oooh man i have had braces since 7th grade and im going into 10th and im getting them off next week!! i am SOO excited i can`t wait to see my teeth....

omg i know what you are talking about with the indentations in your bottom lip.. sometimes when i play a long song and i am really concentrating, it gets so bad it hurts to take my clarinet outta my mouth. last summer at band camp (we stay at a camp overnight for a week) i had a huge blister on my thumb from practicing 9 hours a day... and my mouth even bled at times. all you can do is use wax or a bumper and do everything you can to get them off asap. good lucky

When I started playing clarinet, I had braces on. I recently got my braces off and playing feels no different to me. However, I find it impossible to produce a good tone with my retainer (that I must wear most of the day now) in, so I suggest removing a retainer before playing if you ever have to wear one.

After reading all of these lil messages it kinda got me thinkin on how i must sound now with my clarinet. I have a rpe(a device that spread out my jaw), a biting block, braces, rubberbands(on my back teeth), and this spring thing on my four front teeth on the bottom. I got the spring thing and rubberbands 2day and i havn`t played my clarinet yet....

~Irene

I have been playing for 8 years and got braces two years ago I have answers for some people about their braces and what they can do.

HEATHER: When I got my braces on it took me a couple of days till I could play and I was not allowed to play for a week before that because I had surgery done for an exposure in my mouth. When I lcould finally play it took about one day to get my good tone back with the same size reed.

ANNE: About the bottom lip indents and the cuts that you get you could ask your orthadontist if they offer the lip bumpers like I did except my orthodontist was aking to much for them. If you do not want to pay that much money I found a wax that works really well that you can put over the bottom braces and it does not get soft to allow your lip to make contact with the braces. You can find it at CVS or Rite Aid. It is called Butler G.U.M Orthodomtic Wax. It works really well.

IRENE: Playing with springs and rubber bands is not to hard. I still have sprins and rubber bands and have no problem it was not too hard to get used to. Although depending where your rubber bands reach to you might have to take them out to play.

my braces are killing me.they jut out a lot,and when i play my clarinet there is a lot of pressure on the brace so it hurts on the bottom two middle teeth.
any stuff around that can help me with that?

Is it just pain that is also from the tightening or just from when you play. I would try maybe to keep a little less presure on the teeth but try not to loosen your mouth at all.

ok, i get my braces off tommorrow, YAY, but the next day, friday, i have to march and play in our citys homecoming parade for the hawkeyes, and i don`t know if i`ll be able to play, doesn`t it hurt when you get your braces off and then try to play, because i`v had them over 4 years and the wire won`t be their to support them, hows that feel. and to the people who wonder about playing with braces, it`s no biggie, i played normal clarinet, then went to bass, then to alto clarinet, then to contra bass and now i`m back to the bass clarinet for concert and normal for marching and i`v never even noticed my braces since i`v played with them. thanxz to those who respond

err... i started playing clarinet with braces already on... how will that feel if i play w/o braces for the first time? lol...

ok, i got my braces off, but will someone tell me how it`s gonna feel when i play with them off, cuz i havn`t in so long i forget how it is, will i sound diff or anything..?

personally I didnt` have any difference or trouble playing with and without braces (except when my teeth were sore!)I`m just curious what the embrochure is like on the people who are having trouble...maybe yours is such that would make playing with braces difficult..just a thought

Hi well i have had braces on for now 2 years and i have been playing the clarinet for that long to, it isnt that hard to play with them on i find it pretty easy buit when iget my braces tightened it hurts to play but i try to ignore it and just oplay i imagine i dont have braces and it doesnt hurt anymore

Hi well i have had braces on for now 2 years and i have been playing the clarinet for that long to, it isnt that hard to play with them on i find it pretty easy but when i get my braces tightened it hurts to play but i try to ignore it and just play i imagine i dont have braces and it doesnt hurt anymore and plus when u get your braces off it will be so easy playing the clarinet because when i started it was easy

i started out with braces. one perk is that is really toughens up your bottom lip which leads to more endurance later on.

If its any help i used to wear braces, the day i got them off was the day before i took the exam for grade 2. i had to change my technique overnight :D

I even passed with merit, even though i forgot all my scales :D