I just listened to an 8 minute long radio recording with Dr. William Hang who has lately become my guru. He is one of the few orthodontists out there who try to solve the cause behind crooked teeth by fixing the jaws first. I have to say I am completely taken by this interview! This is the first time I hear Dr. Hang talk and it is almost as if he has read all the different thoughts I’ve had for 17 years (that is, ever since I had my braces removed).
Dr. Hang explains how he “converted” from extraction/retraction orthodontics to what he does today (mainly expansion of jaws and bringing them forward). Even Dr. Hang was once “on of those who recommended that you had teeth pulled”. But today he doesn’t even want to look at these people, it makes him shudder. He didn’t realize back then how bad it really was and how much damage that kind of treatment can do.
In the middle of the transition he still had a couple of patients who were undergoing traditional treatment and of course he had to finish what he started. He tells us how his pulse started to accelerate as he saw their names on the schedule. He almost had anxiety attacks and it was all very difficult for him. I am so impressed that he had the courage to break lose, that he was so far ahead of the others and that he later on had the strength to admit to himself and the public that this was wrong.
He also talks about women he met who had teeth pulled and braces and who look back at the result and say, “I don’t like this, not even a little bit!” One of them even said, “My life was over at 13. When I had my braces removed and saw myself, my life was over.”
This almost brought tears to my eyes. For 17 years I thought I was crazy! I have never liked how my mouth turned out or felt and I have hated what the orthodontic treatment did to my face. But I have never heard of anybody who feels the same way. My experience was very vague and I didn’t understand what was wrong, I couldn’t explain it. This is what it must feel like to suffer from a disease that doesn’t have a name yet and is suddenly recognized one day. An awakening, an aha moment. It is an incredible relief!
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måndag 17 oktober 2011
lördag 13 augusti 2011
Traditional braces - friend's glad she never wore them
I went to dinner at a friend's place last night and we started talking about how much her crooked teeth bothered her. I started talking about what I've read lately, that you shouldn't extract and/or retract teeth in orthodontics because it can damage the profile, the bite, the position of the tongue and the position of the jaw joint (TMJ) but that this is still done in many cases. She was shocked and said, "Are you SERIOUS?" I told her about Weston A. Price and how he found the reason for crooked teeth and that traditional orthodontics don't take care of the real problem and can make everything worse.
Then I told her that you will usually need bonded retainers on the back of the teeth for the rest of your life to keep them from shifting since the result is so unstable. "Are you SERIOUS?" she said again. She couldn't let the topic go. The more I told her the happier she was that she had never worn (traditional) braces.
Later we started talking about children and that they often wait until they are fully grown here in Sweden which is the wrong thing to do. She had relatives that had to wear braces and pull out an eye tooth (a canine tooth coming in in the roof of the mouth) and when I told her that kind of scenario can often be avoided if you guide the growth of the jaws at an early age she was really surprised that more people aren't aware of this.
We then started measuring each other's intercanine width and laughed like little girls. "Ok, let's measure yours, oh my, your upper jaw is too small!" "Are you supposed to have that big of a jaw, that's huge!" (The norm is 40 mm for both men and women.) We measured the distance between the nose and the front teeth (according to Dr. Hang and Orthotropics practitioners). Her distance was too big but mine was of course bigger. We laughed again. But then we got serious once more. We discussed how I'm going to reach out to people? I don't know if most people wouldn't care about their health to get straight teeth but that they might not disregard the fact that these retraction methods cause double chin, bigger nose, damaged profile and treatment relapse? I gave her some links for further research.
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Imagine if this could have been avoided at an early stage. I'm sure this person would've been thrilled.
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lördag 6 augusti 2011
Types of orthodontic appliances
I have read more about orthodontics than is healthy for the brain. Slowly an opinion began to take shape, an opinion that is based on something I've felt all along: "Why only consider the teeth, that they need to be straight, if they don't fit the face, if the face loses its shape, if the profile is damaged?" And: "Why defy the body, nature itself, when it's the most brilliant machine that exists? Why torture people for years with uncomfortable and sometimes horrible appliances?"
