Body out of line? Start from the top!

If you were watching the Australian Open tennis recently, you may have noticed Milos Raonic from Canada wearing a small "mouthguard." After a run of bad injuries to his feet and spine (all the while, complaining of grinding his jaw), he finally visited a dentist. It took numerous adjustments, but finally he got the mouth orthotic fitting correctly. As he explains "It's sort of like orthotics, but starting from the top. You try to sort of align everything so it sits in the right place, muscles don't get tense." 
This kind of thinking is fairly new, but those patients who have received treatment to their jaw with these orthotics, will often find that the rest of their body aligns and problem areas in other parts of their body greatly improve. 

http://www.wsj.com/articles/the-mouth-guard-that-keeps-milos-raonic-loose-1453746321

Wisdom teeth - sometimes aren't that wise....

Sometimes wisdom teeth can be a nuisance. Many times we do not even notice them. Usually this depends on how much they erupt - or "come through" into the mouth. Allow me to explain below.....If wisdom teeth are indeed present, they usually do one of three things:

1) Stay un-erupted: As long as the wisdom teeth do not display any pathology or are not harmfully impacted into tooth in front, they can often be left alone. 

2) Erupt into occlusion: When there is enough room in the mouth to fit wisdom teeth, they often come into occlusion and can function as another set of teeth. 

3) Erupt only partially: When there is not enough room the teeth will often only partially come through. When this happens, they can difficult to keep clean and can be at risk of decay and infection which can come and go. In this case, wisdom teeth may need to be removed! 
And yes, when this happens, it seems wisdom teeth are anything but wise!

Not all mouth guards are created equal

A young woman learnt the hard way that a cheap store-bought mouth guard just doesn't cut it when it comes to protecting teeth. Playing hockey in Tasmania, she sustained severe dental injuries when she copped a hockey-stick to her face DESPITE WEARING A MOUTH GUARD. Unfortunately it had not been custom made or fitted by a dentist. 

Her dental bills are now up to some $7000, with much more to come in the future. 

While dentist mouth guards may be more expensive than store-bought ones, they are far superior when it comes to protection. If it even saves a tooth from being chipped and needing a filling, it has already paid for itself, let alone the complex work that can sometimes be required.

Read the full story HERE