Does Upper Lip Tie Removal Help Prevent Upper Front Teeth Gap?

It is not uncommon that I see a newborn or young child for upper lip tie with a specific parental concern for development (or existence) of a gap between the two upper front teeth. Also known as maxillary midline diastema , this condition is extremely common being present in up to 50%+ of children between ages 6 and 8. It should be mentioned that upper lip tie frenulectomy  (or frenectomy) is the complete removal of the upper lip tie surgically which is different from upper lip tie release…

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What Does a Kiss Look Like from INSIDE the Mouth? [VIDEO]

Image from Wikipedia A kiss is beautiful to behold and even better to give/receive... but it may be a matter of perspective, because what a kiss looks like from the inside is downright disconcerting. Check out this YouTube video ... On that note, I'm curious to know what kind of camera was used given it must have been tiny, and focus was unusually good given the varying focal length.

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Actor Zac Efron Broke His Jaw

Image by Liam Mendes from Wikipedia This past weekend, actor Zac Efron slipped in a puddle of water outside his home and fell resulting in a severe facial cut as well as a broken jaw . [ link ] Unlike most facial fractures that do NOT require any surgical intervention, most jaw fractures do need to be surgically repaired and typically entail wiring the jaw shut. Often, a metal plate with screws will be utilized to stabilize the fracture as well. The reason the jaw is wired shut is so …

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Mouth "Oil Pulling"

The other day, I had a patient ask me about "oil pulling." For those who don't know what oil pulling is: "Oil pulling or oil swishing is a traditional Indian folk remedy that involves swishing oil in the mouth. It is mentioned in the Ayurvedic text Charaka Samhita, where it is called Kavala Gandoosha or Kavala Graha. Ayurvedic literature describes oil pulling as capable of both improving oral health and treating systemic diseases such as diabetes mellitus or asthma. While…

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Hearing Loss Reversed by Teeth

When a patient is totally deaf in just one ear (normal hearing on the other side), there are only a few options to help. BAHA - Bone Anchored Hearing Aid CROS Hearing Aid - Stands for C ontralateral R outing O f S ignals. With BAHA, it does require surgery given the hearing aid is literally mounted on a post that is directly drilled into the skull on the deaf ear side. Total cost about $10,000. With CROS, two hearing aids are required; one on the deaf hear which picks up sound, …

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Cool X-Ray Video of What Happens Anatomically During Speech

Voice is sound production. Speech is what ultimately comes out the mouth after the sound is modified by the tight coordination among the throat muscles, palate, tongue, lips, teeth, etc. An example of a voice problem is hoarseness . A speech problem would be stuttering, or nasal-sounding words , or mumbling. Speech researcher Christine Ericsdotter precisely captured the intricate movements of the tongue, lips, pharynx and jaw during speech using a rapid-fire X-ray. Check out the video she…

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