Our body constantly dances with gravity and is subjected to thrusts and forces all the time.

In chewing we go to create a constant friction and also in experiencing certain emotional states it is on the mouth that we release the tension.

Let’s see the link between teeth and posture.

Posture, symmetry and mouth

In a correct posture , function and form work together in an economic, ergonomic and comfortable way.

A very important concept that allows all this is that of the structural symmetry of the human body.

The asymmetry in the whole body and specifically in the mandibular system is nothing other than the result of multiple adaptive capacities of the system ; in other words, if we weren’t a little asymmetrical, we would lose truthfulness, ours is a continuous search for adaptation. Not all the scales at the scapulo-humeral and pelvic girdle level are “to be readjusted” if they are part of a harmonious and in any case functional result between the various organizational systems of posture.

The latter are the eyes, the vestibule and the mouth , with obviously attached teeth. Obviously, we are not referring to important dysmorphisms but  slight paramorphisms, attitudes that are not too rooted but functional. As if to say that the body organizes itself this way because it suits it.

An ascending, descending or mixed postural syndrome can also be compensated by starting from the position at the level of the mouth. Very often osteopaths when they find an excessive muscle contraction or a certain lack of tonicity go to work inside the mouth, precisely to re-establish a balance starting from points of tension that is reflected at myofascial level throughout the body.  

Disciplines that improve balance

The teeth, the jaw and the cranio-cervical posture 

Several scientific studies have now highlighted the difference in pace and posture in those who are carriers of deep bite or malocclusion compared to the population with normocclusion.

At the level of growth, the child, after the acquired ability to use the hands,  knows orally ; this component has valuable consequences linked to the neurological structure that make us understand why posture and teeth are so connected. As if the child’s world “also passed through the mouth”.

The trigeminal nerve (also called cranial nerve) is characterized by an enormous nuclear extension, the largest of all the nerves in our body: it goes from the midbrain to the first 2/3 cervical metamers, constituting, in this location, the Lamina Marginalis and the Sostantia Gelatinosa of the posterior horn of the spinal cord; these two laminae play such an important role at a proprioceptive level because there are pseudounipolar neurons, fundamental in conveying information with respect to space and movement.

In summary, at the level of the mouth there is a powerful means of communication between the outside and the inside, a direct connection to the nervous system .

What happens during growth? When the lower central incisors appear in the child (about 8 months), the first form of antigravity control begins, while when the upper central incisors appear (about 12 months), there is control of the upright statics.

That of the incisors is an example, but in reality all the teeth are involved in the control of the antero-posteriority of the postural systems , just to mention the case of the molars, which stabilize the vertical position in contrast to gravity.

Also for this reason, the body should be thought of as a single system and when a wisdom tooth arises in the adult that is badly positioned, it is necessary to understand how much it is acting as a disturbing field or not.

For a correct posture it is also necessary to always relax the facial muscles and train the grip that is exercised at the level of the teeth even when not required or necessary.