The reason why so many people are not willing to be treated by the modern orthodontic treatment、 even if so many people agonize over their crowding teeth.
My patients have consulted with me about the alignment of their teeth since the inception of my original orthodontic treatment using my appliance. Whenever I see and examine patients, I always ask them whether or not they have had other examinations before visiting me. Patients see orthodontists as specialists in the dental field and have examinations. Patients are tired of the same diagnosis and the same treatment plan given to them by any orthodontic offices. Such treatment plans are tough for patients to accept. Firstly, patients have to make a decision to have a few natural and healthy teeth extracted. When all patients and their parents must face the resolutions beyond imagination, some parents who want their children to have their crowding teeth treated can’t make the decision immediately and give up their treatment. Furthermore, some parents try to find an alternative treatment instead of extraction-treatment but they can’t find it and give up the orthodontic treatment of their children. Moreover, the modern orthodontic treatment causes many obstacles and problems making the orthodontic treatment candidates wonder whether or not to get the treatment. There are many drawbacks such as costly treatments, dietary restrictions, long treatment period, an interproximal stripping (reducing enamel layer), a retention (wearing a wire behind front teeth for the rest of patient’s life), an extraction of healthy teeth, an endurance for pain, an increased liability to cavities, and an increased liability to temporomandibular joint syndrome (TMJ) due to extractions in the modern orthodontic treatment. We invented the alternative orthodontic treatment that can resolve many problems mentioned above, providing much better treatments than the regular ones. Nothing will stop us from improving our appliance.
I will tell you the details in the following paragraphs.
We have purchased a state-of-the-art machine called “Master 3D”.
This new machine employs high-spec YAG (Yttrium Aluminum Garnet) laser with neodymium for technical repair of metal. We also have the clinical laser for treatments in the office. So the clinical lasers have become popular with their improved efficiency and increased power in the past ten years. There are many types and models in the clinical laser. Dentists may understand the features of such machines. Dentists can choose their favorite kind among them. The high-spec YAG laser which we have is not used on patients to treat diseases. This type of laser is mainly used for repairing appliances such as orthodontic base plates and dentures with metal base. When we want to combine two metals into a single metal, we weld them by using solder. Soldering has many weak points such as taking much time, and causing technical errors easily. We sometimes give up welding materials due to the difference of melting point, complex structure, the affinity of materials (precious metal and non-precious metal) and accidentally deforming other parts of appliance by heat. Our laser can immediately solve all these problems which soldering system has. I really want to emphasize that the high-spec YAG laser can combine metals much stronger resulting in durable joint than regular soldering method. We can easily and quickly repair the appliance at a single visit making it unnecessary not only to write indication paper for technicians but also to rely on technicians. We are proud to unveil this newly invented appliance as well as to relieve us from our distress which has agonized us since the birth of archaic orthodontic treatment. You must see our new appliance with your own eyes, the kind you have never ever seen before. Please contact us for more information.
I will present to you my hypothesis about the reason why so many Japanese people have crowding teeth.
Is dentition inherited from parents to their children? I think that the answer is no because almost all ancient skulls which were excavated do not show the evidence of having crowding teeth. I often see in my practice that siblings who, of course, have the same genes do not show the same dentition. It means that the dentition is affected by environmental factors, eating habits and the function of upper and lower jaws more than hereditary factors. The three factors have dramatically changed in the past one hundred years. There are many convenience stores in all over the country. The convenience store groups and chains are increasing the number of their stores. As people prefer soft foods to hard foods, the convenience stores offer soft foods more and more. I think that this trend is nice for elderly people and people who have fewer teeth. I wonder if this tendency is good for children. I often see that the media teach people how to make lean meat tender out of tough lean meat in order to bite it easily. Isn’t it ordinary that people chew lean meat hard in order to enjoy the meat taste and flavor? There are mothers who are skillful at cooking in Japan. When they make lunchboxes for their children, they cut ingredients into fine pieces to make pictures like emoji on the surface of steamed rice. Mothers are satisfied with their “art works” and their children are delighted to eat them. The upper and the lower jaws are exempt from making a big chewing movement due to tinily-cut pieces of food. I mentioned earlier that the lack of both jaws function leads to the undergrowth jaw and finally resulting in crowding teeth. I will unveil my final hypothesis related to the lack of both jaws’ function. The Japanese language always consists of an inseparable combination of a vowel and a consonant. While speaking, we do not need to open our mouth bigger to communicate with others. Consequently, the existence of such innate factors easily causes crowding teeth ever since the birth of the Japanese language. Thus, our clinic is the only existing one to treat such disorders!
