Abstract
INTRODUCTION: The orofacial region, particularly the lips, tongue, and teeth, plays a critical role in wind instrument performance. Wind instrument players may experience lip pain, trauma, or discomfort during performance. In patients rehabilitated with fixed implant-supported full-arch prostheses, reduced soft tissue support and intraoral volume may compromise embouchure stability and endurance. CASE DESCRIPTION: A 55-year-old male amateur saxophone player reported early fatigue and difficulty maintaining embouchure stability after receiving a fixed implant-supported full-arch prosthesis. Clinical examination revealed a space between the prosthetic superstructure, residual alveolar ridge, and buccal mucosa. To compensate for the reduced intraoral tissue volume, a plumper-type music splint worn exclusively during instrument playing was planned. The appliance was initially fabricated as a provisional music splint, digitized using a model scanner, and finalized through computer-controlled milling of acrylic resin. Subjective evaluation of playing comfort was conducted using an exploratory 10-point scale, and maximum sustained note duration was measured. RESULTS: One month after delivery, the splint showed good fit and resulted in marked improvement in playing comfort and reduction of fatigue. Performance-related functions that had been severely compromised without the splint, including buccal stability and low-register tone production, improved to clinically meaningful levels. After one year of follow-up, further improvements were observed, and the patient reported increased ease and confidence during performance, accompanied by prolonged maximum sustained note duration. CONCLUSION: The plumper-type music splint effectively compensated for insufficient intraoral tissue volume caused by the existing implant-supported prosthesis and enhanced embouchure stability and playing comfort. This removable, low-risk appliance may represent a useful adjunct for wind instrument players who experience performance-related functional impairment following fixed full-arch implant rehabilitation.