Here is a video demonstrating expansion of mandible with appliance and oral training.
[xyz-ihs snippet=”mandible”] |
“A short movie after expansion with K1 and exercises. A 100 days using the K1. She is 15. Great cooperator.”
This girl used the Myobrace K1 Appliance only which is a mouth piece that has a tag to serve as reminder for getting the tip of tongue on the “spot” or incisive papilla.
It is empirical evidence that bone remodeling occurs in the lower jaw, and dental arches can expand by getting the tongue on the roof of the mouth.
The K1 mouth piece assists in oral training in the following ways
- As mentioned above, a tag reminder for the tongue tip at the incisive papilla
- The full mouth piece once in the mouth, effectively disables oral breathing, & forces nasal breathing
- because the plastic of mouth piece goes in between teeth and lips, it also deactivates the obicularis oris (lip muscle) during swallows.
This appliance is worn 1-2 hours right before sleep and worn all night during sleep.
It is only part of the solution, the success of treatment requires patient participation in doing the various oral myology exercises to correct tongue posture & swallowing patterns.
Expansion with the Tongue
We have to remember that our tongue is a powerful & quite large muscle. When it finds its home on the upper palate as it should, it is going to have an effect on surrounding tissue and bone, which leads to expanded dental arch.
Here is the picture of the same patient’s Upper Palate changing by correcting tongue posture and swallowing pattern.
It is interesting to note that the lower jaw expanding in conjunction with the upper.
Doctors find that there is often spontaneous lower arch expansion when you expand the upper. “The lower arch will take care of itself” was a remark made by one of the first orthodontists to begin using RPE on patients back in (early 60’s?) … long time ago.
It could be due to the fact that as the upper arch expands slowly, the teeth distribute the expanding forces onto the lower teeth as well when the mouth is closed.
and/or as the upper arch expands various other soft tissues are getting expanded/wider as well, which is putting light expanding forces on the lower.
Or combination of above/and some other factors.
Bent Wire System (BWS)
Myobrace mentions that in severe cases they will use Bent Wire System (BWS) for expansion in conjunction with K1, which is light wire expansion appliance similar to ALF’s. Or they say they will use Biobloc, but I think most Myobrace doctors are using the BWS based on what I have seen.
This is the type of wire that remembers its original shape and tries to spring back to it no matter how long or how ever you try to bend it, so this is what is used in DAMON braces system as well as the wire will continually remodel the bone as it gently tries to return to its original shape that is shaped by the doctor. Each appointment the doctor may put in a wider wire in if the arch needs to get wider.
Also note that it does not have to be DAMON, but many doctors will still carry self-ligating bracket system which is the same thing but more economical as it hasn’t been branded by DAMON. Self-ligating bracket means that the wire is free to move through the bracket. No rubber bands to fix the wire onto the bracket like traditional braces which uses much tougher forces to align teeth and doesn’t allow for free & continual movement like the self-ligating (DAMON) system. It is noted that with traditional braces, the majority of the changes happen within the first week after monthly appointment, and causes much more sore teeth. Whereas with the self-ligating system the change will continue for the whole month and much more gentle forces mean less soreness. In my humble opinion, traditional braces should never be used and its a waste of money & time. Always opt for doctors that are using self-ligating system.
ALF which is placing the wire inside the teeth versus placing the wire outside with brackets, now is that better for expansion? is hard to say, I think they can both do the job but I have my speculation that having the wire inside the mouth might be better… Certainly there is still use for brackets especially in my case where you need to move teeth more, as in re-open extraction sites, which require coil springs in between brackets to move the teeth quite a ways and torquing of the teeth to move the roots by adjusting wire entry on certain brackets.
How I saw my own Mandible Expand
I required much more expansion to take place than what is shown in the video above of the 15 year old girl. I used biobloc stage 1 in my upper and lower palate.
Many doctors say that the bone in the mandible can’t expand but you can see in the video that it is clearly remodeling as the arch form expands. I have seen this also without shadow of a doubt in my case, as I out expanded my first lower arch expansion appliance, so my doctor had to take another set of molds to make new one.
Once the mold was complete, I asked my doc to get my initial molds before treatment begun, and I sat in that office comparing both molds of my lower arch in my hands, and I could clearly see that after the expansion. The whole tissue / gum / bone underneath teeth of my mandible had expanded. The whole shape of the gum was changed. It was quite eye opening to see that, and I will get pictures soon when my treatment is complete.