We have unveiled a new attractive point of our appliances.
We can easily give a construction bite to patients with our appliances. Let me explain how to give the construction bite to patients with the following example. Firstly, dentists take their patients’ impressions or casts for a model and get their patients’ bite state at the present condition. Secondly, their models are mounted with their bite state on the articulator. Thirdly, dentists remove the upper and the lower model after recording the patients’ original bite state. Fourthly, when dentists remount the upper and the lower model, they horizontally and vertically change the patients’ bite state on the articulator. Fifthly, the appliance is taken apart and being seated on the articulator with the new patients’ bite state. Sixthly, the appliance is rebuilt on the articulator with the new patients’ bite state which is artificially and ideally made by skillful and experienced dentists. Our appliance consists of the upper baseplate and the lower baseplate. I can give the construction bite to patients as the upper baseplate and the lower baseplate are connected by a wire which effectively work together to improve the bite state. Our appliance aligns teeth to help expand the upper and the lower jaw, which gives the construction bite to patients as a result. This is a revolutionary way in orthodontic treatments. In addition, this technique does not cost much time and much money. As we mentioned earlier in previous paragraphs, we do not ask for any extra charge from patients because we can reuse the appliances being used at present. Patients may even request us to send the appliances by mail so that they can receive them at home. Thus, there is no waste in time or money for both the patients and dentists. By reusing the appliances, patients can save time for commuting and money for not needing to make new appliances. Moreover, dentists can save time since there is no need to make new appliances from scratch. Also, dentists can help patients save money by not requiring patients to make brand new appliances. Dentists need the greatest caution and much experience when they decide to make a position of construction bite. When dentists are asked by their patients to correct the uncomfortableness of the new construction, the dentists must either adjust the construction bite or return the bite state to the past position.
The general philosophy behind the first phase treatment and the second phase treatment is silly in modern orthodontics.
We have frequently seen illustrations of the first phase treatment and second phase treatment in technical books and websites associated with orthodontic treatment. According to them, orthodontic patients start the first phase orthodontic treatment from about 8 years old and goes into the observation stage after the second phase treatment at about 20 years old. This implies that patients must see their orthodontists for at least 12 years. When I was a dental school student, I was taught that orthodontic dentists should give the treatment to patients whose permanent teeth have finished erupting. Ｉhave not been precisely informed about the first phase treatment during my dental career, including my dental school training period. The philosophy of the first phase treatment is ambiguous and unclear, even to specialists in the orthodontics field. I have never seen even a technical book about the first phase treatment. In fact I have never seen any technical books that mention the precise details on how to cure the first phase treatment and what appliance to be used. Ever since the birth of orthodontics (which is about 100 years ago!), no one has come up with a brand-new or epoch-making appliance nor given a thought about the first phase treatment. I want to ask orthodontists who emphasize the importance of the first phase treatment the precise procedures of the first phase treatment. They just stress the need of the first phase treatment for the sole purpose of getting their own orthodontics patients. So many patients are preyed upon by orthodontists who intentionally abuse the first phase treatment. Since they emphasize the necessity of 12 years or more for treating orthodontic patients, they are expected to be alive during that period, which no one can guarantee. However, when our appliance is used effectively to treat patients, the treatment can be accomplished miraculously within 2 years.
How to find whether or not the patients have undergrowth jaw.
I mentioned that most orthodontic treatment patients have upper and lower bone deficiency at labial segment which leads to the front teeth crowding. It is very difficult to say what is to blame for upper and lower labial segment undergrowth. It is believed the crowding teeth come from heredity, environmental factor or combination of those. I believe that the crowding of teeth is not hereditary because there are few crowding teeth among ancient people. In my opinion, the lifestyle of present-day people has dramatically changed our eating habits. The more we eat soft food, the less we chew hard. Therefore, the number of orthodontic patients who have upper and lower labial segment undergrowth has constantly been increasing. In Japan our mastication function has been weakened due to dramatic changing diet habits in the past hundred years. I have discovered the tip to find out whether or not people have upper and lower labial segment undergrowth. This is done by carefully examining bone shape and alignment of teeth in upper and lower bone. They have a V-shaped bone arch and a V-shaped dental arch of teeth due to upper and lower bone undergrowth. Unfortunately, most orthodontists obviously make a wrong diagnosis when they see the patients who have a V-shaped bone arch and a V-shaped dental arch of teeth. They treat patients who have a V-shaped bone arch and a V-shape dental arch of teeth as having bad habits, such as tongue biting habit, lip biting habit, and resting their cheeks on their hands. When such doctors mistakenly point out the patients’ bad habits, they often offend and confuse the patients because the patients do not recall having such bad habits. We should never confuse bad habits with upper and lower labial segment undergrowth, which is a mistake that many orthodontists often make. When those orthodontists see the patients who have a V-shaped bone arch and a V-shaped dental arch of teeth, they should compensate the bone deficiency rather than just pointing out the patients’ bad habits. When the deficiency of a V-shaped bone arch and a V-shaped dental arch of teeth are compensated, the tension of orbicularis oris muscle is removed resulting in beautiful alignment of teeth. Consequently, the patients are no longer offended by being pointed out the bad habits by regular orthodontists.
