Two weeks in!

Two weeks in and there has been some movement!!

The top picture is the day they were put in
The middle picture is week 1
The bottom picture is today

Phew!!

Just got back from the ortho - apparently my little lig wasn't broken, it was just because my front tooth is so twisted it doesn't sit in the bracket properly? So I was just being overcautious! :)

Uh oh.....

Hmmm .... seem to have knocked one of the little ligature wires off of my brace so the wire isn't sitting properly in my brace .... uh oh!! Going to ring the ortho tomorrow and see if they want me to come in. Can already feel my teeth have moved a bit in the wrong direction as they were very achy. TBH it IS hardly noticeable, but because I am a little obsessed on where the wires etc go I noticed it this afternoon.

Result!!!

Well, I am happy! Seem to be approaching something akin to normality with my braces. They have stopped rubbing and I got all the way through a rehearsal last night with no stresses. The clear wax was a bit squishy, so I might go back to the thicker, coloured stuff. Bit concerned about them staining my braces, but seemed to be okay with the purple wax.

I have also included a more updated picture today as (it might be in my head) but I am convinced my front teeth are looking straighter already.

There is hope!!

Well, yesterday I attempted my second band rehearsal. I smothered the top of my brace with bright purple wax (Trust me.... an attractive look!) and off I went......

What can I say ...................... 2000% better!!! Last Wednesday I managed one hymn tune and a whole lot of horrible noise, this week I managed an entire rehearsal on front row!!!!! Had to finished 15 minutes before the end as I could start to feel it digging in and I didn't want to push it too much, but all in all a much better experience.

So, my main aims are to

• develop my ability to play quietly
  
• develop my range back up to B above the stave
• develop my stamina

Still can't quite manage that elusive top A though.
I am already looking forward to May 11th 2012 - I am going to have a curry and a bottle of red wine! They all banned because of the ties that go around the ceramic brackets will stain and then my braces will be much more noticeable.

5 days down, 700-odd to go!

Range is returning slowly. Wax is a big help. Got to stick with it I guess.... Ha - stick with it, geddit ;)

Tone isn't amazing, but I'm sure that (as well as 'A' above the stave) will return in time. Yesterday I was playing easily and comfortably up to an 'F' on the top line of the stave. I am wondering if tomorrow's rehearsal will be less painful and more productive than last Wednesdays. Stamina is also a 'small' issue.

D... E.... F .... G... A.... B.... C.... D

I am having to wear my comfort covers basically all the time on my bottom set of teeth during the evening. Last night I ordered some 'braceeze' online and a lot of wax because of the pain. I had really heavy KS3 teaching day yesterday which involved a lot of singing and talking, and by the end of it I was in so much pain I had to cancel the school band and just go home. I am determined THAT will never happen again. Basically, the two brackets which sit on your canines have little 'hooks' on them. I tell you - these hooks are the spawn of Satan! The rest of the brackets are fine, but these hooks are digging in like crazy and have resulted in an ulcer the size of a penny on the bottom right-hand side of my mouth by my tooth.

I gave myself last night off of the cornet. Pulled it out tonight and I've mostly been practising easy scales - C major, D major, E major, Bb major- over and over again until i get used to pitching again. I figure my technique is still here - its just hidden behind a mess of ceramic and metal wires at the moment. So its not all terrible, but it's certainly not great. *sigh*

Onwards and upwards .... slowly and painfully.

On the plus side - the kids at school have been amazing, and hardly anyone has really noticed I have braces (especially teaching staff - had to point them out to the people I work with!!!). A few of them were puzzled about why I actually NEEDED them in the first place, so maybe the overbite was really all in my head ;)

Instrument of Torture

So ... its official. My cornet has become an instrument of torture. After a stressful hour on the front row last night I gave up and moved onto second cornet, mainly so I could sort my pitching. Was all going swimmingly 'till Steve pulled out 'Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom'!!! So frustrating!! Music and notes which were second nature have now become an impossibility.

My mouth is covered in cuts, and I have an ulcer which is the size of penny.

Let's hope the only way is up..... and past the note 'D' on the fourth line! :o

Braces on!!

