 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: grenadilla428
Date: 2010-11-11 01:16
Hi, everyone,
I had a visit to the dentist today (insert heavy sigh here) and found out that I have to have 3 wisdom teeth pulled and braces put in. Now, I will make the disclaimer that this news made me rather upset, and I have yet to call back and ask more carefully thought-out questions. At the age of 30, I am quite concerned about having braces put in: how much will that impede my playing? how will changing the orientation of my teeth alter the oral chamber and how air passes through it? as I do not have the same resiliency of a child, is this a career-threatening thing? can one even play with a system such as invisalign in place?
As you can see, I am operating in freak-out mode, which has already improved since this morning, but I would like to hear from others who had braces as adults or had adult students who did, and how that impacted their playing.
Help! :-)
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Author: ohsuzan
Date: 2010-11-11 01:55
Why does the dentist believe you need braces? Do you agree that you need braces? What is it about your teeth that so desperately needs fixing, at the age of 30, that didn't need fixing at the age of, say 14?
If you need to have it done, then you gotta do what you gotta do. But that is one of the questions I would ask -- WHY? And what are the consequences if you don't?
Best wishes,
Susan
P.S. Years ago, a dentist told me my two remaining wisdom teeth -- left lower and right upper -- should be taken out (the others were taken out years before because they had decayed and broken). I demurred, and now have arrived at the ripe old age of 66 with two perfectly fine wisdom teeth still in my head. But I know some folks do need to have them out. Maybe you are one of those folks?
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Author: elmo lewis
Date: 2010-11-11 02:10
Ask the dentist if there is a medical reason for the braces or if it just cosmetic. Many dentists assume that everyone wants to have movie-star teeth.
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Author: marcia
Date: 2010-11-11 02:21
At the age of "considerably more than 30" I had braces a few years ago. It did not prevent me from playing, but it did present some challenges. The biggest one was dealing with the pain. For the "braces rubbing on the lips" pain, I used dental wax. For the bone pain that occurs after each adjustment I occasionally used medication. Ibuprofin worked well for me, and it was only a few times that the pain from that was intense. Mostly it was mildly annoying, and fairly short lived.
I continued playing throughout the entire two years and couple of months of braces. Also had braces as a teenager (different issue) and also played through that whole experience.
So, in a nutshell--yes you can continue to play, and yes it will be different, but it should still work. In my case it is much better than it was before the second round of braces.
I did not have the option of invisalign, but my first upper retainer was similar. I always took the retainers out in order to play as they do take up much room in the oral cavity and were just "in the way".
Hope this affords some encouragement.
Marcia
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Author: Kalakos
Date: 2010-11-11 03:32
I had braces for about a year and a half when I was about 35 yrs old. Although they were very uncomfortable at first, I got used to them and was able to continue playing clarinet throughout the entire experience.
Don't worry too much.
And good luck.
John
Kalakos
Kalakos Music
http://www.TAdelphia.com
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Author: Bob Phillips
Date: 2010-11-11 04:16
Back in the dark ages of my junior high school years, the orthodontist insisted that I not "stick that crowbar in my mouth and pry my upper incisors outward."
So, I tried playing a baritone horn --thinking that pressing my teeth back into my mouth would be acceptable. NOT. The hooks and wires pressed into the back of my lips and shredded the flesh.
I went 2 years with no wind music --and I regret having those formative years taken away.
In the end, the pressure from my lower wisdom teeth collapsed my lower arch, leaving my lower front teeth pretty raggedly aligned. For that I have a simple plastic slip-on that I use to protect my lower lip; and I have no complaints.
At least Ms. Marcia didn't have an evil Mom who served porkchops after each of my tightening appointments.
With modern techniques, you can play through your alignment; and, similarly, you can abate the effects of misalignment.
Good luck
Bob Phillips
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Author: Lelia Loban ★2017
Date: 2010-11-11 13:39
I had braces for four years, in my teens, and continued playing the clarinet throughout. I did have some discomfort and even some bleeding at first, but for some reason, it never occurred to me to try to protect the inside of my lower lip. Within a couple of months, the sore spot calloused over and I didn't notice it any more.
Clearly it would've made more sense to use some protection, but at age 13 in 1961, fighting the "dumb blonde" stereotype, I guess I thought doing anything to make myself more comfortable would've made me a Little Woman. Sheesh. But the rough treatment served me well in the end, because I've still got a pretty good hard groove on the inside of that lip and never have had a bit of trouble with sore lip since then.