The general baseplate treatment is not always equal to functional orthodontic treatment.
Even when orthodontic specialists treat patients by using the baseplate treatments at the first phase treatment, they ask technicians to make the baseplates based on artisan instruction for dentistry and dental prosthesis. The technicians regularly make the baseplates with reference to the textbooks. Surprisingly, all baseplates are not customized at all by the dentists, like ready-made dresses. The technicians never ask the dentists to give them the specifications about the baseplates and treatment plans of each patient. Even if the technicians ask the dentists to give them the specifications about the baseplates, they can’t indicate the details due to the lack of practice and study. When the baseplates are broken while being used under ordinary circumstances, only the technicians are blamed for it. The technicians always feel frustrated when they have to take the blame for the troubles with baseplates. There are some textbooks about the general baseplate treatment. I think that all published textbooks about the general baseplate treatment indicate wrong ideas. They adamantly and obsoletely believe that the baseplate treatment automatically means functional orthodontic treatment. It is definitely not functional orthodontic treatment when the baseplate itself is used directly to force the teeth to move in what directions that the dentists want.
Functional orthodontic treatment means working on the jaw bones themselves and not on the teeth themselves. I consider myself to be a dentofacial orthopedist rather than an ordinary orthodontist. Whenever patients start the treatment by functional orthodontic treatment, I personally design the baseplate and indicate the details. Then I ask the technicians to make the customized appliances based on my precise order. Our customized appliances stimulate the jaw to compensate for the undergrowth and align distorted bone shape. The upper and lower rectified bone makes enough space to align teeth properly. As a result, the teeth align beautifully, which keeps the teeth in the right position by baccinator mechanism.
The reason why the system and content of baseplate treatments has not improved since the birth of those.
When dentists treat patients by using the popular baseplate treatments, they ask technicians to make the baseplates without the precise specifications of each patient. The technicians reluctantly refer to the textbooks in order to make baseplates. The technicians never ask the dentists to give them the specifications about the baseplates of each patient. Even if the technician asks the dentists to give them the specifications about the baseplates, they can’t indicate the details due to the lack of practice and study. Such conditions have regrettably existed for nearly a century as a result of the absence of skilled instructors and textbooks. Surprisingly, while not having full baseplate treatment knowledge, almost all dentists treat patients by blindly using the baseplate treatment. Consequently, those dentists, due to their easygoing and thoughtless attitude, can’t indicate their patients’ clear treatment plan. Our clinic has been thoroughly researching the baseplate treatments by having face to face conversations whenever patients come to consult and be treated in our office. Through such painstaking process, we determine the best shape of the appliance, the best timing to start the treatment and how to treat every single patient best. As far as we know, no dental office buckles down to the baseplate treatments like we do. I emphasize the necessity of having the laboratory in the premises of the dental office itself to succeed in the baseplate treatments. Actually we have overcome many problems of baseplate treatments. We will make big efforts to improve our appliance and treatment skills.
We usually use three reference planes of the head to diagnose orthodontic treatments.
