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Joined: Dec 1999
Posts: 30,867
Master Elite Member
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Newsletter 2010, Vol. 6 |
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Award winning dentist three years in a row!
FAVORITE NATURAL DENTIST
DR. RAY BEHM
FOR THE THIRD YEAR IN A ROW
The Natural Choice Awards are given by Natural Awakenings magazine. Their readers vote for their favorites in various categories. Since the beginning of the award program in 2008, the Favorite Natural Dentist award has gone to Dr. Behm..
Congratulations, Dr. Behm. |
Click to see all past copies of our
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| You can visit both of our websites for more information.
Our new website:
and our original site:
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DAMS International
is a patient support organization
for toxic metal problems.
They have the complete toxicity story of Mercury and Dental Amalgam Fillings.
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| Hi Russ,
Did you know your overall health can be improved by altering the position of your bite? |
Our patients have experienced relief in other parts of their body by having their bite adjusted to a more optimum position..
Our previous newsletter showed one type of damage that can result from an incorrect bite. This damage of missing tooth structure at the gumline is not unusual. Well over 50% of the population have lost tooth structure because of their bite.
The purpose of this newsletter is to show you how this occurs and its effect. We are talking about a problem that exists in millions of Americans, and what the solution could be.
The Bite
A person's "bite" is the way the upper and lower teeth fit when they come together. This is referred to as the "occlusion." The bite also includes the relationship of the teeth with the muscles of the head and neck that control the jaw. This is neuromuscular dentistry.
Teeth are not supposed to be flat, this is a sign of an incorrect bite. Nor are the teeth supposed to mesh together like gears. As this would eventually rock the teeth out of the sockets or cause marked bone loss.
The Neuromuscular Occlusion chart below shows the points on each tooth where the upper and lower teeth should ideally touch. The yellow dots show the ideal spots where contact should occur.
To make the above diagram more real, the following two pictures show the points where HH's teeth touch. The blue marks correspond to the yellow dots in the chart. Notice that the front teeth don't have any blue dots. This is because the front teeth don't really chew unless you are going to incise or cut off something like a sandwich or piece of lettuce.
The chewing cycle (mastication) occurs by the front teeth grabbing or incising the food, and the tongue, cheeks & lower jaw move the food to the back teeth to be fully mixed with saliva and thoroughly chewed. The main areas of contact in this chewing cycle should always be the peaks (cusp tips) of the teeth where the yellow dots occur against the valleys (fossa) where the yellow dots occur, as indicated on the neuromuscular occlusion chart above.
The blue markings are created by carbon paper that is put between the upper and lower teeth as the patient closes his teeth. The blue marks show the points where the upper and lower teeth touch.
The above two pictures show the idealized bite with the blue marks. These improved changes or minute differences do improve one's life. Their lives are not improved because I can scientifically show you that they are improved, their lives are improved because they say so; they feel better.
The next four pictures of TP's teeth show a minute difference in the size of the blue dots, especially on the last molars.
This is an example of an alternative method of relieving trauma created by the bite.
Upper - Before |
Upper - After |
It can be hard to see the difference, but the datum is "the less blue, the better." Also, where the blue occurs is key.
Lower - Before |
Lower - After |
The blue dot markings are reduced into smaller dots when I 'dust' off the tooth area, minutely. This small change to the amount of surface area that touches makes a big difference. Lessening the trauma to a bite enhances the life expectancy of the nerves of the individual teeth AND increases efficiency of chewing.
A person touches his teeth together every time he swallows - on an average about 2,000 times a day. This can contribute to a more positive or negative arrangement for the lifespan of both teeth and whole-body.
Case Study
Here is an example of another one of our patients that is receiving neuromuscular treatment. His bite is improved by adjusting his jaw position and fitting him with new teeth.
Success Story
The big benefit of neuromuscular dentistry has been opening up my airway so I can sleep better. Previously, it took between two and seven hours to go to sleep. Now I can go to sleep in 15 minutes! That's what we were going for in the first place - trying to open up the airway so I could sleep better.. Of course, there is the added benefit of my pretty new smile, too! DJ, June 2010
The following picture is that of an orthotic. An orthotic is a custom-made, shrink-fitted temporary that goes over the existing teeth or missing teeth to duplicate the computer generated position for their enhanced bite. This orthotic is worn all the time and gives the patient the chance to try out the new bite for a limited time.
Trial Smile Orthotic |
This "after" picture above shows the trial smile phase of treatment. A specialized computer program was used to determine the ideal jaw position and then adjust the jaw to that position.
The correct size and shape of the teeth were also determined and then a temporary orthotic was made. This orthotic gives the patient a chance to try out the new bite position and teeth. Notice the pin point blue dots in DJ's lower jaw and how they correspond to the ideal neuromuscular occlussion chart.
Blue marks from the Trial Smile Orthotic |
Before Treatment |
You can see from this "before" picture, that our patient's bite is far from ideal. There is extensive breakage of the teeth, and they do not touch in the way the chart shows.
When the teeth fit together in their ideal position, there is a harmony. Chewing is at its optimum. The harmony of teeth, muscles and bones of the head and neck affects the entire body positively.
If one doubts that this is true, all one needs to do is talk to a patient who has had his bite adjusted from its existing position to a more optimum position.
Our patient wanted his airway opened up to improve his sleep. Below, these two CT scans of DJ's mouth area taken from the side of the head demonstrate the difference in his airway.
You can see his front teeth come together at the lower right. To the left of the teeth is the tongue, much larger than most people realize. When one is lying on their back, the tongue can fall back into the airway and reduce its diameter, this restricting the flow of air into the lungs.
Comparing the two images, you can see that adjusting his bite left his airway more open and this, of course, allows more air to pass through his throat.
 I feel that the role of managing the bite and jaw position can easily be the key to preserving one's teeth for his lifetime. The role of all the other oral factors depend on the harmony of this 'position' of bite-jaw position. If you'd like to know exactly what we can do for you - especially if you are suffering from health problems for which it is hard to find the source - call our office and schedule a comprehensive examination. That should enable both of us to discover what benefits you might receive from Biological and Neuromuscular Dentistry. Here's to your good dental health ~ Ray Behm, DDS
Is this newletter too technical for you? Would you like it even more technical? Also, let us know if there are dental topics that you would like us to address.
For an appointment, call 727 446-6747 and ask for Sarah.
If a friend has forwarded this email to you and you want to receive future emails, call Sarah and ask her to add you to our email list!
at 727 446.6747 today.
 who may be suffering from problems that can be addressed by neuromuscular and biological dentistry! |
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