Dental Appliances And
The Role Of Brain Therapy
© 2005 Dr. Barry R. Gillespie
Dental appliances have been used for thousands
of years. George Washington’s dentures had springs so
that they would make his face look fuller.
How Dental Appliances Can
Restrict The Craniosacral Fascial System
Today dentists continue to replace teeth with
better, high technology materials. This article will discuss
the healthcare professional’s role in evaluating a client
with a dental appliance.
The chief concern is if the appliance
is restricting the craniosacral fascial system and ultimately
the motion and function of the brain.
Most dental appliances are made to fit over the upper teeth
or jaws. Because gravity is working to push the appliances
down into the mouth, dentists want to snap them around the
teeth to make a snug fit. Unknowing to the dentist, these
appliances very often restrict the motion of the maxillary
bones, which in turn restrict the motion of the adjacent vomer
and ethmoid bones, which in turn restrict the motion of the
sphenoid, occiput, and sacrum.
Any upper dental appliance can thus act in a domino effect
to totally restrict the craniosacral fascial system.
In the following paragraphs I will describe different types
of dental appliances and information on how to help your client.
How You Can Help Your Clients
Bridgework Or Capping Of The Teeth
Bridgework or capping of the teeth can be a beautiful work
of art, but watch out if it crosses the maxillary midline
of the face.
Please check if the two upper teeth are permanently joined
together, which may in turn restrict the maxillary bone motion.
Ask the patient if she can put dental floss between them;
if not, there is probably a solder joint here permanently
restricting the motion of the bones.
I have seen many patients who mysteriously developed sinus
conditions, sinus headaches, and the like after their bridgework,
which connected the two maxillary bones, was cemented. No
matter what I did in manual therapy, the bones would not free
up until the dentist drilled out the connecting solder metal.
If a client is contemplating bridgework here, be sure the
dentist allows some give between the two front teeth to
let the brain breathe. Some dentists use spring devices
or loose male/female attachments between these teeth; please
discuss this with your client before she starts her dental
work.
Maxillary TMJ Appliance
I promise that if the following scenario has not happened
to you, it will in the future. A TMJ client presents to you
for therapy. She has had unsuccessful appliance therapy with
a dentist and now wants to try another approach. She will
show you her maxillary TMJ appliance that she wears every
night.
When you monitor her short brain cycle, the fitting of this
appliance obliterates any remaining brain motion. The lights
go out totally.
Now it becomes your job to put a pleasant spin on how her
expensive piece of plastic may be making her condition worse,
and if she even needs an appliance, it has to be made on
the lower jaw. The mandible is one bone, and an appliance
or any bridgework done here will have little or no restrictive
effect on the motion of the brain.
Lower TMJ Appliance
Another possibility is that the client has a lower TMJ appliance
(a great start), but when she clenches on it, the brain motion
will immediately restrict. Chances are that the appliance
is too thick vertically (too high) and needs to be shaved
down by the dentist.
At this point in our culture most dentists do not check any
appliance in concert with the motion of the brain. When I
was in school thirty years ago and even today, we never learned
about brain motion. We were taught that the bones in the head
were fused, and that the cranium was immobile.
This becomes your responsibility to your client and to
also educate the dentist to be on the same page in therapy.
Upper Full Denture Or
Maxillary Partial Denture
I feel sorry for the person with an upper full denture. She
suffered years of fillings, root canals, caps, etc. only to
have the dismal failure of finally loosing her teeth. Now
she is wearing a tight fitting denture with adhesive glue
so that she will not be embarrassed in public.
With all of the trauma to the teeth and the restrictive nature
of the denture, how can she possibly expect to have good brain
motion?
A maxillary partial denture that replaces a few teeth can
have this same tightening effect. Usually there is a metal
strap that goes across the palate tightening the mechanism.
Please check all dentures that your clients may present
in the context of their brain motion.
Athletic Mouth Guards
An upside for athletic mouth guards is that people do not
wear them for extended periods of time. The whole idea of
protecting the teeth is a great idea, but what it is doing
to the brain function may be another matter.
Recently I noticed that you can buy a kit at drug stores
for about twenty dollars and make your own mouth guard.
This is scary!
Not only do people know nothing about dentistry, but they
have no clue about brain motion. These are the same people
who will perform their own brain surgery.
Night Headgear Or Retainer
For Children With Braces
Our final consideration is in the orthodontic field.
Please ask children who are in braces, if they are wearing
a headgear at night. This devise straps around
the head and pulls the upper teeth and jaws back. Since it
literally squeezes the brain, it should be avoided at all
costs.
Many children also wear a retainer at night
to hold the teeth in position after orthodontic care. For
probably two years or so the child has had restricted brain
motion due to the bands, arch wires, and constant tightening.
When all of this is removed, he still may be affected by restricted
brain motion with the retainer.
To make the retainer work physiologically, the dentist may
cut it in half, following along the intermaxillary suture.
Soft acrylic (like a sponge) can fill the space and allow
enough give in the appliance to permit motion of the brain.
In essence, the appliance would breathe with the two maxillary
bones and the brain. You would want this to happen for all
maxillary dental appliances.
We as healthcare professionals need to look inside the
mouth to assess what our clients are wearing and ask questions
if they are using any dental appliances at home.
You may be wondering why a client is not responding to your
craniosacral therapy or fascial therapy; without your knowledge
she may be wearing a dental mechanical devise inhibiting her
brain function.
Gently educate the patient and the dentist. We
all want to work together to reach the goal of health.
For
more articles about the role of Brain Therapy in correcting
chronic conditions in children and adults .
. .
For
more information about the "Brain Therapy for Children
and Adults" seminar for health professionals
. . .
