This is the mother of the soccer player who was diagnosed with Exertional Compartment Syndrome. In her case I found a metal wire dental retainer was the problem in her, and she made a complete recovery within days.
Well….now mom has been having all kinds of problems from Invisalign braces. I previously wrote about her over a year ago.
Unfortunately for her, this has been an ongoing issue where I need to help fix certain teeth, and the jamming of her cranial bones as she goes through the orthodontic program.
I decided to make a video with her this time since she was in so much pain. It had been awhile since I made a video and she was game for it. She said a video is how she found my office and saved her daughter from surgery.
So, here it is….
Along with adjusting the cranial bones, the treatment in this case was to adjust two teeth that were both jammed in the sockets. One of the teeth was on the top, and one on the bottom.
This is very common. The teeth either get jammed into the socket, or they get twisted a little too much. We have to remember that teeth are joints [gomphosis].
Here is what Britannica.com says about gomphosis:
“The movement of the root within a gomphosis has a threefold effect. It lessens some of the impact between the upper and lower teeth in biting; it pumps blood and lymph from the periodontal membrane into the dental veins and lymph channels; and it stimulates sensory nerve terminals in the membrane to send signals to the brain centres that control the muscles of mastication.”
I highlighted that movement of the root of the tooth in a gomphosis stimulates sensory nerves that send signals to the brain.
Now, the quote above says it merely sends signals to the muscles of mastication [chewing], but it’s FAR more than that.
This is why a tooth can have such a seemingly far reaching effect on the body. Think about when you bit down on something hard….
Your Whole Body Reacted. NOT just your mouth.
You tried to pull away. You took a step backward. Your arm yanked. Your back muscles tightened to attempt to pull you away from the “threat”, your eyes blinked, your head cocked backward. There wasn’t one part of your body that didn’t respond.
Your entire nervous system reacted.
We have to view the entire body as one interconnected unit. Because electrically, we are. From head to toe the body works together.
Note: I am not against Invisalign or any of the other types of braces whether wire or plastic. This post isn’t to suggest these are bad. They serve their purpose, but we need to be aware of what is happening to the rest of the body while our teeth are being straightened.
And in a case like this it was a simple fix. She doesn’t need to ditch the braces, she just needed a tooth adjusted that probably had an awkward pressure on it at some point.
If you are an orthodontist reading this, we can work together to bring about better patient outcomes.