LIKE A PARENT OR RELATIVE, we encourage you to “stand up straight,” but not just to avoid back problems or looking slouchy. You should practice good posture because it’s good for your oral and overall health.
Your Bite Affects Your Posture
Your teeth are an important part of an interconnected skeletal system. Because your bite determines the position of your jaw, it also affects the position of your head on your spine. If your teeth are improperly aligned, your jaw has to adjust to bring them together. This can strain and shorten your jaw muscles, pull your head to one side, and cause a chain reaction of compensatory problems as far reaching as the muscles in your pelvis and feet.
Your Posture Can Affect Your Bite
When you slouch your lower jaw moves forward and your skull moves back on your spinal column. Over time, this stresses and can cause inflammation in your jaw joints and muscles, which can be painful, especially when moving your mouth. Poor Posture can also rearrange the position of your facial muscles and can shift your bite and damage your teeth. There are appliances to help realign your bite and protect your teeth from further damage, but a better solution may be to practice good posture.
How To Practice Good Posture
Tips For Better Posture
- Lift your chest, pull your shoulder blades back and down
- Keep your stomach muscles tight
- If standing, your ears should line up with your shoulders, your hips with your knees, and your knees with your ankles
- If sitting, your hips should line up with your ears
Your posture and oral health are closely related. Please contact us if you feel one is affecting the other and we’ll work together to find a solution.