Well, I went down to the orthodontist today for my three o'clock appointment. After two x-rays and a set of impressions they fitted the brace!! Scary!! It took about 20 minutes in total, I was home by 15.50pm. Feels a bit huge at the moment. I have ceramic braces which are bigger than metal ones. Luckily the bit I hated most of metal braces - those evil rings that are forced over your back teeth - are not used on a ceramic system so I was spared that hideousness again. The funny thing was because they are clear they were put on with coloured 'dots' on them (which brush off with the toothbrush) so they looked VERY strange when they were first put on.

Feels a bit scratchy but that is probably because I am a bit crazy and the first thing I did when I got home was try and get a note out of my Cornet! First attempt - middle C, D, E, F, G, A, B.... *splurt*. Eventually after adjusting my embouchure a few times I got up to 'E' on the fourth space up.

I can feel it rubbing in two places which is a bit concerning, but I will get some wax if its a real problem. I also dont seem to be able to chew which is ALSO a bit concerning?!

Pre-braces playing

.... of the cornet kind.

Currently I sit fourth man down at Cambridge Brass Band. I was on 2nd Man down for a while, but after deciding I DEFINITELY wanted braces about four weeks ago I had a chat with our conductor, and offered to move down the line. We have a concert in Ely Cathedral in two weeks time and this way it takes the pressure off me somewhat. Its a good job Matt arrived and is doing a fab job moving up one (much better than me tbh!!).

I can currently play (easily and comfortably) up to a Top B. I use A on 3rd valve as the 2nd and 1st combo on my Xeno cornet is generally sharp. I'm using a Denis Wick Heritage 4b mouthpiece which I have been playing on for nearly a year now. I am hoping that the flatter rim will help somewhat as I have lost the pressure ring I used to have on my face from playing on the bog standard 4b, and playing where I am has increased my stamina and confidence no end.

So, lets destroy that by adding a ring of metal to my face.... yey.....

Pre-Braces Two

This is the second time I have had braces. The first time was when I was aged 12 and I think they were taken off around my 18th birthday. My bite was misaligned, and I had a removable top brace, followed by fixed bottom, then fixed bottom and top, then a night brace and then finally a retainer that was adjusted to pull the teeth inwards. My teeth were great until I stopped wearing the retainer .... BIG mistake! I guess I am lucky in that the treatment will only last two years this time, rather than nearly 6, because my bite is now perfect, its just the top and bottom front teeth that have moved. Lucky me :/

I didn't 't play a brass instrument then, but I did play Clarinet (and all through this I was playing in a wind band and working towards my Grade 8). I remember the main pain being with the wires cutting in rather than the brackets themselves, but most of the time it didn't bother me too much. The main pain was with the bottom teeth. Read some interesting stuff about how, if you don't adjust your embouchure, you can develop callouses which will NEVER go away and will do permanent damage to your playing. Eek!! I did ask about invisalign but apparently it wont do the job that is needed - its a fixed brace or nothing.

I guess the only thing to do is wait and see......

Pre-Braces

So, last weekend brace-free for two years apparently. I have received both the Jet-Tone lip protector and the Comfort Covers in the post. At first glance I am more convinced the Jet-Tone is going to be more successful. It actually clips onto the arch wires, where as the comfort covers look like they are too flimsy to stay on with any pressure. A cornet player that uses pressure?! Shocking....

Got to get rid of those three bottles of red too, as I'm having ceramic braces and apparently the elastics are more likely to stain with red wine, coffee (gulp!) and red pasta sauce. Bang go three staples out of my diet then.....

What's all this in aid of you ask? Removing the 10mm gap between my top and bottom teeth, and hopefully removing the pain of playing from my front right tooth. The pressure causes it to hurt and wobble after rehearsals. I am worried if I don't do anything about it I will do some permanent damage.

Things I am concerned about?

- Not being able to play a single note
- Losing the ability to play on the front row at Cambridge
- Reaction of work (from parents as well as kids)
- Being constantly asked for ID (Yes, adults have braces too)
- It not working and wasting two years and a bunch of money.

Will it be worth it in the end? Who knows? Better than a life of 'what if', though, I guess :)