Jaws by Sandra Kahn Paul R. Ehrlich

Author:Sandra Kahn,Paul R. Ehrlich [Kahn, Sandra]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Stanford University Press
Published: 2018-04-15T00:00:00+00:00

Image 53. This 11-year-old girl began practicing GOPex exercises in September 2014. Six months later her face is noticeably less concave and her lips have relaxed through the use of the exercises. It appears that her whole face has grown forward due to less tension in her lip muscles. (Courtesy of Dr. María José Muñoz.)

Think about it: “Studies showed a professional tennis player had more bone mass and mineralization in the arm they held their racket with. Which makes logical sense.” So if you exercise your jaw muscles every day, you will develop stronger, larger more powerful jaws. Chewing gum properly is something everyone can benefit from regardless of age or problem. Here’s the appropriate chewing protocol:

• Chew a minimum of 30 minutes a day.

• Chew on both sides; for younger kids, supervise that they chew five times on each side. If they favor a side, consult the dentist because there may be a problem (such as a tooth decay).

• Chew with closed lips, breathing exclusively through the nose.

• When chewing, make long pauses and pay attention to how long you can keep teeth in contact as you swallow. Push your tongue solidly to the palate when swallowing. You are working on muscle memory, and you should repeat this pattern when you eat.

• Remember that this is an important exercise; it is not a habit, a hobby, or a game!

What older children and adults can do

Although this book is focused primarily on children, you should not conclude that there is nothing older children or adults can do. The primary reason for those over puberty to seek treatment is to alleviate sleep disordered breathing. Curing the problem is difficult to impossible after puberty, but much attention has been paid to the issue because so many people are afflicted, and help is available to ameliorate symptoms where complete cure is not possible. Dealing with obesity and postural issues are examples. Here we review appliances and orthodontic options as well as some thoughts on resting oral posture for getting relief for adults and older children.

Night breathing aids

In addition to CPAP machines, described in Chapter 6, a wide variety of other appliances have been claimed to help reduce snoring and some sleep disturbed breathing symptoms. These run from a vest that has a tennis ball sown in the back to keep a person from sleeping on his back, to strips that go over the nose and nasal dilators to keep the nostrils open, to oral appliances.

There has been some research on the use of Homeoblock, DNA, Oasys, and Biobloc appliances by adults; here are some of the effects that have been reported:32

• More prominent cheekbones

• Bigger smile

• Decreased expression lines and wrinkles

• Straighter teeth

• Better facial symmetry

• Relief of some facial pain symptoms

• Symptom relief of some mild sleep and breathing disorders

• Facial betterment (presumably more attractive!)

Just learning to keep teeth in light contact at rest can have amazing benefits in well-being as well as in esthetic improvement. This has been confirmed by Sandra

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