Friday, December 24, 2010

The Fugly Truth

                                      THE 'Befores'
Ugly as hell, I know. And embarrassing to me. But in keeping with the purpose of the blog, I'm showing you what is what. This doesn't require much explanation. I just hope when this is all done, I'll be able to show something a little more attractive.




 

Sunday, December 19, 2010

What has been done to me so far

A reader  expressed that it wasn't clear whether I had actually begun treatment yet or not. As of this writing I have only been in preparation for treatment. First I was sent to a specialized dental imaging facility where both head scans and camera pictures were taken (full face, facial profile, chin raised, and the inside of my mouth, upper and lower). These were then sent on to Dr. Singh in Portland, Oregon. (I am receiving the treatment from my local dentist, but she is in consultation with Dr. Singh on all DNA Appliance related cases.)

Then a few days ago my dentist took impressions of my mouth and also made a measurement of the span of my upper dental arch (the arch-shape of rows of teeth) at the C5 position shown in this illustration: 


This span measured 32mm, but by the time treatment is concluded it should be wider.

Also a measurement of the width of my tongue was taken. It is 50mm at the same place where the teeth are only 32mm apart.

In addition to impressions of my teeth, another impression was taken of the space between my upper and lower teeth with the jaws in a relaxed position which she referred to as the phonetic gap. To achieve this, I was instructed to say the word "Mississippi" and to hold the position of my jaws that was created by the last syllable. The small gap between my upper and lower teeth was then gauged with a thin stick and I was instructed to bite down upon it while a molding paste was squirted into that gap. The paste set in about one minute and was then removed.

The doctor was scheduled to fly to Portland the following day to consult with Dr. Singh, and she would bring these impressions and measurements with her.

I was told by the doctor I would receive my DNA Appliance sometime in January.

What is Epigenetic Orthodontics?

I am only going to attempt a brief layman's explanation of Epigenetic Orthodontics here, which is simply my limited understanding of it. Googling the term will provide explanations more thorough and scientific for those seeking deeper knowledge.

I assume all readers know what standard orthodontics is. As we usually understand it, it is the technique of aligning teeth by forcing them into alignment using appliances or mechanical techniques (braces, Invisalign, etc)

Epigenetic orthodontics works differently, more subtly, and to my way of thinking, much more elegantly. It is based on the idea of activating bone stem cells that will grow into new bone tissue, thus changing the shape of the bones themselves in such a way that the teeth come into proper alignment naturally. (Stem cells are "generic starter cells" that do not yet have the characteristics of a particular type of body tissue, but will become a specific type of tissue, depending on where the stem cell is located in the body.)

In the photo above you can see lines that divide the bony plate of the upper palate. These lines are known as a sutures. There are many sutures in the skull such as can be seen in the illustration below.
The sutures are a very small gap between the bone plates, and they are where the bone stem cells exist. The sutures also allow a very small amount of movement between the plates. They are also where new bone growth occurs in a young growing body, and where new bone growth can occur in an adult body if the stem cells at the margins of the sutures become activated.


It was not known until recently that the adult stem cells at the margins of the sutures could be activated. It was always thought that once adulthood was reached, the bones stopped growing, the stem cells for the bones in the skull became dormant, and that, as they say, was that. You were stuck with what you had.

But we now know that the bone stem cells in the sutures of an adult can become active under special conditions and grow new bone. And if this new bone growth is directed in a planned and precise manner, it is then possible to achieve alterations of the shape and dimensions of the bones in such a way that the teeth will fall naturally into alignment, and/or that improvements in the airway can be achieved (eliminating snoring or sleep apnea), or that improvements to facial appearance can be achieved.

In Epigenetic Orthodontics, the sutures in the bone plate of the upper palate are of primary focus. The stem cells are activated by mechanical means- therefore no drugs or invasive techniques are involved. What has been discovered is that if the sutures can be spread just slightly more open, the dormant adult stem cells will "awaken" and produce new bone tissue at the site.

To achieve that  slight widening of the gap, an orthodontic appliance (Dr. Singh's  DNA Appliance) resembling an orthodontic retainer is worn. In order to direct the bone to grow in the desired manner to achieve the desired new shape, the appliance is outfitted with spring-like extensions that will place small  amounts of tension in specified ways against specified teeth. Which teeth are targeted depends on the patient's needs. This slight tension creates the signal to the stem cells in certain regions of the suture to become active and produce bone at the specific sites the doctor desires the bone to grow and the plate to expand.

And if the above weren't already interesting and exciting enough consider this: In expanding/reshaping the upper jaw (properly called the Maxilla), the lower jaw (AKA Mandible) also often follows into proper shape without the necessity of its own appliance. (I do not yet understand how that works but hope to learn.) Thus, both top and bottom teeth become aligned by using an appliance worn only on the top. However, I am told this is not always the case and that some patients will need to have an appliance made for their lower teeth as well.

Consider this as well: Since you are growing new bone, your improvements should last a lifetime- unlike, say, the braces I had as a kid, and from which I have suffered a gradual relapse such that I need orthodontia yet again, in middle age.