Three reference planes are composed of transverse plane, frontal plane and sagittal plane. Transverse planes are also called horizontal planes which pass through the body at right angles to the median and the frontal planes and divide the body into upper and lower sections. Frontal planes are also called coronal planes which pass vertically through the body from side to side and divide the body into front and back sections. Sagittal planes are also called midsagittal planes, median planes or parasagittal planes which pass vertically through the middle of the body and divide it into left and right halves. The above planes are imaginary planes and invisible. A cephalometric analysis is usually used to diagnose the orthodontic treatment, and it only applies the sagittal planes. In my opinion, we should use the three reference planes to improve the results of diagnosis in the orthodontic treatment. The number of patients with upper and lower labial segments undergrowth is on the rise and expected to increase at a faster rate in the near future. When we diagnose the upper and lower labial segment undergrowth patients, we regard the frontal plane far more important than the sagittal planes. If we only used the sagittal planes to diagnose the upper and lower labial undergrowth patients, we would have to choose the extraction-treatment. Using three reference planes with our appliance, we could treat the upper and lower labial undergrowth patients by nonextraction-treatment. Even though ordinary dental offices utilize the 3D x-ray system, orthodontists, who are expected to be specialists in the dental field, do not make use of such a system. Furthermore, they only use sagittal planes to diagnose the crowding teeth by a mere 2D x-ray system, which obviously does not get the job done. Moreover, they overlook the frontal planes to treat the undergrowth of the upper and lower labial segments, which could be considered more than lethal. These are the main reasons why they choose the extraction treatment. Indeed, this is ridiculous in our high-tech centered society; consequently and inevitably, the same mistakes are repeated over and over around the world. It is our mission to stop this archaic trend and open a new door toward a better treatment beyond the borders.
We have already conquered one of the weakest of removable appliances.
Dr. Dewey who supports the non-extraction treatment and Dr. Case who supports the extraction treatment held the intense and famous debate in 1911.
In 1911, Dr. Dewey and Dr. Case hotly debated whether to choose the non-extraction treatment or the extraction treatment in order to align crowding teeth.
The non-extraction treatment was once a popular method in orthodontics. However, in 1925, Dr. Lundstrom announced the apical base theory that the amount of space in the apical area (of the bone) is immovable and cannot be changed by the general orthodontic appliances. Once I had believed the apical base theory; however, I do not agree with the theory anymore. We have proved that the amount of apical area, apical base and bone body of patients can be enlarged by our appliance. The expanded apical area of the bone is stable and does not relapse. As the expanded area of apical area becomes larger, the available arch length achieves the required arch length which makes enough space to allow proper alignment of the teeth. We have drastically improved the appliance to become stronger and user-friendly. Our appliance is designed to fit comfortably in the mouth and enhances the effect of cure. The effect of appliance would thoroughly refute the apical base theory. Our appliance resolves the many weaknesses of appliances of those available in the 1920s. If Dr. Lundstrom had seen the effect of our appliance, he must have changed his mind about the apical base theory. We have succeeded in resolving a weakness of removable appliance pertaining to the screw. The screw is weak against twisting movements. If the screw is broken by twisting movements or product’s degradation, it takes two weeks to change to a new one. The drawback is that patients can’t wear the appliance during the repair. Our new procedure called “REPLACE” requires only one day to replace the broken screw for a new one. It usually costs \30,000 ~ \50,000. However, we are proud to announce this procedure is free of charge. Patients just need to wait for a few days to receive their appliance at home by mail.
We unveiled a new strong point with our original appliance.
A regular baseplate appliance is believed to be broken easily due to being fragile. Patients who underwent the orthodontic treatment using the regular base plate appliance are asked to make additional appliances by their dentists. Whenever patients are asked to make another regular appliance, they have to pay the extra charge for a new one. If patients lose their appliance by mistake or break it by abuse, they can consent to the remaking of the appliance and to pay the additional charge. When patients who precisely keep the compliance with their dentists precisely are asked by their dentists to make their new appliance due to unintended damage, they are often dissatisfied with the order. Patients have to have the impression of upper and lower jaws taken in order to make a new appliance. Patients spend a few weeks without the appliance until the completion of new appliance. Furthermore, patients have to pay the unexpected and additional charge of a new one. If dentists frequently request their patients to remake a new appliance and charge an additional cost frequently, they may not gain their patients’ confidence. Our appliance is durable employing the thickest wire which gives our appliance advantages over other regular appliances. As we have great confidence in the intensity of our appliance, we give a two-year guarantee on it. We used to ask patients to make a new appliance when the length, the width and the depth of jaws of patients become too large to fit with our appliance. We ask patients to deposit their present appliance to take it apart, replacing old screws with new ones, renewing the base plate, and leaving the reusable parts of the present appliance. Consequently, we reduce both the time and the fee to make a new appliance. At our clinic, we have named this procedure “reuse”, which has never been used in the orthodontics industry.
Through my clinical practice, it is obvious that the mesio-distal width of labial segment has become larger in the last two decades among Japanese children.
