Posts by Dr. Gerald H. Smith

Orthodontics / Neck Pain Connection Marc B. was a 44 year old male who suffered chronic cervical and low back pain for a 14 year period The patient accidentally fell two stories through an elavator shaft and landed on his back. He was in a body cast for 7 months. The doctors did not believe…

A Class II Division II malocclusion represents a deep overbite and retruded mandible. Such a structural imbalance causes a reflex forward head posture to open up the airway. In addition, the deep bite and retruded mandible causes a loss of the upper cervical lordotic curve and compression of the spine. These structural changes translate into…

IQ / Orthodontics Connection Standard orthodontic technique recommends the use of rapid palatal expansion devices as a quick way to widen a narrow palate. The widening process is accomplished by means of a rigid device (Hyrax) that is literally fixed to the upper teeth by means of orthodontic bands and dental cement. The appliance has…

LW is a male in his early sixties who suffered right arm pain for the past two years. LW described his pain as that equal to the pain of gout. The pain would come on suddenly and leave as quickly. There was no pattern to the pain cycles. LW was examined and treated by chiropractors…

Dental / Chronic Fatigue Connection Traditional medicine believes that the cause of chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is not yet known. Current theories are looking at the possibilities of neuroendocrine dysfunction, viruses, retroviruses environmental toxins, genetic predisposition, stealth organisms or a combination of these. Unfortunately researchers are looking for common denominators amongst the CFS patients that…

Walter was in his early thirties when he was referred to our office in 1993. Walter presented with low back pain that prevented him from working. Walter was treated with conventional medical therapy. He received a cortisone injection which masked the low back pain for six months. The second cortisone injection lasted only six weeks…

Dental Bridgework / Face Pain Connection Pre and post-treatment x-ray views (below). Case Report Most people can sustain dental trauma and their body will recover to varying degrees. This miraculous ability to absorb physical force is designed into the human skull by means of a built in shock absorber system called sutures. These sutures are…

Embryologically the teeth, with the exception of the enamel, develop from neural crest cells. This same group of “brain cells” gives rise to the autonomic nervous system. This developmental relationship is the underlying connection for the myriad of somatic symptoms that are directly and indirectly caused from malocclusions. Crooked teeth feed noxious impulses into the…