But it deserves to be on the main thread. The idea is to expand the upper jawbone to provide room to advance/restrict growth of the lower jawbone with appliances to correct an overbite/underbite, instead of moving the teeth with braces. In other words, orthotropics corrects the mismatch in the bone, whereas braces are a cosmetic treatment that doesn't always fix the underlying problem(s).
I had braces for many years too long, which left me with a small mouth and narrowed pushed back canines (babyface). I've been wondering why I've been so tired lately, and just discovered that it's likely due to my lower jaw continuing to grow as I got older, but stopping against my top teeth which were moved back by braces (so it grew towards my throat). So I have an appointment scheduled with a sleep apnea specialist.
I've done a lot of research on this and my feeling is that orthodontics needs to be reviewed. I'm 40 so caught the braces craze in the 80s, which means there hasn't been enough study to know the long term effects of restricting the growth of children's upper jaws with headgear. And the fact that orthodontists are recommending braces for younger and younger children is a huge red flag (just like medicating ADHD instead of fixing the lack of creative outlet in our "modern" education system).
It looks like orthotropics may provide some relief for adults but I'm having trouble finding a practitioner locally (Boise, ID).
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17284090
But it deserves to be on the main thread. The idea is to expand the upper jawbone to provide room to advance/restrict growth of the lower jawbone with appliances to correct an overbite/underbite, instead of moving the teeth with braces. In other words, orthotropics corrects the mismatch in the bone, whereas braces are a cosmetic treatment that doesn't always fix the underlying problem(s).
I had braces for many years too long, which left me with a small mouth and narrowed pushed back canines (babyface). I've been wondering why I've been so tired lately, and just discovered that it's likely due to my lower jaw continuing to grow as I got older, but stopping against my top teeth which were moved back by braces (so it grew towards my throat). So I have an appointment scheduled with a sleep apnea specialist.
I've done a lot of research on this and my feeling is that orthodontics needs to be reviewed. I'm 40 so caught the braces craze in the 80s, which means there hasn't been enough study to know the long term effects of restricting the growth of children's upper jaws with headgear. And the fact that orthodontists are recommending braces for younger and younger children is a huge red flag (just like medicating ADHD instead of fixing the lack of creative outlet in our "modern" education system).
It looks like orthotropics may provide some relief for adults but I'm having trouble finding a practitioner locally (Boise, ID).