McKinney Orthodontics Educates on New Evidence that Crooked Teeth are Genetic

Crooked teeth has been found to be a product of modern man. If one was to study all the skulls dated 250 years ago or older, you would be hard pressed to find one case in a thousand of crowded teeth. It would also be hard to find decay and evidence of periodontal disease.


McKinney, TX (PRWEB) December 03, 2012

Many years ago, a company that sold margarine ran an ad campaign that said, “It is not nice to mess with Mother Nature”. In the case of what causes crooked teeth this may be words of wisdom. As we look into our history to conjure what might have caused the human race to suddenly develop crooked teeth we find three hypotheses that might explain how this happened.

Theory number one suggests that the Industrial Revolution is responsible. This began in Britain around 1750. The concept is that the air was fouled by the output of the refineries. The poor air led to constriction of the airways which led to misshaped jaws and crooked teeth. British teeth have been a point of ridicule lately with Austin Powers on the scene. This theory can partially be evidenced by industrial countries displaying a greater percentage of crowded teeth than non industrialized companies. But there is probably more to it.

What might go along with the industrial revolution’s negative impact on the smile is theory number two processing of foods, especially sugar. A dentist with a camera named Weston Price took photos of populations of many continents in the 1930’s that fed on their indigenous foods. He returned later to take pictures of the next generation feeding on processed foods such as white flour and refined sugar. His pictures show an evolution of decay and crooked teeth showing up in the next generation.

Good dental health begins with the diet of the parents. The Samoan boy on the left was born to parents who ate nutrient-rich native foods. The Samoan boy on the right was born to parents who had abandoned their traditional diet. He has crowded dental arches, and will be more susceptible to dental decay.

The last theory of what causes crooked teeth is typical of the notion not to mess with Mother Nature. Pacifiers have been around since ancient times. However the baby bottle got its’ start in France around the mid 1700s. As it has proven impossible to mimic the human breast, the bottle nipples have produced a different type of swallow to express milk from bottles. Babies must use a suction action to get milk from a bottle. The baby must make a negative pressure to pull milk from the bottle. This is the opposite from the baby on a human breast. Natural breastfeeding requires the baby’s tongue to roll in the roof of the mouth and express milk from the mother. There is no real suction action in natural breastfeeding.

The baby on the bottle can carry this suction action of swallowing into his adult life. This bad type of swallow leads to narrowing the upper arch, narrowing of the airway, and crowded teeth. In addition, children with pacifiers and bottles are more likely to have otitis media (ear aches and tubes), malocclusions (bad bites), and less attractive faces.

So the old expression about messing with Mother Nature comes to light as we look at the cause of crooked teeth. If we try to take short cuts from our body’s natural mechanism of development, then there is a price to pay. And the orthodontic care givers thank you.

If you are interested in learning more about the information presented in this article please follow these links to learn more:

1. Weston Price and photographs depicting diet and malocclusion - http://gutenberg.net.au/ebooks02/0200251h.html

This is his book. Pick out a nationality chapter from American Indian to New Zealand to view the changes Dr. Price found in same populations with differing diet.

2. Myoresearch Company has a lot of information how crooked teeth form based on swallow http://myoresearch.com/library/tags/tag/soft+tissue+dysfunction

Scroll down to the Soft Tissue Dysfunction Composite Video and watch it.

3. Brian Palmer was a dentist devoted to breastfeeding. His website is full of power point presentations with the best information how bottle feeding leads to malocclusions (bad bites).
Click on Section C to see how breastfeeding reduces the risk of Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), Long face syndrome, SIDS, Otitis media (ear aches and tubes), Abfractions (chipping of teeth at the gum line), Obesity and Cancer.

About the company:
McKinney Orthodontics provides braces, children’s orthodontics, adult orthodontics, TMJ therapy, sleep apnea treatment, and other orthodontic services exclusively to McKinney, Allen, Frisco, Plano, Fairview, Celina, Anna, Melissa, and other Collin County, Texas residents. Dr. Chris Norton of McKinney Orthodontics uses the latest technologies and techniques at affordable prices including invisible braces (Invisalign braces), to safely create beautiful smiles for our patients. In our unique and caring approach to affordable orthodontics, we emphasize non-extraction, non-surgical, non-headgear orthodontic treatment. We also treat snoring and sleep apnea and provide TMJ therapy. At McKinney Orthodontics you will see the same doctor each visit. We make every effort to respect your time and keep your office visits as short as possible. Our goal is affordable prices with full service in a boutique setting.