I will mention that It seems that getting the very back molars of the mandible to expand might be the toughest part, as I did eventually run into the limit there as the back molar went out all the way to the very edge of the gums, and there was going to be more teeth tipping if we were to continue so we stopped. By then I had already gained enough expansion in the lower and upper to continue with re-opening the expansion sites. Most likely overtime bone underneath the molar will catch up and I could expand more but at this point I’m moving on. I have my speculations that natural expansion could be possible of the lower arch from here on out via masseter muscle & occlusion forces.
My front teeth however still seem to have plenty of gums for quick expansion.
One tip I have is that at the time I was not doing hard chewing as I am doing now, and chewing is known to prevent teeth tipping, and may help with bone remodeling of the mandible as one begins to expand with appliance. I was using acceledent the whole time but hard to say what effect that had on mandible as I still ran into the limit but acceledent has really sped up teeth movement. Also I wonder if I was expanding a bit too rapidly for the lower arches, at almost 1 mm per week in the beginning. I think if I could do it over I would opt for slower expansion rates at perhaps .5 mm per week, and do plenty of chewing a long with it to encourage as much bone structure changes as possible. Because teeth moves quick, but there is limit to how fast the bone can remodel.
Nutrition Play a Role?
When you see these changes occurring in the bone structure itself, one begins to wonder would certain nutrition aid in this process. As nutrition seems to play a role in how quickly someone heals their broken bone for example.
Osteoporosis is real, and it is caused by malnutrition. The bones become brittle and weak. Osteoblasts and Osteoclasts, the cells responsible for building new bone and destroying old bone is a process we continue to have till we die, but when there is malnutrition, more is being broken down and less is being put back in resulting in decline of bone density, which visually is seen as more porous bone matrix.
What I don’t quite understand yet, is when we hear the words “dense” we think that would be very tough to budge.
However some evidence suggests that healthy bone is more pliable which gives it it’s strength. And Osteoporosis bone is hard not as in strength but brittle like piece of glass.
Meaning of Brittle: “having hardness and rigidity but little tensile strength; breaking readily with a comparatively smooth fracture, as glass.”
For example, children are much less prone to bone fractures because they have malleable bones. Is it possible that this malleable bone is the healthy & dense bone?
It is known that it is easier to expand on children and move the maxilla forward because their bones are softer, but have we asked the question why their bone is “softer”?
What makes a bone “soft”?
Is it possible that as we age, we are becoming more and more nutritionally deficient and we are experiencing early onset of osteoporosis which is the cause of bone “hardening” but really what if the bone was simply becoming more porous and brittle?
Also I believe calcification is a real thing as we age and consume inorganic elements that is not assimilated but deposits in the body, resulting in hardening/calcification of arteries and other soft tissues. I am willing to bet that this process will also effect how easily we can expand the palate and manipulate bone.
When we think bone is becoming hard in adults, we automatically equate that to bone becoming stronger, but this may be a misunderstanding as adults are more prone to fractures!
Look at a kid take a fall, and they bounce right back up again.
So is it possible as adults with proper nutrition to make our bones more pliable again that makes bone remodeling process easier, faster & more effective?
My views on the Nutrition Industry
Nutrition Industry could be one of the most corrupted industries on earth even more so than pharmaceutical. At least the drug companies are more up front about it, stating that their drug is basically poison with 20 different side effects, however we go to the nutrition industry and if you are advent researcher you will find that there is so much misinformation out there it will make your head spin. Misinformation that leads to degeneration of the body that is guised as health & nutrition could be more dangerous than anything else. “Half truths are more dangerous than lies”
My research is revealing that most everything taught about proper nutrition in the mainstream is ass backwards. To speak of this becomes controversial because it reveals the hostile governments that enforce these things. I will say that there is great evidence out there that suggests that our food supply has been severely compromised with an agenda keep people weak, ill & unable to reach their potential, even the so-called “organic”, “all natural” stuff.
How else can you explain the fact that we have more technology than ever before but we are more unhealthy and ill than ever before?
