Sport and musical instruments with braces
Active children and teenagers who take part in sport, music or other leisure activities need braces that don’t interfere with their lifestyle. Comfort, safety and easy care are especially important. The good news for parents: no child has to give up their hobby because of orthodontic treatment.
Sport: it depends on the sport
Whether the aligners can stay in during training depends on which sport your child does.
No problem
Sports such as football, tennis and basketball involve only limited physical contact, which is rarely rough. The jolts in athletics, cycling and gymnastics can have an effect, but don’t normally lead to injuries to the mouth or jaw. For fitness sports or light contact sports, your child can probably wear their invisible braces the whole time.
This is when the aligners come out
American football, hockey, rugby and polo can get rough. If there’s a collision while your child is wearing their aligners, they can break or be knocked out of the mouth. For activities such as wrestling, boxing and martial arts, wearing the aligners is not advisable. If in doubt: better to take them out.
The most important rule: mouthguard before aligners
If your child plays contact sports such as hockey, they should be wearing a mouthguard anyway. A mouthguard not only reduces the risk of broken teeth, it can even protect against serious injuries such as concussion.
Remember this for the sports bag: the aligners must be removed before the mouthguard goes in. Aligners don’t belong under a mouthguard. Only then can the mouthguard do its job and protect teeth and lips as well as possible.
With fixed braces, too, the mouthguard is the key issue: during sport, especially contact sport, it’s important to wear a mouthguard to protect the teeth and the braces. Your orthodontist can recommend a custom-fitted mouthguard — just ask us at your next check-up.
What this means for wearing time
The aligners should be worn for 20 to 22 hours a day and only taken out for eating and brushing. If your child also takes them out for training, make sure this time is kept to a minimum — otherwise treatment will take weeks or months longer. If your child trains very often, it’s best to discuss the situation with us directly.
Music: no reason to put the instrument away
When it comes to music, we’re clear: activities such as sport or playing musical instruments can be carried on without any problems or restrictions. With invisible aligners, there are no restrictions on playing wind instruments.
Our doctor DDr. Köhne answers this question from parents and teenagers as follows: “You can play musical or wind instruments without any problem. It’s also fine to take the aligners out while playing. But please make sure the aligners are worn for around 20 to 22 hours a day.” The aligners are smooth and contain no metal or wires at all — which is exactly what makes them so comfortable at the mouthpiece.
Why removable aligners are ideal for active children
The advantages our young patients notice in everyday life are quickly listed:
- No restrictions on leisure time, sport or music
- No restrictions when brushing teeth or speaking
- Removable for eating and oral hygiene
- No annoying wires or metal brackets that can cause irritation
- Minimal to no emergencies, no injuries to or inflammation of the inside of the mouth
- Fewer check-ups — leaving more time for friends, sport and leisure
We’ll find the solution that fits your child’s everyday life
Ball sports, martial arts or wind band: tell us at the consultation what your child does in their free time. This information feeds directly into the choice of treatment method. Book a detailed consultation with our experienced orthodontists now — or read up beforehand on what treatment costs.