Spectator Magazine August 2019

By Nancy Wiley, DDS
When making the very important decision of choosing
an orthodontist, or any kind of dental or medical professional
for yourself or your child, it is necessary to do
research to find out how one differentiates from another.
Just as we all have individual personalities and interests,
doctors and dentists have different philosophies
that affect the treatment of their patients, often related
to their education and training. I encountered the single
biggest influence on my professional future, Dr. Melvin
Moss, while I was a resident at Columbia University
Dental School. Dr. Moss taught us that "Form Follows
Function." What this means is that the structure of the
mouth and teeth are impacted by how the muscles in
the mouth, such as the tongue, work. Dr. Moss would
stand at his lectern, screaming this at us, his students,
leaving me feeling scared of him.
However, in the years since, I have
studied the research for which he has
become internationally known and
have seen the principles he embraced
at work in my own practice. While most
orthodontists are not taught and do not
understand this principle, in my over
25 years of experience, I have come to
realize that 95-98% of the orthodontic
issues that I see in my patients can be
explained by Dr. Moss's "Form
Follows Function" principle.
So ... what does this mean to the lay person? Basically,
4 muscular imbalances cause almost all of the problems
that lead to the need for orthodontic treatment.
Those are:
Mouth breathing, a short lingual frenum (the band or
string of tissue under the tongue), sucking habits (fingers,
thumb, pacifier, bottle, breast, tongue, etc.), and
teeth clenching and/or grinding
The first three are very much related, and can lead to
similar problems. The most common issues include:
Having a narrow palate and constricted dental arches,
leading to crowding of the teeth, impacted teeth, gingival
recession, crossbites and underbites, over jet (also known
as bucked teeth), open bites, disruption of normal facial
growth (also known as long face syndrome), speech
delays and impediments, digestive and gastric issues, and
snoring and sleep apnea (which have been linked to ADD
and ADHD).
The fourth behavior, clenching/grinding, has a different set
of problems associated with it. These actions can lead to:
A deep bite, crowded dental arches, premature wear of
the teeth, and Temporomanidbular Disorder (TMD).
Symptoms include jaw popping, cracking, and locking ,
which can lead to headaches and migraines.
Educating ourselves about the causes,
symptoms, and effects of our children's
(and our own) function is important to us,
as parents, because we CAN change the
course of our children's history IF we find
clinicians who are properly educated and
trained. We cannot see what we do not
know, and we cannot correct what we cannot
see! In my experience, very few orthodontists,
pediatric dentists, pediatricians,
general dentists, ENTs, speech pathologists,
and allergists are trained to detect
these problems. Rather, they are trained
to treat the symptoms and effects. My question is, "Why
would you just treat the symptoms when you can also
treat the root cause?" If this resonates with you, please
come see us and how we are different. At Nancy Wiley
Orthodontics, we are passionate about everything we do.
Please let OUR passion transform YOUR life!
For more info please call 954-753-0015, see website
www.wileysmiles.com and School Cut-Out Calendar
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