Heidi moves to the front of the class for her post of Aug 5 - that is the
kind of reasoning that is needed to solve problems.
During the presentation at the ILCA conference I listed the following causes
for the collapse of the oral cavity:
-- Improper feeding - artificial bottles and nipples
-- Noxious habits - pacifiers, excessive thumb sucking, etc.
-- Grossly enlarged tonsils and adenoids
-- Ankylosed tongue - tongue tied - tight frenum
-- Facial-skeletal growth abnormalities
-- CNS dysfunction affecting facial muscles
-- Drugs - refined sugar might be considered in this category
Genetics does play a role in arch and tooth size - especially if there is a
mixture of cultures or significant differences in sizes of the parents
(facial-skeletal growth abnormalities). Tight frenums, another genetic
factor is very damaging to the shape of the oral cavity - as is tongue size.
Central Nervous System dysfunction affecting facial muscles also contributes
to facial form and arch size.
For those of you who are interested in how sugar can affect oral shape, read
"Nutrition and Physical Degeneration - A Comparison of Primitive and Modern
Diets and Their Effects"; Weston A. Price, M.S.,D.D.S., F.A.C.D.; Published
by The American Academy of Applied Nutrition, 1948. (First printing, 1939,
Fifth printing, 1950.)
But MODERN HABITS ARE a significant contributing factor to the collapse of
the oral cavity. Just as Heidi pointed out - the infant was nursed for 2
years - but used a pacifier for the entire duration!!! That is why the term
"exclusive breastfeeding" can be misleading - yes the infant was breastfed,
but the pacifier did the damage!! The mother probably did a good job of
breastfeeding, and the infant received the good benefits of breast milk, but
the pacifier voided the benefits of the tongue shaping the palate.
The same is true for tooth decay on infants who were "exclusively breastfed".
They are not really "exclusively breastfed" when they get supplementation of
sugary foods and medicine starting at say 6 months! It is the hidden sugars
in the food and medicine that causes the decay, not the breast milk. It is
what goes INTO the mouth OTHER than the breast that causes the problem.
ANYTHING that goes INTO the infants mouth - can affect the shape of the oral
cavity and the condition of the teeth. Here is some decay data I presented
at the conference
- Archaeological contexts - prehistoric to early historic - Native Americans
- mostly from plains of South Dakota - breastfeeding culture - prior to the
invention of the baby bottle
Deciduous teeth examined - 1344
Carious lesions present - 19
% of teeth having caries - 1.4%
Number of "large lesions" - 4
% having "large lesions" - 0.3%
Yes some had decay, but not very much. The historic skulls Dr. Price and I
evaluated mainly had perfect occlusions. It could be that the infants who
had genetic imperfections did not survive - a tongue tied or cleft palate
baby may not have been able to latch on, could not thrive, and died. Those
that had CNS dysfunction may have been abandoned. Today, these babies
survive because of the medical options available. The skulls we evaluated
were mainly of homogeneous cultures, and there probably was not as much cross
culture marriages as as there are today, which may account for more
facial-skeletal growth abnormalities today.
I do not say, and do not imply, that mothers who breastfeed children who
later need orthodontics, breastfed incorrectly - I do caution mothers
however, to be MORE AWARE of WHAT goes into the mouth OTHER than the breast -
especially FOODS and ANY other OBJECT - especially if it is EXCESSIVE like
thumbs, arms, blankets and especially PACIFIERS.
As some have stated - imagine how bad the teeth would have been if the the
infant had not been breastfed!
Sorry for the length. These are the challenging questions I was hoping for.
After you have seen the video, I am hoping for more. Have a great day!
Brian Palmer D.D.S.
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