Nutrition has always been an area of interest of mine. I’ve studied many varying viewpoints, tried many things, and still trying more new things. Over the years, one thing I have learned about Nutrition is that most everybody is clueless including myself & even the famous Gurus of the field.
I have avoided this topic because I have not seen empirical evidence that suggest nutrition plays a role in palate expansion and bone remodeling. It is clear to me that oral posture & function plays much more direct roles as seen by the girl in the video that expanded the palate by change in posture alone, but that isn’t to say nutrition might play into it in some way, and we just don’t understand all the factors quite yet.
When you see time lapse video of palates expanding like above, it really give you the insight on how alive the bone is. Just like a time lapse video of a growing plant reminds us how alive they are. & We know soil nutrients play a big role in how the plant develops and the final form it takes, then you can’t help but to think our diet might some role in bone formation?
I will mention that I am well aware of Weston Price’s work for many years, my research has taken me beyond it & into other elements and I should have some interesting things to report soon after I gain some more firsthand experience.
-CP
She’s 15 though…do you see these things in 21+? I’ve been tongue-roofing for almost a whole year and see no expansions.
Also, I don’t understand your premise for chewing daily with low intensities. You say bone responds well to smaller more prolonged forces…but more muscle mass = more bone mass. Body builders have more bone mass in legs. Its better to chew at larger intensities for short periods of time –> you build more muscle mass = more bone mass over time.
Thanks for the new article. I would like to know your thoughts on the comment above as well, since it’s known that low rep – high intensity forces creates more muscle mass. Talking about bodybuilders reminds me that human growth hormone also grows bone size, so maybe any activity that increases that could help bone growth in the face as well.
3 questions if you can help me out:
1. What causes the lower jaw to grow FORWARD? I see your theory on why it gets wider, and how as the maxilla goes forward, the lower jaw follows, but why is this true?
2. Is tongue to roof the only way to push the lower jaw forward or do you share any other methods for naturally pushing the maxilla forward in your membership forum?
3. I took a double whammy when I was a kid since I had traditional braces + severe allergies (mouth breather). I stopped wearing constrictive retainers a week ago after finding your blog + started tongue on roof. Is this good enough to see major changes (within a year or so) in pushing the lower jaw forward + wider, or is it a good idea to invest in appliances you mentioned in this post?
Lower jaw will come forward with tongue posture, as the tongue pushes the maxilla up and forwards.
As well as, strong masseter muscle, which will have the effect of rotating the lower jaw up and forward as well. So its the balance of tongue posture and muscle tone.
I always think a simple appliance like BWS or ALF for bit of expansion will do everyone some good, but if that is not feasible than at the end of the day muscle tone and correcting your oral posture (tongue posture, swallowing pattern, & lip seal) is far superior and matters the most.
When chewing to develop a stronger masseter, is it better to chew with the back teeth, and how much should the mouth open while chewing?
Thank you so much for the reply.
overthinking it, just chew however way you deem fit, I try to chew both sides that’s it. and getting back teeth involved as well
with the Mastiha greek gum I’m chewing pretty intensely for 1-2 hours daily, I get the burn feeling in jaw and cheekbones.
Yeah when one successfully re-establishes lip seal and gets the tongue on the roof again, the bone will change regardless of age. If you are not seeing results, it could mean you have not successfully accomplished true postural change. Also be mindful of your swallowing pattern as well and you have to get the back of the tongue to rise up.
CP, this is so very true. I have seen very noticeable expansion now using the Homeoblock appliance for the past 6 months. About a month ago I joined here and read your posts on proper tongue placement and swallowing, and I can most definitely see even more expansion and facial changes to the point where now, family members look at me a little longer than usual and tell me how good I look lately. Makes me laugh!
Also, I am 39 years old – I firmly believe just as you say that bone will change regardless of age. Strong will and dedication (like tongue placement and proper swallow, that is HUGE) help immensely and just as you mentioned in the article, nutrition plays a BIG role.
Getting in adequate Vitamin D3, K and A are very important for bone growth (and the D3/K combo helps distribute the calcium to the bones, where your body needs it.) I also simmer bone broth a few times a week and add grass-fed beef collagen to that and other foods to help as well with bone growth. My dentist told me a few weeks ago, my expansion is so noticeable that it looks like I had been doing this for a year, not just 6 months.
Thanks for another great article!
