{"id":35,"date":"2022-02-17T17:58:00","date_gmt":"2022-02-17T17:58:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sweetsmilestucson.com\/blog\/?p=35"},"modified":"2022-12-13T16:59:15","modified_gmt":"2022-12-13T16:59:15","slug":"can-you-play-musical-instruments-if-you-have-braces","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sweetsmilestucson.com\/blog\/2022\/02\/17\/can-you-play-musical-instruments-if-you-have-braces\/","title":{"rendered":"Can You Play Musical Instruments If You Have Braces?"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignleft size-medium\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sweetsmilestucson.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/AdobeStock_285287650__1575382292_78151-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"young girl playing the saxophone \" class=\"wp-image-36\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sweetsmilestucson.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/AdobeStock_285287650__1575382292_78151-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.sweetsmilestucson.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/AdobeStock_285287650__1575382292_78151-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.sweetsmilestucson.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/AdobeStock_285287650__1575382292_78151.jpg 800w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p>Whether you\u2019re joining your school band for the first time or you\u2019re a seasoned professional, most musicians who get <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sweetsmilestucson.com\/traditional-orthodontics.html\">traditional braces<\/a> have the same question: \u201cWill I still be able to play my instrument with braces?\u201d Because braces make some major changes to your mouth, it might seem like playing a wind instrument is out of the question. Luckily, that\u2019s not true! It\u2019s definitely still possible to play musical instruments with braces, but you may have to go through a brief adjustment period. Here are some tips that can help!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Spend a Few Extra Hours Practicing<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>No matter how experienced they are, every musician knows the importance of daily practice. This doesn\u2019t change when you get braces; in fact, the more you practice playing right after getting braces, the more quickly the adjustment period will be over. For the first few days, your braces will probably cause soreness when they\u2019re pressed against your lips, especially if you play a brass instrument. It will take about a week for calluses to build up on the insides of your lips, but once they have, you shouldn\u2019t need to worry about discomfort there anymore. Keep in mind that it may also take some time to retrain your embouchure to hit particularly high or low notes, but your range should be back to normal before you know it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Use Dental Wax<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>As the calluses start to form inside your lips, one way to reduce discomfort is to place a piece of dental wax over the parts of your braces that are giving you trouble. This creates a barrier that protects those spots as they toughen. While it may take a few minutes to apply the wax correctly, it can be worth it to deal with less soreness later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Be Careful When Tonguing<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Typically, braces shouldn\u2019t affect tonguing, but they can if you\u2019re also wearing a palatal expander across the roof of your mouth. In that case, you may need to train yourself to tongue in a different way. Many people who play wind instruments start out by tonguing against the roof of their mouth, but if your palatal expander is getting in the way, try to do so against the bottom edge of the back of your upper front teeth. Not only does this avoid your orthodontic appliance, but many musicians find that it gives them greater control.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Just because you\u2019re working to achieve a straighter, healthier smile doesn\u2019t mean you have to give up your musical career. Keep these tips in mind, and within a couple of years, you can have a dazzling smile along with your impressive musical skills!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Whether you\u2019re joining your school band for the first time or you\u2019re a seasoned professional, most musicians who get traditional braces have the same question: \u201cWill I still be able to play my instrument with braces?\u201d Because braces make some major changes to your mouth, it might seem like playing a wind instrument is out [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v22.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Can You Play Musical Instruments If You Have Braces? | Dr. Alison Fitzgerald<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Playing a wind instrument with braces can be challenging, but not impossible. Keeping these tips in mind can make it easier!\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sweetsmilestucson.com\/blog\/2022\/02\/17\/can-you-play-musical-instruments-if-you-have-braces\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Can You Play Musical Instruments If You Have Braces? | Dr. Alison Fitzgerald\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Playing a wind instrument with braces can be challenging, but not impossible. Keeping these tips in mind can make it easier!\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.sweetsmilestucson.com\/blog\/2022\/02\/17\/can-you-play-musical-instruments-if-you-have-braces\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Sweet Smiles Family Dentistry and Orthodontics Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2022-02-17T17:58:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2022-12-13T16:59:15+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.sweetsmilestucson.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/AdobeStock_285287650__1575382292_78151-300x200.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Dr. Fitzgerald\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Dr. Fitzgerald\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.sweetsmilestucson.com\/blog\/2022\/02\/17\/can-you-play-musical-instruments-if-you-have-braces\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.sweetsmilestucson.com\/blog\/2022\/02\/17\/can-you-play-musical-instruments-if-you-have-braces\/\",\"name\":\"Can You Play Musical Instruments If You Have Braces? | Dr. Alison Fitzgerald\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.sweetsmilestucson.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.sweetsmilestucson.com\/blog\/2022\/02\/17\/can-you-play-musical-instruments-if-you-have-braces\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.sweetsmilestucson.com\/blog\/2022\/02\/17\/can-you-play-musical-instruments-if-you-have-braces\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.sweetsmilestucson.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/AdobeStock_285287650__1575382292_78151-300x200.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2022-02-17T17:58:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2022-12-13T16:59:15+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.sweetsmilestucson.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/9948cbd57afeaff3509aa11e16793a14\"},\"description\":\"Playing a wind instrument with braces can be challenging, but not impossible. 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