would reducing pressure right now help? Sometimes I feel like my embouchure is floating cuz I’m using very little pressure, it feels great lol

Less pressure is definitely good, and also good in general. Pressure cuts off the blood flow to your lips which means quicker fatigue, and even damage. It really helped me learn use the strength in my lips to get notes higher, not the strength in my arms.

Thanks! It feels great on my lips, but it comes with the side effect of my lips sometimes sliding off the mouthpiece. I can do it to the point of where there are no indentations in my lips, and reducing pressure any more would lead to air leakage. Is this good?

[brassmedic]

My orthodontist gave me pieces of wax to put over the braces. This made it much easier to play. Later on he got ahold of some wax strips, sort of the shape of a small piece of chewing gum, which worked even better. Using as little pressure as possible is always good, but even then, you have sharp pieces of metal poking into your lips. I don't know if they have something better than the wax now; it was a long time ago that I was in high school. When I got the braces off, it was in some respects like learning to play all over again, but certainly wasn't an insurmountable obstacle.

[LeTromboniste]

The worst part is the constant changing, like someone previously mentioned. Every day your mouth feels slightly different, and combined with you improving as a player means one day you can sound the best you've ever had, and the next like total garbage. Don't get discouraged when you have days where your tone sucks, keep up the work and know that even though your tone suffers some days, you're still improving as a player overall.

The biggest advice I can give you is, when you get them taken off, take it reeeeeeally slow and easy. You will lose all of your high range and a lot of your flexibility. Your lips have to adjust with not having to stretch as much for them to cover your teeth and meet in the middle, and the portion of your lips' flesh that is involved in your embouchure will have to change a little bit. Just trust that with diligent work the range and flexibility will come back in due time, and really don't force anything, if it takes you months before you regain your range then so be it and again realise that you're still improving other facets of your playing during that transition period. I learned this the hard way, wanting to get back to playing the same rep too early and adopting some really bad habits without noticing, by doing what it took to be able to play it. Habits that took literally years to fix.

[bassboy]

Wanted to chime in here, some great advice.

I had braces for 5 years and was playing most days. I used Jet-Tone Lip Protectors to at least eliminate turning the underside of my chops into "hamburger meat" mentioned above. They do add some mass, but for me being bad with pain, they made a tremendous difference. YMMV.

[tbonesullivan]

Thanks! It feels great on my lips, but it comes with the side effect of my lips sometimes sliding off the mouthpiece. I can do it to the point of where there are no indentations in my lips, and reducing pressure any more would lead to air leakage. Is this good?

Well, that might be a bit much. You definitely want a good seal, but you want to avoid excessive pressure. Light pressure is how I try to play with, even now without braces.

[ericcheng2005]

Thanks! It feels great on my lips, but it comes with the side effect of my lips sometimes sliding off the mouthpiece. I can do it to the point of where there are no indentations in my lips, and reducing pressure any more would lead to air leakage. Is this good?

Well, that might be a bit much. You definitely want a good seal, but you want to avoid excessive pressure. Light pressure is how I try to play with, even now without braces.

Well, wouldn't braces lead to extra stuff in between your lips and teeth, so if I overcompensate now, I should be fine?

[tbonesullivan]

Well, wouldn't braces lead to extra stuff in between your lips and teeth, so if I overcompensate now, I should be fine?

Who knows. Every person is different, and it depends on your specific anatomy. When you get the braces, you need to learn to play again, and you'll need to learn again when you get them off.