Hi CP, great article. Out of interest, at what point in your treatment did you start using the lower appliance? Was it from the very start or after a few months of using the upper appliance?
I expanded the upper 1-2 months before getting the lower appliance.
Hi CP. Is it possible to obtain the same results whithout these appliances? I’ve been doing tongue-on-roof for almost two months and I can definitely see some differences. However, I was wondering whether I could obtain better results by using one of the above methods. My understanding of the first method is that it doesn’t actually DO anything except train you to place your tongue correctly and practice proper swallow. Therefore, surely, if one disciplined one’s self to practice the above without the appliances, the results would be the same?
Many thanks for another interesting post.
Yes if you succeed in correcting your posture and swallowing patterns, then no appliance is needed. Catch 22 is if you are very narrow then this shift can be difficult in which case a simple help via appliance like BWS or ALF can make it easier as it creates more space for the tongue to rest on the upper palate
Drew Baye has some great info on building muscle quickly.
And CP if you haven’t already read Ray Peat’s work is fascinating.
Thanks for the great article.
Hi CP, I have a question. Im 16 years old and i wanted to now what would give me the fastest progress, myobraces or a palatal expander
palate expansion with biobloc or ALF and oral myology (oral muscle training)
Thanks
Thought these links might be of interest…
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1359/JBMR.050201/full
http://osteoporosis-studies.com/arginine-and-lysine-have-positive-effect-on-osteoblasts-in-vitro/
http://www.livestrong.com/article/458541-should-i-combine-l-arginine-with-l-lysine/ (Scroll down to the paragraph headed “Bone Health”)
Hey CP,
I’ve shown the Video to a german forum.
They say that the jaw didn’t change . According to them the pictures aren’t rotated the same.
In their opinion when you put the pictures one above the other and align them after this with helping lines there is no widening of the jaw visible.
What the After pictures makes it look like there is a changement in the widening is that the after picture hasn’t as much contrast in the center than the before picture.
Here is the before and after picture with the helping lines
http://www.progenica.de/forum/index.php?app=core&module=attach§ion=attach&attach_rel_module=post&attach_id=12335
And here it is with a bit more lightening in the before picture
http://www.progenica.de/forum/index.php?app=core&module=attach§ion=attach&attach_rel_module=post&attach_id=12336
What do you guys say , especially you, CP?
Thanks
Link is not working, but I have seen molds of my lower jaw which has definitely expanded especially the anterior parts of the dental arch.
nutrition is important no doubt. Inflammation = disease/arthritis. Inflamation is caused my stress and malnutrition. Eating properly most likely aids in bone remodeling.
IMO – increasing test and hgh production would speed up this process. Look at bodybuilders who do HGH, their faces have actually changed over the years. Dwayne Johnson is a perfect example. Theres even a disease called acromegaly, where a person produces to much HGH and their lower jaw grows over the years.
My buddy did hgh for 1/2 a year and hes fine. but its more risky if youre younger.
Have you noticed, after your treatment, if your palatal vault has lowered any? I have always had a really high vault, even after treatment with Schwarz appliances. (Though those appliances will cover the roof of the mouth not allowing the tongue to make its changes.)
Yes mine got lower and I believe is continuing to change with the tongue posture
Do you have any before and after pictures of your teeth? Do you have any X-rays or anything to show the extra bone growth?
What about using the following methods to encourage faster bone remodeling and healing to allow for more expansion without tipping according to this recent article:
LLLT
LUPUS
PRP
CORTICOTOMY
LOCAL INJECTION OF BIOMODULATORS
http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?pid=S2176-94512014000600123&script=sci_arttext
Excuse me but I think you didn’t understand the photo of the girl. You can’t say her lower jaw expanded simply because the photos don’t show her lower jaw. If you notice, there is a mirror placed right under her upeer jaw so you can see the two sides of the teeth, in and out. I read there is no way to expand the lower jaw, at least not after a certain early age, but it doesn’t need to be expanded anyway. I think when the upper jaw is expanded, to avoid malloclusion, the upper teeth must be slightly inclined inwards or the lower teeth inclined outwards… A lot of beautiful people I see have their upper teeth like this, inclined inwards, you know? And their teeth fit perfectly. I hope you understand what I mean, my english is not much good.
Care to elaborate CP?