Something that's caught my attention in the last while has been Orthotropics. I know that this is a controversial topic for many and some consider it quackery, but what has worried me the most as I near the end of my journey (my orthodontist predicts debracing in July) has been relapse. Not relapse of my more or less crooked teeth, but relapse of my open bite.
Orthotropics claims that we can control how our jaws and teeth grow by the way we place our tongues in our mouths. The higher up against the roof of the palate, the more likely our jaws will grow ideally to accommodate aligned teeth. The farther away from the roof we place our tongue, the more likely our jaw will grow deformed and our teeth will be misaligned.
It sounds very simple, maybe, but the moment I stopped to think a little and relaxed my tongue, I noticed that my tongue was practically lying against my bottom jaw, when, according to Orthotropics, it should have been resting against the roof of my mouth. So maybe Orthotropics is on to something? Who knows. What I do know is that it probably won't do me any harm if I start placing my tongue against the roof of my mouth (and closing my mouth and breathing through my nose--two other "musts" to grow ideal jaws), so I've been doing so for about two months now.
Results? My annoying cross bite has disappeared. Relapse has been minimal since I stopped wearing elastics a month ago (I'll post pictures soon).
Obvious cases have shown that if there is muscle failure in the face (such as after a stroke) or if the tongue continues to be placed low in the mouth, teeth become more crooked and jaws grow more deformed over time.
My conclusion was: even if nothing changes, it's better than if it changes for the worse. If it changes for the better, then that's a benefit I'll take. So I'm still putting my tongue against the roof of my mouth, in the hopes that nothing changes for the worse. :)
Here's one of many lectures on Orthotropics: