SS Orthodontics

[tortoise]

My older son had terrible overcrowded crooked teeth when he was 9. He refused to brush his teeth, so I declined orthodontics.

I gave him lots of raw vegetables and tough fruits over the years. Figs, dates, prunes. A pound of lettuce each week. Raw beet, fennel. He also likes tough chewy bread.

He is 14 now and his teeth are straight!

Overcrowded teeth are caused be inadequate forces on the jaw so the bone doesnt grow large enough to accommodate the teeth. I had read about this effect but never imagined my kid's diet was "chewy" enough or that my teen was still young enough for it to work!

Real food for the win!

 

[tortoise]

Jawbones are 'shaped by diet', a study finds

A new study shows that diet has shaped human jaws worldwide and could help to explain why many people suffer with overcrowded teeth.

www.bbc.com

 

[frustratedearthmother]

Who knew? That's pretty darn interesting.

 

[Hinotori]

I've read studies about this in the past. Most of them were archeological in nature. There was a long span where modern dentists didn't want to listen to or believe what the archeologists were saying.