Some reports say that the upper and lower jawbones of modern children are likely to shrink due to the change in eating habits. According to Japan Pedodontics Academy, X-ray examinations have proved that the size of each component that constitutes the skull and facial cranium of modern children has drastically become larger. We expect a further research to come regarding the tendency of cranium development. It remains to be seen if conditions will change. Koichi Nakano reported that the tooth width of modern Japanese has rapidly become larger. Through my clinical practice, I have noticed that the mesio-distal width of central incisor and lateral incisor of upper and lower jaws in modern Japanese children has apparently and rapidly become larger. There are not much apparent evidence of the above mentioned phenomenon based on recent data in the past two decades about the width of Japanese children’s teeth. Surprisingly, Tetsuji Kawakami reports that the mesio-distal width of first premolar and second premolar of upper and lower jaws has remarkably become smaller in the last forty years. Teeth form from embryonic cells, which are also known as tooth germs. The tooth germs grow and erupt into the mouth in a complex process. Tooth germs of central incisor, lateral incisor and canine form in the twentieth week of prenatal development. In my opinion, there must be some correlations between the enlarging width of labial segment and its formation in the initiation stage. Modern eating habits make the first and the second premolar become smaller because their development is affected by postnatal eating habits. In spite of having big teeth, children should not choose the extraction treatment because bone has potency to become big and align with those teeth.
The reason why we must not overlook ( miss) the upper teeth crowding.
The cause of crowding arch at upper labial segment is caused by undergrowth. Functional orthodontic treatments help patient’s bone to grow normally. Consequently, patient’s bone is corrected by our appliance and will have larger space enough to support teeth. The skull and facial cranium constitute the cranium. The upper jaw occupies 80% of the facial cranium. I mentioned that the upper jaw faces the bottom of the nasal cavity. The stimulated growth of upper jaw by using our appliance leads to the normal growth of nasal cavity. The upper jaw also faces the base of the skull. The base of the skull is affected by the general growth pattern. The growth of brain is significantly affected by the bone growth of skull and the base of skull. The volume of the skull reaches 73% adult size rate at two years old , 92% at six years old and 97% at twelve years old. The upper jaw growth curve is relatively near the brain and head curve. The lower jaw growth curve is relatively near the general tissues. I speculate that the upper jaw undergrowth prevents the growth of brain function as well as nasal function. The functional orthodontic treatment no longer means merely treating the crowding teeth.
The reason why expanding treatment of the upper jaw leads to resolving nasal problems as the oral function improves.
There are only three ways to cure crowding arch. When almost all dentists cure crowding dental arch for their patients, they automatically choose interproximal stripping and/or extraction treatment. Those dentists choose interproximal stripping and extraction treatment because they don’t even know the effective way to expand the jaw. I still support the idea of expansion of jaw to cure crowding arch. I have encountered a lot of patients who underwent expansion of their jaw feel that their breathing has become easier after the treatment. Thanks to the expansion treatment, one of my patients, a soprano singer, commented that she could move her tongue smoothly and sing much better now. Expansion treatment spins off many good effects. Such effects are logical because the whole oral space has become enlarged by using expansion treatment, resulting in the free movement of the tongue.
The palatal bone is the roof of the oral cavity which also acts as the bottom of the nasal cavity. Periosteal deposition occurs on the oral side of palate bone and periosteal resorption occurs on the nasal side of palate at the same time as natural growth. The palatal bones are expanded to cure crowding arch by using our appliance, which increases growth beneath. The more beneath the relocation of the upper jaw growth, the more beneath the relocation of the palate bone itself and the bottom of nasal cavity place. As a logical consequence, nasal cavity can become larger. Due to the effective expansion treatment of upper jaw, patients feel that their nasal breathing resulting from nasal obstruction has drastically improved. Obviously, only our appliance can get this dramatic effect.
The reason why we were granted a patent for the orthodontic appliance.
The existing upper orthodontic plate and lower orthodontic plate are independently positioned in the mouth. Those orthodontic plates are required to wear at least 20 hours a day. Patients are mandated to wear those plates by their doctors while attending school or going to work. Such a type of orthodontic plates carry a great risk of being lost or misplaced by mistake because whenever patients eat something, brush their teeth, or are required to speak clearly, they need to remove those plates. Once those patients lose their plates in the school, hardly are they found. When patients lose their plates, they have to order them to be remade anew. Consequently, losing their plates forces them to bear the burden of unnecessary expenditure. The Bio Functional Suit which has both baseplates connected with a specially-designed durable wire can treat the upper and lower jaws at the same time. That is the reason for being granted the patent. This granting of patent by the government signifies that: ①Our appliance is effective in orthodontic treatment. ②The amount of time required to be worn in the mouth is drastically reduced by more than half. Patients are required to wear it only for 10 hours a day, so they do not need to wear it in school or in work places, thus totally eliminating the risk of losing it. Patients are directed by the dentist to keep the plates at home. Even though the palate is shallow、often seen among children, the appliance can stay in the right position and work properly. It makes the treatment time short and makes patients improve compliance and wear. Dentists recommend it to patients who have the mixed dentition, the deciduous dentition and the permanent dentition during growing period. It has many screws in the both baseplates which work to expand jaws and move the alveolar bone which has molar teeth distally. It can realize in correcting the crowding dental arch without extraction therapy.
