Kathy Dettwyler probably has opinions on this also, but dentist Brian
Palmer says that by not breastfeeding, which has not been done for two
to three generations in some cultures, the arch of the mouth continues
to develop too narrow and/or too short.  Remember, we all used to have
enough room for all 32 teeth.  My brother and son-in-law are the only
two people I personally know who have not had their wisdom teeth
removed.  

 

The more refined the diet for several generations, the more
underdeveloped the jaw and the more overlapping the teeth.  After 9/11
there was a Time magazine cover photo of an Afghan father and son
yelling.  I took that issue to show my dentist.  They had perfect teeth,
no doubt due to their diet.  I also notice that African-American and
Hispanic children seem to need braces less often than Caucasion and
Asian children.  It is just an observation.

 

So, those of you working directly with moms are probably seeing the
inherited effects of this in babies not being able to open wide enough.
Some races have differences in the shape of their molars and the arch of
the mouth and forensics can determine the race just by the skeleton’s
head.   Older cultures that breastfed and chewed their staple foods show
great jaw alignment.  The invention of hulling grains probably did not
do any culture any favors.

Judy Ritchie

 

 


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