These thoughts make me very upset, especially at this age because I've started thinking, "What if I get kids, how do I deal with these things? I can't make it go through just anything." But now I know everything worth knowing about new findings and that it doesn't have to be this way. You don't need to wear the worst appliances available for it to work. The less bulky ones usually work better because they take advantage of the body. It really makes a lot of sense! The body wants to change, to correct itself, but only if it's done in the right way. Furthermore, you don't have to choose between straight teeth and face/function because the good techniques improve the facial appearance and the mouth!
ALF or RPE - which would you prefer? Do you believe me when I tell you that the thin, discreet thing to the left solves more problems?
First and foremost, to not take the entire head and the shape of the jaws into account is often pointless. That's not the way to solve a problem. For years I have been telling myself, "Wow, people who used to wear braces sure have flat faces! And narrow smiles!" and now I realize that I wasn't the only one having these thoughts even though for the longest time I thought I was.
Though bothering too much about the cosmetic part isn't necessary because it comes as a bonus along with all the other advantages with functional orthodontics (functional appliances and braces for adults) and orthotropics (facial growth guidance for kids). TMJ problems, headaches, neck pain and sleep apnea are all serious things, (in my opinion far more serious than wearing out a tooth or two which are often the argument for orthodontic treatment). They are all things you want to avoid. The aesthetic part is related to them though since we humans tend to be able to judge from the appearance of a person if they are healthy or not. Someone who has their chin very close to their neck probably has breathing difficulties. To make the mouth smaller and pushing everything backwards doesn't solve any problems, it makes everything worse.
To guide the growth of the face isn't synonymous with torturing people. In most cases there is no retraction involved. The facial profile should be convex. It improves the airway (trust me, I know all too well what it's like not to be able to breathe properly). The whole purpose is to help the body become as it would have been had it grown correctly.
If I had to make a choice on my child's behalf between crooked teeth or moving everything backwards I would pick crooked teeth any day. As far as I'm concerned, health and a beautiful face are more important than straight teeth. Luckily there are methods where you don't have to choose. Sadly, they're not very commonly used.
Though bothering too much about the cosmetic part isn't necessary because it comes as a bonus along with all the other advantages with functional orthodontics (functional appliances and braces for adults) and orthotropics (facial growth guidance for kids). TMJ problems, headaches, neck pain and sleep apnea are all serious things, (in my opinion far more serious than wearing out a tooth or two which are often the argument for orthodontic treatment). They are all things you want to avoid. The aesthetic part is related to them though since we humans tend to be able to judge from the appearance of a person if they are healthy or not. Someone who has their chin very close to their neck probably has breathing difficulties. To make the mouth smaller and pushing everything backwards doesn't solve any problems, it makes everything worse.
To guide the growth of the face isn't synonymous with torturing people. In most cases there is no retraction involved. The facial profile should be convex. It improves the airway (trust me, I know all too well what it's like not to be able to breathe properly). The whole purpose is to help the body become as it would have been had it grown correctly.
If I had to make a choice on my child's behalf between crooked teeth or moving everything backwards I would pick crooked teeth any day. As far as I'm concerned, health and a beautiful face are more important than straight teeth. Luckily there are methods where you don't have to choose. Sadly, they're not very commonly used.
Q7RBCNEQGU52
måndag 4 april 2011
Is It Mental or Is It Dental – a scary article
Today I finally took courage and read the famous article Is It Mental or Is It Dental?
A lot of courage is required for this task - this is actually scary! When I was finished the last piece of the puzzle fell into place. People of the modern world eat refined foods which causes our craniums to develop improperly.