It is vitally important for patients to learn why crowding dental arch occurs.
The patients who suffer from upper and lower labial segment undergrowth (bone deficiency) are not likely to have right alignment. 80％ of orthodontic treatment patients have upper and lower bone deficiency at labial segment, which leads to the front teeth crowding. When patients understand crowding arch, they need to learn the relationship of the required dental arch length and the available arch length. Explaining to my patients or their parents to understand their crowding arch, I always tell a figurative story during consultations. Please imagine a subway seat to be as same as upper and lower jaws at labial segment with six permanent front teeth. If the length of subway seat for six men is smaller than a regular one, it does not allow six men to sit properly. A few men have to either twist their body or give up their seat to fit into the seat, which is equivalent to crowding arch in the mouth. If the subway seat became big to let six people to sit properly, they would not need to twist their body nor give up their seats. Therefore, if the labial bone does not have bone deficiency, all their teeth are likely to align perfectly and properly. Unfortunately, most patients have to face an extraction treatment and an interproximal stripping to treat crowding arch not knowing the potential dangers of not treating the wrong size of bone. Having said that, I strongly emphasize the importance of getting labial bone developed in order to align the teeth beautifully, just like enlarging the subway seat to fit six passengers comfortably. Our office treats undergrowth patients to stimulate the upper and lower jaws by providing gentle force. It is not to expand the upper and lower jaws but to help compensate the bone deficiency using the appliance naturally. Therefore, it is my heartfelt desire that many people notice the significance of the juvenile growth spout and putting it to good use before it is too late.
PERMANENT TOOTH DEVELOPMENT
As teeth form from embryonic cells and grow, they erupt into the mouth. This is achieved by an intricate process called odontogenesis, which simply means “tooth development.” When periodontium, cementum, dentin, and enamel develop together in each appropriate stage of fetal development, it results in a healthy oral environment. Between the sixth and eighth weeks of fetal development, the primary teeth begin to grow. Surprisingly, permanent teeth start to form around the thirteenth week. If the development of the teeth does not start around these periods, it will not happen at all. Recently, however, many incidents of congenitally missing teeth have been seen in the last decade. In my opinion, food, water and environmental factors during pregnancy have a harmful effect on the fetus during its prenatal period. Even though we do not know the reasons of congenitally missing teeth yet, we have some treatments for that birth defect. If dentists or parents find a child suffering from congenitally missing tooth, they will try not to extract a baby tooth due to the lack of successional tooth. If feasible, a baby tooth which does not have a successional tooth will be kept for the rest of their life. Our new appliance has manmade teeth to replace the congenitally missing teeth which are similar to the partial denture and, at the same time, treat crowding teeth. After the period of growth spurt of children suffering from congenitally missing tooth is over, they can choose the treatment method: the partial denture treatment, the bridge treatment, or the implant treatment to replace the missing teeth. In any case, the children suffering from congenitally missing tooth and their parents need careful observation of the missing teeth by certified professionals for a period of time.
Basic Bone Biology in Functional Orthodontic Treatment.
Bone is a vital tissue that is constantly undergoing change. Throughout the whole life of bone, the normal sequence of vital events includes the continuous replacement of preexistent bone with new bone. Bone is one of the few organs of the body that has this regenerative capacity. Most of the surface of a bone is covered with a membrane. Outer bone surfaces are covered with the periosteum, while the inner surfaces, including the haversian canals, are covered or lined with the endosteum. The inner cellular layer of the periosteum and the endosteum itself consist of osteoprogenitor cells, osteoblasts, and osteoclasts. In either case, the cells of the cellular layer of the periosteum and endosteum can produce new bone if properly stimulated. The jaw consists of the basal bone which is genetically destined to be unchangeable, and the functional bone (alveolar bone) is changeable bone by the force of treatment. If patients who are under growth spurt are treated by functional orthodontic treatment, their stimulated functional bone can develop more than genetically expected growth. And this could affect the development of the basal bone which many people believe is unlikely to happen by mechanical force. Functional orthodontic treatment could achieve this. Therefore, the expanded basal bone implies the expansion of the jaw itself. Since the patient’s jaw itself can be expanded by functional orthodontic treatment, our idea that “jaw is unchangeable” must change. Soga Functional Orthodontic Center is devoted to the studies of the very dynamic and mysterious tissue we call bone.
