Too many times correction of misaligned bites is focused on the lower jaw whereas most of the time the culprit is the upper jaw. When a patient has a narrow upper jaw this causing a person to bring the lower jaw back too far so they can get their teeth together to eat, chew, and function. This in turn will cause a forward head posture that causes neck pain and spinal issues over time.
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Fortunately, with advanced jaw development techniques and non-surgical TMJ Treatment, this can be treated. Traditional Orthodontics expresses that this cannot be done, however, there are numerous medical citations and reports that show otherwise. For those who embrace and understand this concept that the midpalatal suture can be expanded, a wide range of treatment modalities opens up. This allows conservative and non-surgical jaw development and eliminates the need for extracting teeth!
It is also important to understand and treat the factors that cause these narrow arches in the first place. A few that should be considered are:
- Â Unobstructed nasal breathing
- Â Mouthbreathing
- Â Proper Tongue swallow and function
- Â Elimination of oral habits
- Â Tongue ties
- Â Head posture
- Â TMJ dysfunction
These issues can and have been treated in adults and kids and can be life changing. In our practice, we have adults who had constricted airways, neck pain, and on medications for sleep issues and pain. Once treated, most are off medications and this has improved their quality of life.
If you have questions about non-surgical jaw treatment or TMJ pain treatment or Myofunctional Therapy, please feel free to call our office, Ronald W. Konig DDS, FAGD, FIAPA, 713-668-2289.
