Dental Braces at Your Age?

It is becoming more common place for adults to choose dental braces to make cosmetic changes to their teeth, looking for solutions to their jaw, face, neck, head pain and of course to correct for mal-occlusions (an imbalanced bite).

Teeth move within their boney beds from physical forces placed upon them from chewing, grinding, clenching, trauma, disease states and imbalances in the jaw joints (TMJ).

Less commonly known is that there can be functional imbalances in the joints of the pelvis, tensions in the membranes that line the inside of the head and the spinal canal collectively called the meninges and subtle compressions or twisting of the bones of the head or face. Any of these can have a negative impact on the process of wearing braces and the desired outcome. Having a lifelong dependence on a retainer may be an indication in part of unaddressed twisting in the bones of the face, head and associated soft tissues that existed prior to the use of the dental braces.

Braces and Cranial Therapy

One of the functions of live bone is its ability to be “loaded” and “unloaded” which refers to the forces that a bone can absorb and dissipate. Sometimes bone does not effectively dissipate forces and this can create states of compression, twisting and bending that is held in the matrix of the bone. Subtle imbalances in the flat joints of the head and face can also create functional problems leading to ear, eye, jaw, head, face and neck symptoms. In some instances, these underlying dysfunctions in the bones of the head or face are misidentified as being a dental issue when in fact it is abnormal forces in the bone that when removed eliminates the pain and dysfunction.

Cranial Therapy is a gentle therapy that can identify and remove the compressions, twisting, bending states of bone and the adverse tensions found in the membranes that line the cranial cavity, the spinal canal and attach down at the sacrum of the pelvis. In essence the body isn’t fighting itself as the teeth are gradually forced into place and the rest of the head and face are needing to move in response.

What to do first?

Having a number of cranial sessions to remove the subtle compressions and twisting of the facial and cranial bones can reduce the discomfort of wearing the braces, possibly shorten the time needed to make the corrections and encourage the bones to work with not against the dental appliance being used.

I have worked with a number of clients who effectively combined cranial therapy with their dental braces. It is also helpful to have a cranial therapy session after having your braces tightened. It can reduce the pain often associated with this procedure.

Reference:

http://leonchaitow.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Ch11.pdf, Chapter 11,Cranial Therapy and Dentistry; John D. Laughlin III with John D. Laughlin IV