My face is a typical face that didn't grow correctly (even though it's a very common problem and not a very strange thing). All the things in my face I used to be bothered with are related to this:
1. Oblong and too narrow face.
2. Chin too far back.
3. Too big distance between nose and upper lip.
4. Protruding and too narrow nose.
5. White of the eye too big and downwards slanted eyes.
6. Black circles under eyes.
7. Asymmetrical face.
8. Creases at the mouth and the cheeks.
9. No visible cheekbones.
My goodness, these are things I spent years of learning to conceal with make-up! As you may have guessed retraction orthodontics makes this worse. The article also stated that soft tissues such as cartilage and tongue aren't affected by an underdeveloped cranium, they grow as they will. This is the reason why people with an underdeveloped upper jaw often have trouble breathing through their noses - narrow nose, adenoids etc. Not only that, this could even be the reason of myopia because the eye sockets don't grow to their full size which causes the eyeballs to get squeezed. It's just a theory but it makes a lot of sense.
Breathing difficulties and myopia can cause you to tilt your head downwards to make breathing and seeing easier. This way the airway opens up and it can interfere with your posture and cause you to slouch. Reading this made me all sweaty! These things have turned my life up side down! But you know what, I just laugh at the whole thing! It's just too much, too crazy. It's true, I'm laughing, because what are you going to do about it? You are a tiny human being who lives on a little planet and you’re basically in a good place. Still, it's scary and more people should read the article, Is it Mental or Is it Dental.
On the subway home today I couldn't help looking at people around me. Some of them with perfect profiles, others with sunken faces - worse than me. After all it's very interesting, isn't it?
Picture borrowed from Is It Mental or Is It Dental. Note the long distance between the nose and the mouth on the two women. The article says that the long face is related to the teeth appearing big and protruding. The boy has a big overjet and in many cases this has been treated by retracting the teeth in the upper jaw (extraction/retraction orthodontics). Imagine doing that to this boy. The profile below the nose would become diagonal and unnatural, nothing would be done about the position of the lower jaw except possibly pushing it further back. You can clearly see how bad of an idea that would be. (Or maybe it's just because yours truly had this kind of treatment done and knows how much damage it does.)
A lot of courage is required for this task - this is actually scary! When I was finished the last piece of the puzzle fell into place. People of the modern world eat refined foods which causes our craniums to develop improperly.
My face is a typical face that didn't grow correctly (even though it's a very common problem and not a very strange thing). All the things in my face I used to be bothered with are related to this:
1. Oblong and too narrow face.
2. Chin too far back.
3. Too big distance between nose and upper lip.
4. Protruding and too narrow nose.
5. White of the eye too big and downwards slanted eyes.
6. Black circles under eyes.
7. Asymmetrical face.
8. Creases at the mouth and the cheeks.
9. No visible cheekbones.
My goodness, these are things I spent years of learning to conceal with make-up! As you may have guessed retraction orthodontics makes this worse. The article also stated that soft tissues such as cartilage and tongue aren't affected by an underdeveloped cranium, they grow as they will. This is the reason why people with an underdeveloped upper jaw often have trouble breathing through their noses - narrow nose, adenoids etc. Not only that, this could even be the reason of myopia because the eye sockets don't grow to their full size which causes the eyeballs to get squeezed. It's just a theory but it makes a lot of sense.
Breathing difficulties and myopia can cause you to tilt your head downwards to make breathing and seeing easier. This way the airway opens up and it can interfere with your posture and cause you to slouch. Reading this made me all sweaty! These things have turned my life up side down! But you know what, I just laugh at the whole thing! It's just too much, too crazy. It's true, I'm laughing, because what are you going to do about it? You are a tiny human being who lives on a little planet and you’re basically in a good place. Still, it's scary and more people should read the article, Is it Mental or Is it Dental.
On the subway home today I couldn't help looking at people around me. Some of them with perfect profiles, others with sunken faces - worse than me. After all it's very interesting, isn't it?
