As a parent, I didn’t want my child, or any child, to grow up with nasty medical-dental fates. Whole Health Kids Program.
I’d love to share with you a story with you about two of my patients, if you will indulge me, the moral of these stories and how they may help your children, will become clear near the end.
John shows up for his 2 PM appointment,and his face looks haggard, with dark bags under his eyes, and red rims around them.
“How are you today?” I asked on purpose.
“Terrible. Most mornings I actually wish I didn’t have to get out of bed. I feel like a grumpy old man when I wake up.” John is only 37. “I wound have cancelled my appointment except my teeth are too sensitive to brush.”
He is referring to those brown notches around his gum lines. Abfraction is the dental term for it. Abfraction literally means “missing afraction” of the whiter enamel covering every tooth so we can eat, drink,and brush without sensitivity. Abfractions come from teeth grinding.
Besides the abfractions, what else is wrong with John’s teeth and face?
- Upper lip in profile is flat (collapsed) rather than supported by teeth and jaw
- Upper jaw is receded relative to the chin — a red flag for sleep breathing disorder
- Head is tilted backward (to breathe better)
- Crowded lower front teeth — a red flag that the upper jaw is too narrow
Carol is 27 and she is a new patient referred by her holistic psychiatrist. “Nice to meet you, Carol. What can I do for you?”
“My psychiatrist is trying to back me off medication for depression. I have had depression for 20 years, and she thinks an oral appliance can help me.”
“If you can have 3 wishes granted by the Fairy Godmother right now regarding your health — both medical and dental — what’d you ask of her?”
“Number one, more energy; number two, lose 80 pounds; number three, relief from depression.”
Because I know this is avoidable, I always ask: Parents, would you want your daughter to face this medical-dental fate in her 20’s? Straight white teeth after braces does not mean the jaws are correct for the airway and whole body health. With the help of her outstanding psychiatrist, Carol got off anti-depressants and got on oral appliances. 3 months later, she lost 20 pounds and her depression lifted.
Dr. Weston A. Price found that radiant natural and spontaneous joy was associated with broad faces, wide dental arches, naturally straight teeth.
The mid-face is formed by the upper jaw and cheek bones Full development of the upper jaw is associated with “Million Dollar Smiles” and natural radiance that no makeup can match.
Mid-facial development is susceptible to:
- Nutritional deficiencies vitamins A, D, E, and Activator X from spring grass and organ meats (1)
- Nutritional injuries passed down from ancestry (2, 3)
- Nasal obstruction from food sensitivities or intolerances (4, 5, 6)
- Mouth breathing from enlarged tonsils, adnoids, and environmental allergens (7)
- Environmental pollutants (8)
Is your child’s dental-facial development on the right track? A Holistic Mouth Checkup is a start, and oral expander appliances therapy can help, if needed. It can be built into a child’s cleaning visit, or a separate session for second-opinion.
Early recognition and correction beats a pound of cure later. To schedule a Holistic Mouth Checkup, contact us today.
References:
1. Nutrition & Physical Degeneration, by Weston A. Price, DDS, Price-Pottenger Nutrition Foundation, 2008
2. Pottenger’s Cats, by Francis M. Pottenger, Jr., MD, 2nd ed. Price Pottenger Foundation, 1995
3. Your Genes Is Not Your Destiny: Time Magazine
4. Handbook of Facial Development, by Enlow D, Moyers R, Merow W. Saunders, 1976
5. Chang MC, et al, Developmental Effects of Impaired Breathing in the Face of the Growing Child, The Angle Orthodontist, October, 1988, 309-320.
6. Food Sensitivities or Intolerance, by Lawrence Wilson, MD
7. McColley et al, Chest 1997, 111: 170-73.
8. The Pollution in Newborns