Dr. Barry Raphael recently drew my attention to the website of Kevin O'Brien, Professor of Orthodontics at the University of Manchester in the United Kingdom. Prof. O’Brien, who blogs on a variety of topics, recently wrote about do-it-yourself orthodontics (view the article here). Anyone practising orthodontics should give this article a serious look. Prof. O'Brien mentions two companies … [Read more...]
The Butterfly Effect and Timing of Treatment
The timing of orthodontic intervention in children is still a source of disagreement between general dentists and orthodontists. Except for a minor intervention such as an anterior crossbite correction, orthodontists prefer to delay treatment until most permanent teeth have erupted. Therefore, many dental practitioners and pediatric dentists, faced with a developing malocclusion, choose to … [Read more...]
Facing Forward: Some Thoughts About Airway Disorders
Airway disorders—especially Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA)—are increasingly of interest to the dental profession. The use of an oral orthotic of is now accepted as a possible alternative to continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) in which a mask encloses the nose and mouth and forced-air is used to maintain breathing. From a patient’s viewpoint, an intraoral appliance is less cumbersome, less … [Read more...]
Facing Forward: Possible Links Between Strabismus and the Mouth
Case history shared with kind permission of the patient. A 14-year-old patient came into my office to wait while his sister was being treated (Fig 1 a, b). His mother was aware of my interest in posture and suggested that I might look at Mike. Clearly, there were postural problems. An examination of the face and dentition (Fig 2 a, b) showed an Angle Class 1 occlusion, but neither the … [Read more...]
Facing Forward: Occlusal Wear as a Diagnostic Indicator
The Articulator as Standard Protocol for Orthodontic Diagnosis In the orthodontic world, occlusal wear patterns on teeth are often a secondary consideration. In fact, they are valuable clues as to what is happening in the mouth. Consider the models in Figs 1a and 1b. They are of a 25-year-old patient with a well- aligned Angle class 1 dentition following two years of … [Read more...]
