A patient who chews gum seems an odd topic for a blog. After all, once the initial flavoring of the gum is lost there is nothing left but a piece of rubbery goo and the problem of getting rid of it in a discreet way. However to view gum-chewing purely as a social curiosity is to miss the physiological imperative underlying many so-called idle or parafunctional habits. When I ask patients about … [Read more...]
Facing Forward Issue 4 – The Case of the Half-chewed Hockey Puck
Sometimes it is the unexpected event that leads to the most interesting answers. Patient KB was a healthy sport-minded 6 year-old. In Canada that means ice hockey above all else. He had an Angle Class 1 occlusion with potential mild crowding of the maxillary incisors Fig 2. Otherwise his only dental problem was severe grinding of his teeth at night, something he had done for several … [Read more...]
Oral Health March 2015
The Oral Health Journal is an important publication in the Canadian dental world. It has a reputation for its forward- thinking approach, the March 2015 issue being an excellent example. Where content is available online I have provided direct links. Other content is only available in the print version of the journal. There are two short case reports. One by Jeffrey Brown touches on … [Read more...]
Facing Forward Issue 3 – The junction of the sphenoid and occipital bones
In my last blog, I showed that distortion of the cranium during birth could be accompanied by distortion of the facial features. Fortunately, as the infant begins to swallow and suckle, the distortion may resolve itself by the action of the tongue, lips and cheeks but this does not always happen. In Europe, pediatricians accept manipulation of the cranium in newborns and infants to resolve such … [Read more...]
Facing Forward Issue 2 – Early Head and Face Deformation
Dear Colleague, "You can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. You have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in the future." This insight from IT visionary Steve Jobs has parallel in orthodontics. Orthodontics tends to focus on just the months during which treatment is given, but to truly connect the dots one may need to look back...way … [Read more...]
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