I Feel a Song Comin' On!

Photo Courtesy of PatientConnect.com

With school back in session, many children choose to participate in their school music program. This is a wonderful skill to learn, and research proves playing a musical instrument enhances a child's overall ability to learn.

There are, however, a couple of things to consider. First of all musical instruments can be a prolific breeding ground for bacteria. Brass and wind instruments can harbor molds, yeast and bacteria which can result in asthma or a host of other illnesses. Regularly cleaning instruments is your best line of defense against these harmful substances.

The second issue that presents problems for your child is lip and tooth trauma. PatientConnect.com indicates because playing a wind or brass instrument requires the player to forcefully hold their instrument against or within the lips to produce a sound, this pressure can present problems for delicate lip tissue and growing teeth. There are soft acrylic guards that can be purchased to offset some of this pressure, and are especially common for children who wear braces.

The outbreak of cold sores can also be associated to playing musical instruments. By monitoring these outbreaks and noticing where the cold sores appear can help you mitigate the pain associated with cold sores. For woodwind instruments these outbreaks tend to be on the lower lip, whereas for brass instrument musicians the outbreaks tend to happen on the lower lip. And strangely enough, woodwind players can experience outbreaks twice as much as non-musicians.

With a little care and attention to the cleaning of musical instruments, your children can enjoy this wonderful skill and develop it with confidence. The benefits far outweigh the risks, but including a routine scheduled cleaning of your child's instrument will keep your child healthier and happier in their oral health care needs.

If you have any questions about this topic, feel free to contact our office. Dr. Clark can easily tell if your child's music instrument is causing damage to your child's tender teeth, and offer suggestions of how to prevent further damage.

As Dr. Clark likes to say, "I feel a song comin' on!" Keep on learning, keep on singing and keep on playing that wonderful music!

Call us with any questions

(541) 451-1440