Klarinet Archive - Posting 000054.txt from 2001/12

From: "Aimee Cheers" <cheers@-----.com>
Subj: [kl] Re: Adlut Braces
Date: Tue, 4 Dec 2001 07:10:23 -0500

I had braces put on at about age 16/17 (I'm now 31). I went off to college
(clarinet performance major) with a full mouth of the old fashioned metal,
attach-to-the-front-of-your-teeth braces. I was playing 5-6 hours a day, I
would say. I used wax on the bottom row in the front. That helped. I
survived. I don't have a lot of sympathy for my students who complain. How
much are they playing?? I hope one hour a day!

Really, Neil, I don't remember it compromising my playing. My teacher asked
me about every week, "when do you get those things off?" Once I did, I
don't think there was a significant change in my playing. I made big
improvements as a metal-mouth. I do remember that the retainer was the
pits. It was painful to wear after playing all day. My bottom teeth
quickly returned to their old positions. Luckily they were never horrible.

What would the braces correct? I had a tooth in the roof of my mouth, and
the braces moved that into place, so my mouth and teeth (as a
structure/shape) was not significantly changed. How radically would your
teeth change?

Aimee Cheers
Greensburg, PA
http://www.pamusicteachers.org

> Date: Sat, 1 Dec 2001 09:21:27 -0800 (PST)
> From: Neil Leupold <leupold_1@-----.com>
> Subject: Adult Braces
>
> Hello everybody. It's been a while. I'm popping back in to ask a
question
> about orthodontics. I'm considering getting braces, and I would like
feed-
> back from those of you who have/had braces relative to their impact on
your
> playing. I also welcome second-hand information, i.e., impressions
related
> to you by a clarinet player you know who had braces, again relative to
their
> effect on a person's playing. If I were to get them, they would probably
be
> the standard metal ones, attached to the front of the teeth for 9-12
months.
> Any information you can provide is appreciated, for example relative to
com-
> fortability when playing, effect on the embouchure, the tongue, the oral
cav-
> ity in general, and the effect of having them removed after the prescribed
> period.
>
> Thanks,
> Neil

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