Teeth are more than smiles.
This lovely 61 year old woman came in to have a new set of dentures. Her old ones were already twelve years old and pretty much worn down, but still comfortable and doing their job as a set of “choppers.” Moreover, they did not represent how her own teeth and smile looked in the past. But the patient was happy with them and came in only because she was advised to renew dentures every five years. The final result is on the right - her smile is restored.
There is more to these pictures than just an aesthetically improved smile. The patient’s new dentures were designed in a special way to strengthen her overall health. Construction of these dentures was done while keeping in mind basic principles of head anatomy and physiology of breathing. Her previous dentures did not meet anatomical and physiological requirements for functioning “as if her own teeth.” They did allow her to chew, speak, and smile. Unfortunately, they were also a heavy burden on her heart and her nervous system.
Attention to detail is extremely important because a small change can shift one’s body from health to dis-ease. That’s why the making of this denture is so time consuming. The amount of time it took to make her new dentures was about five times more then the old ones. While people can get used to almost anything, it is far better to get used to an excellent result. Dentures in the top photo were a burden on this woman’s central nervous system. It became obvious to her after she put her new dentures in. She reported immediate improvements: “I feel calmer and I think I am in a better mood?!” The next day the patient reported that she enjoyed a deeper, more restful sleep. Patient was seen several more times afterwards. The change was unmistakable. A “lighter” version of the same woman appeared: her eyes were open, mood was much improved.
In addition to her improved smile and overall sense of well being, it was important to verify objectively the physiological changes that took place.
Under the photographs is the “before” and “after” test we conducted to scientifically measure physiological changes. On the left is before, on the right is after. It can be seen that measure of the “Levels of Functioning of the Physiological systems” is drastically improved. It went from 11 to 6. This means that overall functioning of the body went from “in the red” to “average.” This is a significant improvement for someone who only got a new set of teeth. This is the difference that a holistic approach can offer.
