Klarinet Archive - Posting 000269.txt from 1998/04

From: garylsmith@-----.com (Gary L Smith)
Subj: Re: DENTURES AND CLARINET PLAYING
Date: Mon, 6 Apr 1998 23:00:22 -0400

>I know that was off the beaten path. That reminded me of this too,
>does
>anybody have any ideas on playing with orthodontic braces and about
>readjusting when they are taken off?
>
I have a student with braces. There is a product on the market that is
soft plastic (similar to football or boxing mouthpieces, but thinner)
which conforms to your teeth. She's not doing real well with it herself,
but I suspect a bit of stubbornness comes into play here. It seems like
it would help (easy for me to say...)

You'd have to look in a drugstore or ask your dentist about the brand
name(s).

As for readjusting, I would only offer the observation that you might
have to work at bringing your mouthpiece down to a more ideal angle,
since braces on the lower teeth force you to play the instrument more
horizontally than is ideal.