<p>"It's kind of pointless to get braces after you've been playing trumpet for so long like me... (7 years). I got a decent Bach strad LR180 S43G along with an old 180 S37 I wish there was something magical that would help my horrors of braces."</p>
<p>There is... they're called Morgan Lip Bumpers. Google them and see what shows up. They're not perfect, and it's still not easy to play with them, but it makes it hurt a whole lot less and it makes it a lot easier to get used to the braces.</p>
<p>And to join the larger conversation... I'm also a trumpet player (wow, we have a lot of them here), and I've played for about 8 years now. I have a Vincent Bach model of some kind, and I love playing jazz. Oh, and the plunger mute is definitely the coolest thing ever.</p>