The age at which deciduous teeth are replaced by permanent teeth is becoming earlier in modern children.
We have learned each deciduous tooth has the mean age to fall out and erupt. We have also learned the mean age of eruption of each successional permanent tooth after deciduous teeth fall out. The mean age for deciduous teeth to come out between 6 and 8 years old for primary central incisors, between 7 and 9 years old for primary lateral incisors, between 9 and 12 years old for primary canines, between 10 and 12 years old for first primary molars, and between 10 and 12 years old for secondary primary molars. Recently, however, the age at which deciduous teeth fall out has become earlier than the mean age. In my opinion, the first primary molars and the second primary molars obviously fall out earlier than the mean age for teeth to fall out. When each deciduous tooth falls out, each successional tooth starts to erupt automatically. Premature loss of deciduous teeth leads to premature eruption of permanent teeth. Consequently, each successional permanent tooth has to erupt and align before the upper and the lower jaws sufficiently grow. What is worse, this tendency is accelerating among modern children. Thus, there is not enough space for permanent dentition to align permanent teeth due to the two negative influences, stated above. Early fallen deciduous teeth and the constricted double jaws could lead to malocclusion and crowding teeth. Accordingly, Soga Functional Orthodontic Center still recommend modern children to have both their malocclusion and crowding teeth corrected by early orthodontic treatment.
What is the best age to start orthodontic treatment for children?
Humans have two growth spurts. The first one starts immediately at birth and ends at 6 years old. The second one starts at 10 years old: in women, it finishes at 14 years old, and in men, it finishes at 18 years old. I recommend patients to start orthodontic treatment around 7 or 8 years old. 70 ％ of patients in all orthodontic treatment candidates have problems with their front teeth. In general, people notice the need for orthodontic treatment when they are 7 or 8 years old as their teeth start to erupt. I have seen a lot of orthodontic treatment candidates who have the crowding arch due to undergrowth, especially for the upper jaw. The number of children who have the undergrown upper and lower jaw is increasing in the last two decades. I think the phenomenon and condition of those children should be taken seriously. In my opinion, the surge in the number of such children suffering from sleep apnea and undergrown upper and lower jaw should not be overlooked. If the undergrowth of maxilla of the orthodontic treatment candidates is cured at 7 or 8 years old using our appliance, they can avoid extraction therapy and finish the orthodontic treatment by the time they enroll junior high school. Many parents usually start to consider using brackets in the orthodontic treatment combined with extraction therapy when their children 14 or 15 years old. However, it is my wish that parents observe the alignment of children’s front teeth carefully. Parents are usually the first witness to judge their children’s need of the orthodontic treatment. Which would be the choice for your children, early non-extraction therapy or regular extraction therapy?
Why do we recommend the non-extraction therapy to align the crowding teeth arch?
Have you ever heard of the “8020” project being promoted by both the Ministry of Health and the Japan Dental Association? “8020” simply means retaining 20 teeth at the age of 80 for a healthy life. Since the average life expectancy of Japanese men and women is 80 years and 86 years respectively, retaining as many teeth as possible leads to a healthier life. Even though implant treatment has developed dramatically, nothing can excel natural teeth. We have to keep our natural teeth healthy longer than it used be in order to achieve “8020”. That’s why we have to keep away from avoidable extractions for performing orthodontics treatments as well as any dental treatments. Once a tooth is lost, it will never come back again, as in the saying, “It is no use crying over spilled milk.” On the other hand, those who belong to the Mongoloid, among the three major human races, has jaws which are characteristically smaller and longitudinally shorter than the other two races. Thus, the space of oral cavity is smaller than the other two races. In addition, Mongoloid has a character of teeth which are bigger than those of the others. Therefore, orthodontists are likely to extract teeth in order to cure crowding teeth arch. The oral cavity becomes smaller by extractions. Since the tongue movement is restricted in the mouth, the tongue itself is likely to sink into the oral cavity bottom deeply. And that restricted tongue movement affects the activities of orbicular muscle of mouth. It could be the cause of sleep apnea. Due to the reasons stated above, extraction therapy is definitely not appropriate for Japanese. I really would not want to see patients regretting undergoing extraction therapy.
What is the Bio Functional Suit?
