Malocclusions (bad bites) not only affect the facial appearance and shape of the face but also affect oral health and chewing function. Malocclusion occurs when the teeth are misaligned, including crowded teeth, gapped teeth, overbites, and crossbites. Malocclusion is caused by the size difference between the jaws and teeth and is most often hereditary. However,…

Researchers have found that being able to chew food well lowers anxiety, improves memory, and reduces pain, providing a compelling case for early treatment of poor oral health, removal of misaligned teeth, or simply chewing more gum. Mice with crossbites showed significantly more noticeable and persistent anxiety-like behaviours, and “early removal of crossbites results in…

Your mother was right: It’s important to chew your food thoroughly before swallowing it. Chewing is the first step in digestion. It breaks food into smaller particles, which increases the surface area so that digestive enzymes can more readily extract nutrients from it. If we rush through our meals, we don’t get the full phytochemical…