If your child plays a wind instrument in the school band and needs to have his or her teeth properly aligned, lingual braces may be the best option. Here are a few reasons why.
They don't show up in school pictures.
If your child plays in the school band, there will be many opportunities for your youngster to you have photos taken for the yearbook. The band often performs at many different school events, such as assemblies and football games. In various photos, the band members may be asked to smile. With traditional braces, your child may feel uncomfortable smiling for photos due to the large amount of metal that may be seen. However, with lingual braces, only your child's teeth are visible when he or she smiles.
Lingual braces are attached to the back side of the teeth. Thus, the brackets are hidden as your child talks to friends or smiles for pictures.
No food that is trapped in the brackets is visible.
With traditional braces, it can be difficult for your child to eat without embarrassing chunks of food being caught and displayed in the brackets. This can be particularly bothersome for a school band member because of the frequent trips to sporting events and competitions.
During these outings, your child may have to eat at restaurants with the band, and there may be little time for the youngster to properly clean his or her brackets. The proper cleaning of the brackets may have to wait until the child can get back home and brush and floss properly.
With lingual braces, even if edible debris is caught in the brackets, it is hidden from view by the front surface of the teeth.
The lips can move in the normal manner.
It can take quite a while for a young musician to learn to properly position his or her lips around the reed and mouthpiece of a wind instrument. Once your child masters the technique, it will be easier for him or her to practice playing music. However, after the placement of traditional braces, a child has to relearn how to position the lips due to the presence of brackets between the inner surface of the lips and the teeth.
Due to the positioning of lingual braces, your child can move his or her mouth in a normal manner. As a result, he or she should be able to play music without uncomfortable adjustments.
To learn more reasons why lingual braces maybe the best option for your young musician, schedule an appointment with an orthodontist in your area.
Share