<p>helenback, yep, the herbst is the thing that pushes the jaw forward. S1 had a really hard time adjusting to it along with the braces all at once. I think it was a big part of his trumpet troubles. He played drums until mid-way thru eighth gr. when his middle sch. band started to disintergrate (director was kind of nutso). He quit to take a different elective class. He knew he was not going to do band in h.s.</p>
<p>S2,on the other hand, had the herbst app. for awhile before getting the braces so he was able to acclimate gradually. Also since the trombone had a bigger mouthpiece, it was prob. a little easier to adjust to than trumpet. S2 also quit band at eighth grade. He was totally focused on football by then.</p>
<p>The herbst is a pretty weird contraption. Our Ortho. uses it a lot, esp. for boys. It works similiarly to “headgear” but kids don’t have the “option” of not wearing the herbst like they do the headgear. Both my S’s came out with beautiful teeth so it was worth it.</p>