Playing Musical Instruments With Braces

Most people who are musicians nowadays either play the guitar or mess around on their laptops. But some of us choose to remain old school and play a wind instrument. This is all fine and dandy, as many types of music incorporate saxophone, trumpets, clarinets and even oboes, but what happens when we need to get braces? Do we need to stop playing for the duration of the treatment, which can be up to a year? What if we are currently riding a once in a lifetime career and touring the world with a ska band or a classical orchestra?

Playing In Braces

Relax! It is well possible to get braces and continue on with your career. It will make things more difficult, though, make no mistake about that. You will have to sit back and learn how to play your instrument again, but worry not, it will take a lot less time than first time around. It will affect your playing, but you can relearn, and once you do, you will be just as good as before.

The problem is that you may experience a little bit of bruising and even feel a bit of pain when you first start out playing. You will have to find a position in which your mouth does not hurt. You may have to learn how to play using a braces protector, and you may have to use plenty of orthodontic wax before you can find a comfortable position.

A Matter Of Time

It is simply a question of time to relearn. Make sure you give yourself plenty of time to adjust to this new situation that you are in, and do not start touring or playing live a few days after you get braces. Relearning may be more difficult for you than for others, as the parts of your mouth that you relied on for so long may not be in the same place, and will almost certainly feel totally different. So give yourself time, make sure you are comfy, and get back on the bandwagon!  

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