Integrative Health Blog

Can Your Bad Bite Really Affect Your Whole Body?

Posted by admin on Wed, Apr 17, 2013

Michelle Janbakhsh DDS

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Yes, it actually can.

Studies have been conducted in grade school kids and it has been shown that in kids with below-average grades, 100% of them had a bad bite and a higher percentage of hearing, respiratory, systemic, and psychiatric issues.  In a different study of high school kids it was shown that kids with a bad bite had a higher rate of pain and infection.  Also, several studies have shown that mouth breathing may be related to underdeveloped jaw and face, both in children and adults.

Usually, individuals who are mouth breathers have some sort of airway obstruction and they have a range of symptoms such as not being able to sleep well at night, frequent urination at night, fatigue and daytime sleepiness.  These individuals often snore and have teeth grinding habits and should be evaluated for sleep apnea as well. 

Nutrition with high quality organic whole food (an anti-inflammatory diet), daily proper exercise, a healthy gut, and eliminating/decreasing allergies and toxins can improve these conditions, but a dental evaluation may help to prevent future problems.

So what should be done to achieve a healthy mouth and bite?

1.  Moms should have a whole nutritious healthy diet and they should breastfeed their babies.

2.  Parents should watch out for mouth breathing, crowded teeth, or habits like excessive thumb sucking, or lip sucking, and have children evaluated by a biological dentist by age 7-8.  Kids may benefit from expanders at the right age. 

3.  Adults who have any of the above symptoms should consult a biological dentist to see if they can benefit from a DNA dental appliance (Daytime-Nighttime Appliance™) or other forms of orthodontic appliance therapy. 

In general, when you have straight teeth there is less chances of getting cavities in between your teeth or at least less chances of missing the cavities in between your teeth. You will have less chances of developing gum disease because it will be much easier to brush and floss those areas and less plaque will be accumulated.

When you have wider jaw you will have more room in your head for different glands such as pituitary and hypothalamus to function. You can have better skeletal development, posture and good muscles and more optimistic outlook. The bottom line is that a "wider jaw means a healthier body"!

Michelle Janbakhsh, DDS is a holistic and biological dentist  and an Invisalign Preferred Provider at National Integrative Health Associates, NIHA, the leading integrative medicine and dental center serving the Washington, D.C., Maryland and Northern Virginia metro region.

Topics: cosmetic dentistry, orthodontics, biological dentistry