EMBOUCHURE THERAPY: A MUSICAL WAY OF CORRECTING AN ANATOMICALLY SHORT UPPER LIP - A PILOT STUDY.

Embouchure is the position of lip, tongue and teeth while playing a musical wind instrument. The Embouchure is produced with the muscles around the lips: orbicularis oris and depressor angulioris, whilst avoiding activation of Zygomaticus major, which will produce a smile, flattening the upper lip against the maxillary anterior teeth. A short upper lip contributes to protrusion of upper incisors and represents an aesthetic concern. It is clearly possible to influence the morphology of the lips with exercise. Thus, playing a wind instrument will serve as a lip strengthening exercise and improve tooth position and soft tissue profile. Instrument with a small aperture can help to reduce overjet and benefit the patient with a short or weak upper lip or a protruding lower lip. In accordance to functional matrix theory, the periosteal matrix such as tendons and muscles act directly upon the skeleton unit. Thus, the lip lengthening follows the functional matrix theory. In contrast, the lip exercise may be employed in to improve the morphology of the upper lip by playing wind instrument, which serves as lip lengthening, proclination correction and it also increases the lung capacity and invariably prevents mouth breathing habit. As Orthodontists we are concerned about the "habits" but not the "hobbies" of the patient. If the patient has a hobby of playing wind instrument, it can prove beneficial to the treatment as well. Lip lengthening and open bite can be enhanced by the influence of flute embouchure in growing children.