Picture borrowed from Is It Mental or Is It Dental. Note the long distance between the nose and the mouth on the two women. The article says that the long face is related to the teeth appearing big and protruding. The boy has a big overjet and in many cases this has been treated by retracting the teeth in the upper jaw (extraction/retraction orthodontics). Imagine doing that to this boy. The profile below the nose would become diagonal and unnatural, nothing would be done about the position of the lower jaw except possibly pushing it further back. You can clearly see how bad of an idea that would be. (Or maybe it's just because yours truly had this kind of treatment done and knows how much damage it does.)
lördag 2 april 2011
Overbite and upper jaw too far back
I can't help but look at friends who I know used to wear braces, some of who had teeth extracted, and give their teeth and jaws a quick glance. Those who didn't have teeth extracted have the broadest smile, no doubt about it. They don't all have an inwardly slanted upper lip but usually straight (convex is the ideal, like most fashion models). But of course I avoid staring, it would have been weird if I did. :)
I almost worked myself to death today. To be able to write articles about overbites and jaw surgery I have to try to figure out exactly what happened to me. I finally gathered enough strength to open an old photo album with pictures of myself. I could never stand looking at pictures of myself as a kid, a face that I was forced to have damaged to please my parents and the dentists. (At least, that's how I used to look at it, I know it's not entirely true.)
I found pictures of myself as an eight year old. What can I say? My upper jaw is too far... back. Can you imagine? You have a 10 mm overjet - how the heck are you supposed to be able to figure out that the upper jaw is too far back? (The dentists should tell you this because they should know, shouldn't they?) But this is often the case, or so I've read, and I could clearly see that this was the case with me. The teeth appeared to be protruding but that's a different story. The truth is that the position of the teeth is usually perfect only they have been pushed out because the upper jaw is too narrow. Therefore the jaw is to blame, not the teeth!
Next thing that happens is that the upper jaw stops the lower jaw from developing properly and you end up with a weak chin. It's said that these problems keep getting worse the older you get and that was something I could determine from looking at these pictures. The face grows longer and longer and the profile becomes more and more diagonal. It really is pretty scary. Traditional orthodontics that move teeth backwards guide the face to grow even more wrong. Basically, they do the opposite of what should've been done.
Furthermore, to not help an eight year old who has this kind of problem? No, you choose to wait until it's too late. That's bordering on evil in my opinion! From what I've come to understand, scientists have known for about a century that when the cranium, the jaws and the teeth start to grow in the wrong direction they will continue to do so and if anything, get worse.
I feel disfigured. After having read all this I wonder how anybody has ever been able to find me attractive or cute. I may look alright from the front? I wonder if my super fast metabolism has anything to do with this. The cranium didn't develop the way it should which makes you look sick. I look like a person who has melted and got smudged out.
Maybe I should stop working this late...
I almost worked myself to death today. To be able to write articles about overbites and jaw surgery I have to try to figure out exactly what happened to me. I finally gathered enough strength to open an old photo album with pictures of myself. I could never stand looking at pictures of myself as a kid, a face that I was forced to have damaged to please my parents and the dentists. (At least, that's how I used to look at it, I know it's not entirely true.)
I found pictures of myself as an eight year old. What can I say? My upper jaw is too far... back. Can you imagine? You have a 10 mm overjet - how the heck are you supposed to be able to figure out that the upper jaw is too far back? (The dentists should tell you this because they should know, shouldn't they?) But this is often the case, or so I've read, and I could clearly see that this was the case with me. The teeth appeared to be protruding but that's a different story. The truth is that the position of the teeth is usually perfect only they have been pushed out because the upper jaw is too narrow. Therefore the jaw is to blame, not the teeth!
Next thing that happens is that the upper jaw stops the lower jaw from developing properly and you end up with a weak chin. It's said that these problems keep getting worse the older you get and that was something I could determine from looking at these pictures. The face grows longer and longer and the profile becomes more and more diagonal. It really is pretty scary. Traditional orthodontics that move teeth backwards guide the face to grow even more wrong. Basically, they do the opposite of what should've been done.
