What does Functional Dentistry mean?
- Healthy and well-positioned structures of the head and neck.
- Open and clear airways for proper breathing.
- Proper alignment of the jaws with the skull, cervical vertebrae, and their related muscles connective tissue, and nerves.
- Identifying and addressing signs and symptoms related to problems with any of the above.
- Understanding the correlation to the health of the teeth and gums, and applying that knowledge when dental reconstruction is wanted and needed.
- Having a plan and team to provide the best care for each patient in need.
Functional Dentistry fundamentally shifts assessment and diagnosis by emphasizing the science of facial development. When clinicians understand this connection, they approach patient care differently. Traditionally, the dental and medical communities focus narrowly on the mouth and teeth, often ignoring their vital relationship to the musculoskeletal system. This limited perspective can lead to misdiagnosed issues and treatments that fail to address the true source of the problem.
Functional Dentistry’s Impact: Anatomy and Physiology – The Science of Craniofacial Development
Anatomists, physiologists, and Anthropologist all agree that in a post-industrial revolution world, the growth of the human face has changed. New and different environmental signals influence our genes, altering bone growth. Researchers first identified this change in skeletal growth by examining human skulls from 400–500 years ago, revealing a shift from patterns seen over tens of thousands of years. The new face of man is not due to evolution, but the environment affecting gene expression. More clearly stated, corruption. Appearance and function have changed due to our new surroundings and lifestyles.
This altered anatomy comes with a heavy price. Corruption of growth results in a retracted upper jaw, commonly referred to as “midface deficiency.” As a result, the lower jaw adapts by changing both its position and shape. The lower jaw often retracts, pulling the tongue back, narrowing the airway, altering head and neck posture, compressing and dislocating the jaw joint disk, and reducing space for teeth.
The Result: These anatomical alterations have unfortunate and often life altering consequences. The functioning, or physiology, of the body now suffers. Poor jaw alignment and posture leads to musculoskeletal pain, along with arthritis of the jaw joint and vertebrae. Compressed jaw joints affect the structures of the inner ear. Narrowed airways alter breathing patterns, sleep, cognitive function including IQ and mood. Sleep-disordered breathing disrupts hormone regulation, which can impair organ function and affect other body systems.
The environment shapes anatomy, which then disrupts physiology and leads to further anatomical changes. It’s a nasty cycle, and when the body’s ability to cope meets it’s limits, quality of life suffers.
