Osteopathy and Dentistry

What have your teeth got to do with Osteopathy?  Well really it is all about the bite or occlusion.  Your bite directly influences your posture and muscular tension through the face, head and into the spine.  If you have a poor bite or malocclusion it can cause problems in the jaw, head and spine.  Not only can problems present as headaches or spine pain, but also clicking jaws, sinus trouble, tiredness, snoring and mood changes etc.

Our maxilla or upper jaw is becoming smaller with the progression of time.  This makes our mouths overcrowded with teeth.  Classically teeth are extracted and a brace fitted at 12 years of age (Orthodontics).  There are some dentists who do not believe in extracting healthy teeth.  To save healthy teeth they expand the upper jaw using a brace at a younger age prior to all the adult teeth erupting.  This is known as Dental Orthopaedics.  These dentists therefore take into account the effect of altering the bite might be having on the rest of the body.

At not just backs… we may assess your bite if you have longstanding spinal problems.  Your bite may be the primary cause of your problems.  This is not just for children but adults too.

We work closely to local Dentist and Orthopaedic Dentist Mr Rob Jukes at Gentle Dental in Salisbury.  We assess all his patients that are undergoing appliance or brace work.  This helps the patients tissues adapt to the new position of the jaw and reduce musculo-skeletal problems that can arise from this type of work.  The work is mainly using Cranial Osteopathy and some work may involve working directly on the bones in the mouth itself.