Crooked Teeth can affect your health
by Dr. Kelley Mingus
H
ave you wondered why we have crooked
teeth? I hear patients say they got their
crooked teeth from their parents. It’s a
common belief that crooked teeth is a genetic trait
passed down through generations. Genetics isn’t
the reason for crooked teeth. It is the tongue that
is responsible.
The tongue is the most influential factor on the
development of the upper jaw. The tongue spends
the majority of our day on the roof of the mouth.
If the tongue doesn’t rest on the roof of the mouth
most of the time, the result will be an upper jaw
that is smaller than it was designed to be. As teeth
begin to erupt they are forced to fit into a bone
that is too small. The result is crooked teeth.
A deeper look into tongue posture concerns re-
veal an underlying problem: breathing. In an
ideal world we should spend the majority of our
day with our lips sealed, our tongue on the roof
of our mouth while passively breathing through
our nose. The reasons we don’t breathe through
our nose are complex. Factors that influence
our inability to breathe through our nose start at
birth. Breastfeeding requires more tongue devel-
opment than bottle feeding. A stronger tongue
will support and grow the upper jaw better. In ad-
dition, breast milk plays a major role in the initial
immune complex development in our children.
Formula can create allergic response, reducing a
child’s airway which results in more difficulties
breathing through their nose. The way we wean
our children can also play a role in the develop-
ment of the tongue because chewing helps devel-
op proper muscle and facial structure.
Processed foods are associated with increased
allergic responses, which results in difficulties
with nasal breathing. If our children spend a sig-
nificant part of the day breathing through their
mouth they have an increased risk of having an
under developed upper jaw, resulting in crooked
teeth.
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BEND HEALTH GUIDE | Winter 2018
Crooked teeth aren’t the issue, they are a sign of a
bigger problem. Crooked teeth indicate an under
developed upper jaw resulting in an inadequate
space for our tongue. If the mouth is closed, the
tongue will reduce the airway. As the airway is
reduced one’s head posture will move forward
in an attempt to increase air flow. Poor posture
is almost always connected to a reduced airway.
Mouth breathing is connected to heart disease, IQ
concerns, depression, and ADHD, as well as sleep
apnea. Even bedwetting can be connected to our
night-time breathing patterns. In the mouth, we
will see increased grinding and clenching, gum-
my smiles, gum recession and bone loss, increased
gum disease, TMJ disorders as well as facial pain
and headaches. A healthy breathing pattern with
the tongue on the roof of the mouth and lips
sealed will almost always result in straight teeth
and beautiful faces.
Crooked teeth can be a strong sign of major health
concerns that can decrease the quality and quan-
tity of life. Every day, we see patients with air-
way-related issues. We provide life-changing
treatment that most do not know is achievable.
Meet Dr. Kelley Mingus. Kelley believes in cutting edge
dental technologies, mercury free fillings, braces, beauti-
ful healthy smiles, and open airway health.
Dr. Mingus grew up in Bend and completed his un-
dergraduate education at Portland State Universi-
ty. He later rec