Does Your Smile Affect Your Posture?

First thing first, I want to assure you that it will not be an ad for another toothpaste. However, I will show you that dentistry and physiotherapy can have a lot in common I once wrote that there are a lot of muscles on the face, thanks to which we speak, chew, or express emotions (you can find the article here).These muscles are quite significant for a physiotherapist, because they can provoke tension that causes ailments in the head area which can also be transferred to further body parts in the form of compensation.  In the head area there are also other structures, equally important for therapists, which I did not mention then - temporomandibular joints!  Dysfunctions of these joints may be affected by:
  • Dental problems (e.g. incomplete dentition, uneven fillings, crooked teeth, etc.) - this is the link between dentistry and physiotherapy 
  • Orthodontic problems (misaligned bite)
  • Stress, emotional problems (stored in the form of muscle tension and vagus nerve)
  • Posture disorders (e.g. head protraction)
The abovementioned disorders result in an imbalance of tension within the joints, which may manifest as pain (e.g. while eating) and/or cracking/clenching/grinding of the teeth at night.  The dysfunctions can also provoke changes in further body parts and cause:
  • Neck pain
  • Headache (earache, toothache)
  • Tinnitus 
  • Posture disorders
  • Balance disorder
I hope that you are not scared after reading this article. Laughter is good for you, so do it as often as possible. In case something concerns you - report to the physiotherapist for a check-up! Perhaps after working out a few tense structures your smile will become even wider!