Furthermore, to not help an eight year old who has this kind of problem? No, you choose to wait until it's too late. That's bordering on evil in my opinion! From what I've come to understand, scientists have known for about a century that when the cranium, the jaws and the teeth start to grow in the wrong direction they will continue to do so and if anything, get worse.
I feel disfigured. After having read all this I wonder how anybody has ever been able to find me attractive or cute. I may look alright from the front? I wonder if my super fast metabolism has anything to do with this. The cranium didn't develop the way it should which makes you look sick. I look like a person who has melted and got smudged out.
Maybe I should stop working this late...
torsdag 24 mars 2011
Face damaged by orthodontics
I will gladly admit it: My face was damaged by orthodontics. It's alright, I can talk about it now without having too many feelings of anxiety.
Thankfully, I'm quite cool about my looks. I have come to realize that my appearance - and with that I'm referring to everything from eyes, forehead, lips, chin and face shape - has been affected by on the one hand the initial malocclusion and then, as the experts put it, been "damaged" even more by orthodontics.
But I can't let this break me. I am pleased with the way I look, I realize that would never be a super model anyway and I intend to live my life happy despite what happened. I will try to avoid "what if...?" thoughts because that's not the way life goes. Instead I'm almost grateful that this happened to me because that way I might be able to inform and help others. It’s in my nature.
It has been hard since this proved to be a bigger topic than I could've ever imagined and the risks associated with some of the orthodontic treatments are far more serious than I first thought. Still it is very interesting! I'm lucky to have been able to preserve my composure. I could have gotten really depressed but I somehow didn’t.
When I first started researching this I found the whole topic extremely disturbing. But I decided to face my fears, for other peoples' sake too. I read that, "adults with problems due to extraction orthodontics often have difficulties putting words to what they feel". I used to say that "it doesn't feel like my mouth anymore", that it was "diffucult to bite my teeth together" which are both very vague statements, especially when my teeth look fine to someone who is not aware of the debate. It has proved almost impossible to explain to a doctor. When I visited the American orthodontist, they said, "ok, maybe your jaw muscles are a bit weak?" and I can't blame them for thinking that. But the truth is that the mouth is too small for the tongue, the dental arch has an abnormal shape and the positions of the jaws are wrong - especially the lower jaw is too far back. And these are the causes of my bite being wrong, it's no mystery anymore.
Thankfully, I'm quite cool about my looks. I have come to realize that my appearance - and with that I'm referring to everything from eyes, forehead, lips, chin and face shape - has been affected by on the one hand the initial malocclusion and then, as the experts put it, been "damaged" even more by orthodontics.
But I can't let this break me. I am pleased with the way I look, I realize that would never be a super model anyway and I intend to live my life happy despite what happened. I will try to avoid "what if...?" thoughts because that's not the way life goes. Instead I'm almost grateful that this happened to me because that way I might be able to inform and help others. It’s in my nature.
It has been hard since this proved to be a bigger topic than I could've ever imagined and the risks associated with some of the orthodontic treatments are far more serious than I first thought. Still it is very interesting! I'm lucky to have been able to preserve my composure. I could have gotten really depressed but I somehow didn’t.
When I first started researching this I found the whole topic extremely disturbing. But I decided to face my fears, for other peoples' sake too. I read that, "adults with problems due to extraction orthodontics often have difficulties putting words to what they feel". I used to say that "it doesn't feel like my mouth anymore", that it was "diffucult to bite my teeth together" which are both very vague statements, especially when my teeth look fine to someone who is not aware of the debate. It has proved almost impossible to explain to a doctor. When I visited the American orthodontist, they said, "ok, maybe your jaw muscles are a bit weak?" and I can't blame them for thinking that. But the truth is that the mouth is too small for the tongue, the dental arch has an abnormal shape and the positions of the jaws are wrong - especially the lower jaw is too far back. And these are the causes of my bite being wrong, it's no mystery anymore.
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