What Your Dentist Never Told You About the Link Between Crooked Teeth and Back Pain

This article is shared with permission from our friends at drstevenlin.com.

A trip to the orthodontist to assess crooked teeth has become somewhat standard procedure for growing children. And whilst for those who can afford it, modern braces provide an aesthetic solution for misaligned teeth, often the serious underlying health issues that are associated with malformed skeletal jaw growth are poorly understood.

An understanding of the facial development deficiencies that result in crooked teeth, the link to themodern industrialised diet, and the degenerative health consequences that result show that preventing malocclusion (teeth misalignment) is something we need to seriously consider.

Rising rate of crooked teeth

Dental malocclusion is a problem that affects nearly two-thirds of the population in the United States. Despite this, there has been relatively little discussion of what cause crooked dental arches despite compelling evidence-suggesting changes in diet playing a major role.

Teeth crowding is caused by factors that lead to insufficient space in the mouth, with malocclusions having been labelled as “diseases of westernisation”. Studies have suggested dental occlusion is related to the industrialisation of modern dietary habits. They examined the Indigenous Australian Yuendumu tribe that in previous generations were found to have a high rate of healthy dental arch formation. Once the introduction of the cooked, processed diet occurred, the newer generation were seen to develop malocclusion at much higher rates.

Some researchers have postulated that the increased malocclusion from Westernisation comes from increased mixing of genetic information as different populations interact.3 However animal studies have found that, when fed a soft, industrialised diet, jaw development in pigs was found to be affected compared to those fed on traditional staples.

Crooked teeth the skull and poor posture

Teeth have a dual function: they are not just for chewing, but also support the skull during occlusion. Our jaw is designed to give spinal stability though the swallowing process. If the teeth don’t come together and meet properly (as in crooked teeth and poor jaw development) a person may find it difficult to

The positioning of the skull on the jaw is also dictated by the relationship of the teeth, which can cause curvature of the spine. If the lower jaw is underdeveloped and too far back or where the teeth are misaligned or collapsed, the support of the skull will tilt, resulting in abnormal body posture.

Poor airway opening will often lead to forward head positioning, in order to allow the person to breathe without the least effort. When airways are blocked, the body tilts the head back. Humans cannot function for long in this position, as their eyes must be parallel with the horizon, so the body then automatically leans the head forward.

Posture and life-long health problems

Today we see a lot of cases where people have this forward head posture – necks that are holding the head in a forward position. The adult cranium weighs between 12 to 18 pounds, and the strain in the neck or cervical region to support this abnormal head posture can cause symptoms ranging from muscle fatigue, fibromyalgia, snoring, sleep apnea, sinusitis, and frequent ear infections.

Severely misaligned, irregular, and maloccluding teeth can cause difficulties with oral function including swallowing, chewing and speech related problems. Other problems are less aesthetic facial appearances, and increased risk for oral disease – such as trauma tooth decay and periodontal disease.

Although some minor malocclusions might just be an aesthetic concern, this may have a strong psychosocial effect on the individual, including altered self-esteem, social and interaction responses, and increased awareness of people’s perceptions of them.

Jaw shift may cause a positional head adaptation which will affect sight and vision particularly the peripheral field of view which affects motor coordination and the maintenance of balance.

Are orthodontic braces too late?

Dental malocclusion is a far more serious developmental problem than popular consensus tells us. Orthodontic work may assist in correcting some of the problems associated with poor jaw development, however underlying dietary and nutritional issues are likely to be the core problem that need to be addressed in order to prevent the rising occurrence of health problems associated with crooked teeth.