Why Malocclusions are Common

So many people have undergone orthodontic treatment that it’s reasonable to wonder why everybody seems to need it. While some orthodontic work is cosmetic, most people have such bad malocclusions that their ability to clean their teeth and their long-term health would be jeopardized without significant correction. But rather than being an accident of nature, this is a trade-off of civilization.

Anthropologists have found that people who live traditional lifestyles and ancient people had much better dental health and rarely had badly misaligned teeth. However, as people adopted agriculture, the size of their jaws shrank, while their teeth remained the same size. Scientists found that this pattern held throughout the world. It seems that children who grow up eating soft cereal products, such as bread and rice, never develop the large jaws necessary to hold all thirty-two adult-sized teeth. The stress of chewing tough root vegetables and large strips of meat is necessary to build up bone, as well as muscle mass. As a result, modern people need not only often need orthodontic correction, but wisdom tooth removal and sleep apnea treatments, as well.

To learn more about Ross Orthodontics, visit SmilesbyRoss.com. Offices are located in Forest Lake, Minnesota and Hudson, Wisconsin.