Lelia
http://www.scoreexchange.com/profiles/Lelia_Loban
To hear the audio, click on the "Scorch Plug-In" box above the score.
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Author: Philcoman
Date: 2010-11-11 14:16
It takes some adjustment, but you'll be able to keep playing without too much difference. But I do want to echo some of the other comments -- get a second opinion. When my daughter was told she needed braces we went to several orthodontists before deciding and discovered that braces aren't always necessary, and even when they are, removing teeth isn't necessarily the way to go.
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2010-11-11 15:44
The braces shouldn't impact clarinet playing to any significant degree. It's just a matter of getting used to them in place.
I would add though that my wife had braces late in life and a periodontist has told her that it contributed to a rather uncommon infection in her jaw bones which causes bone loss. This results in deep pockets around the teeth, low gum line, sensitivity. Just relaying this as a heads up so you can ask about the potential for this intended side effect and be proactive about prevention.
...............Paul Aviles
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Author: Jaysne
Date: 2010-11-11 16:16
What everyone else said. No need to panic. I got braces at 23 and had them for 1-1/2 years. Sure, I had to adjust a little for my playing but it didn't take long. It's something you don't have to really think about--your mouth will figure it out. And when I got them off, it took me like a day to revert back to the old embouchure.
I also played flute, and found that it was the flute that was mostly impacted by the braces. But I still adjusted successfully and didn't even think about it much.
Like you, I had all of my wisdom teeth removed shortly before the braces were put in. But everything healed, and I may have missed only a week or two of playing.
Things do change, so there may be some stuff that has come up since you were 14. For me, my teeth began to crowd each other in my late teens/early 20s until one of them was starting to become perpendicular to the others. Not only was it uncomfortable, it was unsightly, too. So I opted for the braces, and everything turned out fine. I still get compliments on my teeth to this day (I'm 51).
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Author: Bob Bernardo
Date: 2010-11-11 17:32
From experiece of going through what you may have to do, your sound will for sure change. I had a heck of a time finding that sound after the wisdon teeth removed. It was around 6 months before I was satisfied with my sound.
As far as the braces go your teeth will move slowly, so you will naturally adjust your sound without any difficulty.
I was pretty concerned about the wisdom teeth removal and thought I may need to stop playing and find another major while in college. All I can really say is your sound will come back, maybe even better than it was. Allow at least 6 months. You probably won't be able to play for 2 weeks because of pain.
Playing long tones from pp to ff everyday is surely your best tool to get back to normal.
Designer of - Vintage 1940 Cicero Mouthpieces and the La Vecchia mouthpieces
Yamaha Artist 2015
Post Edited (2010-11-12 02:40)
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Author: chris moffatt
Date: 2010-11-11 22:38
Before anything else find out why you need to have 3 wisdom teeth extracted. Consult another dentist if you need to. If you have reached the age of thirty without your wisdom teeth being a problem then unless they are decayed beyond filling or capping - which you would probably already know about - it's unlikely that this needs to be done for medical reasons. Has your dentist recently done a walletectomy on you?
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Author: Wes
Date: 2010-11-12 01:41
Some dentists seem to try to expand the scope of their work. Some even have on-site financial and work planners who appear to have the sole function of increasing the work. These are often charming, efficient and good looking young women.
Consider delaying the work, unless you have discomfort from these teeth or infections, etc.
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Author: Fishamble
Date: 2010-11-12 08:57
You mentioned Invisalign; I finished 18 months with them earlier this year. I was 38 when I started.
I played with the braces fitted (for anyone who doesn't know: they're removable plastic things), and found at the time that the inconsistent feeling of playing without them had a negative effect. It wasn't feasible to play as much as I wanted to without them because you need to wear them for 20+ hours every day, and you have to remove them to eat.
Did they hold me back in any way? Can't say they did - I made an effort to improve my playing at the time, and succeeded. I believe straighter teeth, especially my lower front teeth, helps.
I should add: It did take a couple of weeks to get accustomed to playing with the braces fitted. It *is* a different feeling.
Post Edited (2010-11-12 09:00)
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Author: Brenda ★2017
Date: 2010-11-12 20:46
Check into claiming the cost on your income tax. Better yet, if your insurance covers part or all of this you'll have more money in your pocket.
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Author: clarinetcase
Date: 2010-11-13 00:02
Second opinion and find out why the wisdom teeth need to come out. In my case, the teeth roots had grown around and were headed into the nerve so I had them removed.
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