We developed the new removable functional appliance. When dentists treat a patient who has the upper and the lower crowding arches using a baseplate appliance, they can only treat each side at a time. They are not able to treat both sides at the same time. Since both baseplates of each jaw are independent, they are too unstable to work effectively in the mouth, especially for the upper jaw. When young patients have the baseplate in their shallow palate, they often have trouble handling. They always have to push the appliance with their fingers to keep it in position to have it work properly. However, the Bio Functional Suit which has both baseplates connected with a specially-designed durable wire can treat the upper and lower jaws at the same time. Even though the palate is shallow、often seen among children, the appliance can stay in the right position and work properly. It makes the treatment time short and makes patients improve compliance and wear. Dentists recommend it to patients who have the mixed dentition, the deciduous dentition and the permanent dentition during growing period. It has many screws in the both baseplates which work to expand jaws and move the alveolar bone which has molar teeth distally. It can realize in correcting the crowding dental arch without extraction therapy. However, there are some minimum conditions to achieve success in the orthodontics treatment by using the Bio Functional Suit. Let me list the conditions. Patients are recommended to wear the appliance for 12 hours or more a day to achieve maximum results. However, it has proven that maximum results could be achieved with less hours, depending on the patient’s individual conditions. Patients have to adjust screws by themselves every day based on the dentist’s directions. Patients soon get used to adjusting screws.
Functional Orthodontic Treatment and Preventive Orthodontic Treatment.
People have recently started to focus more on the importance of how to prevent diseases rather than how to treat them. Preventive treatment prevails in our nation and among all medical staff. As a result, the percentage of smokers and people suffer from obesity is reducing every year. If patients are treated by preventive orthodontic treatment using functional orthodontic treatment during the growth and development period, they can avoid the extraction of their teeth and major surgeries. As long as even teeth dentition is achieved during early childhood, the teeth and gum can be kept clean and healthy. Such favorable conditions can be maintained for the rest of their life through regular brushing.
What is Functional Orthodontic Treatment?
It is a controversial and difficult question. I don’t think there is any clear definition of functional orthodontics treatment yet. Our definition is that the dental arches of the upper and lower jaws and the jaws themselves can be expanded to treat crowding teeth without extraction and at the same time, correcting the occlusion and the posture. This procedure will not alter the patient’s appearance in any way. Generally speaking, the orthodontic force exerted directly on the teeth by using metal brackets and wires often result in an unpleasant experience. However, our functional orthodontic treatment focuses more on the alveolar bone and its soft tissue than the patient’s teeth themselves. The teeth and their hard tissue (bone) and soft tissue (gum) are moved by the functional orthodontic force. The functional orthodontic force consists of biological treatment and mechanical force. The biological treatment consists of mastication training which can correct patient’s mastication habit and stimulate their muscle to improve soft tissue to help form the face properly.
The mechanical force can expand patient’s jaws and accelerate bone growth for developing generations. It is believed that the form of the basal bone is inherited genetically. However, the natural growth and the biologically guided growth can be caused by the stimulation from the mechanical force. The synergy of such growth will accelerate the treatment.
There are only three ways to cure crowding dental arch.
1. EXTRACTION
2. INTERPROXIMAL STRIPPING
3. EXPANSION OF DENTAL ARCH
We have to focus on both the available dental arch length and the required dental arch length to cure crowding arch. The available dental arch length is the dental arch perimeter. On the other hand, the required dental arch length is the total mesio-distal width of all the teeth. If a dentist chooses method one (i.e. extraction) for a patient, the required dental arch length will reduce by losing teeth in order to get close to the available dental arch length. If a dentist chooses method two(i.e. interproximal stripping), for a patient, the required dental arch length will be shortened by shaving teeth in order to get close to the available dental arch length. If a dentist chooses method three (i.e. expansion of dental arch) for a patient, the available dental arch length will increase to get close to the original required dental arch length. The aim of expanding dental arch is to maintain both the shape and number of innate teeth, rather than extracting or stripping healthy teeth, to cure crowding dental arch.
What would be the best choice for your child?
What are the first and the second phases of the treatment?
You may not be familiar with these words.
The first phase aims at developing the patient’s bone growth, collecting their malocclusion and removing their bad habits such as finger-sucking, nail biting and oral breathing in the mixed dentition period and the deciduous (primary) dentition period. This treatment is effective among patients under 15 -year old because they are at the peak of growth and development. Soga Functional Orthodontic Center specializes in the first phase treatment. The commonly-known orthodontics deals only with the second phase treatment. This treatment treats patients over 15- year old whose adult teeth eruption has completed. We strongly recommend that patients who are considering orthodontic treatment should make good use of growth spurt to treat their malocclusion in the first phase.