[dwarrier]

Hi everyone,

First post on SOTW- I have been reading the forum for a while now and I have to say this is a wonderful resource for inspiration, tips, and ideas from some great players and interesting people. I know there are a couple of other threads about the Invisalign treatment and sax playing, but I'd like to post my personal experience with it in case anyone is considering the treatment.

Invisalign so far has been great, and this is only after a month or so. Other than a three or four day adjustment period I have had almost no pain when wearing the trays normally and none at all while playing. I have only been playing for a couple of years but I do play often and for long periods of time, and Invisalign is not thick enough to affect my embrochure detrimentally. In fact, I even noticed an increase in stamina (my dentist predicted this) because the trays provide a smooth surface for my bottom lip to rest on which will be there anyway after the treatment is over.

I won't go into the other aspects of Invisalign and I know that some sax players found it impossible to play with the trays in (which almost scared me off when I was researching the treatment's impact on playing a wind instrument), but in regards to playing the saxophone I think it actually relieves stress put on the bottom lip by irregularly placed teeth. I would like to add however that my teeth are not in terrible shape relative to most people's, and a slightly slower pace and easier transitions between trays may have been used by my dentist because of this.

Anyways, I'm happy to be on SOTW and I look forward to coming back here often throughout my growth as a saxophonist and musician.

 

[BradWit]

Hi there dwarrier, welcome to SOTW and congrats on your successes so far.

I have a similar circumstance myself. While not invisalign (Essex retainers, they accomplish the same thing really) I have had my trays for a few months now. I personally can agree with most of your comments, in that there seems to be less strain on my embouchure. However, for me that isn't best because I'm currently trying to loosen up and need the muscles to build. The one thing that I would say to caution you is that though the trays certainly don't take up much room in your mouth, they do take up some. As a result, your embouchure is slightly different with them in compared to if they were out. Now, because these trays are (eventually) considered temporary and will become unnecessary in the years ahead, I personally play with them out. That way when I'm finished with the trays, I no longer have to retrain my embouchure to get used to NOT having them in. (DISCLAIMER: I really have no idea how large that adjustment may be, but muscle memory is a powerful thing, and some compensation may be needed when they come out.) At any rate, do as you see fit, and happy playing!

 

[dwarrier]

Thanks for your input Brad. I agree that some adjustments will have to be made between having the trays in and out, but the good news is that it's not as bad as I had feared

 

[jaleelshaw]

Thanks for your input Brad. I agree that some adjustments will have to be made between having the trays in and out, but the good news is that it's not as bad as I had feared

Anyone else have any experiences with Invisalign?

 

[jaleelshaw]

anyone?

 

[richardsiggers1]

Hi there,

I come at this topic from a few different angles. I'm a clarinet player but also work in dentistry… So I have a good understanding of wind/reed instruments and also how the teeth work with the mouth. You will probably find that you initially have some problems as your teeth move position. Your teeth will usually sit in the neutral zone between the pressure from your tongue pushing out and your cheeks pushing in. As your teeth move the muscles of your tongue and cheeks need to change in order to move this neutral zone. This can mean playing instruments can be affected.

One of the things I also noticed with a clarinet was that my top teeth had worn a small indentation in the mouth piece, I also had braces and as my teeth moved the teeth didn't fit in these indentations quite so well. You may find at the end of treatment you need to replace your mouth piece of the sax in order to accommodate this. I found this Invisalign dentist in Essex quite helpful with their blog posts.

Hope this helps

RS

 

[JazzDaddy]

So I go for a regular checkup with my dentist. I meet the new(er) dentist and chat about my crooked tooth. I mention to the dentist that my crooked top tooth is "eating" my mouthpieces over time. The dentists's (1st) response was "we could cap a couple of the top teeth", the crooked one and maybe the adjacent teeth on either side. I do NOT want to drill/cut into good teeth and have caps put on any good tooth. The dentist (2nd response) said if i attempted to go with invisaline or conventional braces, since my teeth are tight, most orthodontists would recommend yanking one or two teeth out. I understand that is the general practice for young folks in their "formative" years. But for a guy, now at retirement age, I'm very reluctant to take out good teeth. The crooked tooth is not as of a result of overcrowding but an injury from when I was little. I'm half way tempted to go to "SMILES" one of those on line DIY braces shops on line, measure per their instructions and order my own trays to wear whenever I'm not playing. The mthpc guards you can buy really do not last long, I'm already scratching a new Morgan mthpc I purchase two months ago. Separate from a discussion that I'm essentially eating whatever mouthpieces are made of (and the mthpc guard material).

And the dentist also said, from the X-rays the dentist could see mild stress fractures on my upper teeth, dentist indicated a classic symptom of musicians? I have never read/heard that from anybody else? Anybody else hear that or am I getting a snake oil sales pitch??

 

[mishmellow]

I don't know about mild stress fractures on teeth, but I have recently started using Invisalign.

One of my bottom front teeth is half hiding behind another tooth. I brush and floss, but coffee and chocolate stains are sticking (it's getting brown on the edges, is what I'm saying).
I don't need another extraction, root canal, or braces in my future, so I opted for invisalign, hoping that straightening it out will help it stay clean(er).

It's been just over 2 weeks now. I let my dentist know that I grind my teeth in my sleep, so they took note and ordered a set that are a little more... tough? Thicker? I'm not exactly sure, but that may account for some of my experience. You have to have these in 20-22 hours each day, minimum. I like to eat, and I'm not putting a stopwatch on how long I have it in or not. Also, I don't want to stain them, so they come out while I sip coffee in the morning. This doesn't leave a lot of time to have them out for playing my horn. And I don't want to play for 30 minutes with them out, and then have to put them in, and either adjust to playing with them in or make that the reason to end my session.

So I've opted to playing with these trays in my mouth. I have to rock these bad boys for 5 months. Suck it up.
I've noticed that they affect my playing more on alto, and less on tenor. This is likely due to the size of the mouthpieces, and how much my embouchure has to adjust to the additional space the trays take in my mouth. This is where YMMV - your mouth size is different than mine. It has affected my tonal quality a little, but I haven't fully adjusted to playing with these things in. That's partially because I'm playing less over the last couple of weeks.

Here's where it affects me more. It's like having a thin mouth guard in your mouth. It's affecting more how often I want to play, because I have this other 'thing' in my mouth. That's been the biggest detriment I've noticed. Now that I've become aware of how it's affecting me mentally, let's hope that I start to overcome this minor obstacle. Without having any gigs, a band, or other reason to practice other than I like to play, any additional obstacles can be the difference with whether I practice that day or not, and this doesn't really help.

 

[swperry1]

They also present the opportunity to develop a serious biting habit. Same goes for the folks who use EZO (out of production) and other things to make biting more comfortable instead of learning to play correctly.

 

[mishmellow]

They also present the opportunity to develop a serious biting habit. Same goes for the folks who use EZO (out of production) and other things to make biting more comfortable instead of learning to play correctly.

Indeed.
I shook my biting habit awhile ago, so I hope that doesn't come back as I'm trying to adjust to the additional space these things take...