Teagan is a high school Junior who plays soprano clarinet in the marching band—and this band does much more than just playing and marching, she shares. Their extensive choreography is a lot to keep up with while playing her instrument. It’s pretty silly at times she says, smiling, but it’s also a lot of fun.
Before braces, Teagan had a significant overbite that hid her bottom teeth. Cosmetically, this didn’t bother her. After all, every smile is unique! As she grew older though, it became apparent that the degree of her overbite was causing significant issues with chewing and orthodontic correction would be necessary.
Fortunately for Teagan, she grew up thinking braces were cool and liking the look of them. She was actually excited when she and her family found metro Atlanta teen braces treatment available through Decatur Orthodontics and learned that braces would in fact be her best path forward to correcting her alignment issues.
Teagan says the experience she has had with the Decatur Orthodontics team has been wonderful and welcoming at every turn.
When she has questions, Dr. Francis and his staff always take their time speaking with her and ensuring she is comfortable with the process. The staff are all so gentle and kind, Teagan says. She shares that it never hurts when she is getting her rubber bands placed.
Teagan finds it encouraging to be working towards a completion point with her orthodontics, and the friendly, knowledgeable staff keeps her informed about both her progress and her estimated treatment end date.
Marching band performance moves aren’t all Teagan has to navigate. Since getting her braces at Decatur Orthodontics, she has had to make some small adjustments around playing her instrument. Teagan limits her playing on days she gets her braces tightened.
This came as a surprise the first time she tried to play her clarinet after having her tightening appointment. She didn’t expect to not be able to play a note! Teagan says she was able to get used to it pretty quickly, though. By the next day after her appointment, she says she’s fine to play.
One technique musicians who rely on their mouth to play their instruments use to play more comfortably with braces is applying dental wax on the metal brackets. This can ensure that the lips don’t press uncomfortably against the metal, ensuring that the lips are free to move as they need to during musical performance.
Teagan says she used wax in this way during the first week she had her braces, when she was first getting used to what it felt like to play with them on. After that first week though, she found that she really didn’t need the wax. Musicians can try this for themselves to see what they prefer.
Teagan says the experience she has had with the Decatur Orthodontics team has been wonderful and welcoming at every turn.
When she has questions, Dr. Francis and his staff always take their time speaking with her and ensuring she is comfortable with the process. The staff are all so gentle and kind, Teagan says. She shares that it never hurts when she is getting her rubber bands placed.
Teagan finds it encouraging to be working towards a completion point with her orthodontics, and the friendly, knowledgeable staff keeps her informed about both her progress and her estimated treatment end date.
Having braces in high school isn’t nearly as bad as people make it out to be, Teagan assures. She says it’s even kind of cute and cool for some people! That’s certainly how she feels about it.
She also loves seeing her smile transform. Again, for Teagan, the cosmetics of her smile weren’t an issue for her before braces. That said, she is really loving the changes she sees as her alignment issues move towards resolution. She finds it really exciting, and can’t wait to see the final results.
Ready to chew more comfortably and smile more confidently? Schedule a free orthodontic consultation with our team today.
