Early interventions beyond conventional solutions
WHOLE-BODY
DENTISTRY Biological Dentists Get to the Root Causes by Linda Sechrist
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W
hile the majority of individuals may consider oral health as separate from overall health, the mouth and body are very much connected. Until the late 1970s, this was rarely acknowledged outside a circle of dental professionals, physicians and allied researchers involved in organizations such as the International Academy of Biological Dentistry and Medicine, The International Academy of Oral Medicine and
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Broward County, Florida edition
Toxicology (IAOMT) and the Holistic Dental Association. Dentists associated with these groups favor the use of preventive measures, a minimally invasive approach to dentistry and biocompatibility testing for all materials used in oral health procedures. Their individualized methodology and systemic health method of addressing the root causes frequently includes nutrition and lifestyle, providing patients with a less-toxic and safe experience for their overall health.
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Jean Marie Nordin, DDS, co-owner of Groton Wellness, in Groton, Massachusetts, added pediatric orthodontics to her practice after learning about early innovative interventions from her mentor, James Bronson, DDS, of Bronson Family Dentistry, in McLean, Virginia. “Our program for children involves a comprehensive evaluation on the first visit. We look at breathing habits, the way their tongue swallows and the function of the muscles. In medicine, we believe that form follows function; therefore, we observe what muscles around the mouth actually do when the individual swallows. It is really the way you breathe and swallow, as well as how the muscles work, that plays a significant role in where teeth end up and line up,” explains Nordin, who identifies problems in patients between 2 and 5 years old. “We can start them on a removable Myobrace mouthpiece that can be worn at night and an hour during the day. The mouthpiece begins to change the way the tongue works, waking it up and strengthening it. If a child is born with the physiological problem of a tongue-tie that can’t swallow properly or get up onto the palate, that tongue will never expand the palate like it’s supposed to,” she clarifies. For chronic mouth-breathers, the face grows long and narrow, which in the long term can cause cardiovascular disease. In the short term, it can cause
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An important newcomer to this area is the myofunctional treatment system used in orthodontics for children 5 to 15 years old. Research in this field now points to the real causes for crooked teeth and incorrect jaw development—mouth breathing, tongue thrusting, reverse swallowing and thumb sucking (known as incorrect myofunctional habits), in addition to allergies, asthma and an openmouth posture.
