Warning: Orthodontic braces may cause scoliosis. I believe it. And I believe it happened to me.
A while back, I was having intense myofascial work done by my fascial therapist and she was working intensely on my head, where I usually have many muscular and fascial issues. At one point she was actually working inside my mouth and jaw.
Oddly, I started to feel a shift inside my spine. At the same time, I started tasting cold metal inside my mouth. It was the weirdest feeling. All of the sudden, my mind flashed back to when I had braces on my teeth, some 20 odd years ago. It was the very first time I ever even considered that there was a real connection between scoliosis and orthodontics.
After years of pondering this connection, I began talking to people in multiple industries and specialties, and doing my own fair share of research.
Now I’m quite sure there’s a link.
There’s a fascia connection that goes from inside the jaw and mouth down the spine. Thomas Myers (no relation) confirmed his discovery while doing cadaver work (see graphic below, the blue areas indicate the fascial line).
I had braces on my teeth for two and a half years and had to wear headgear to correct an overbite from fifth to seventh grade. The metal part of the headgear pulled my top jaw back while a cloth strap wrapped around my neck and pulled it forward.
Knowing what I know now, I truly believe this is what started my scoli.
Research shows that the sagittal profile (looking at a person from the side) is affected when a person has scoli[i]. So, shifting a person’s jaw forward or backward shifts that alignment ii.
Interestingly, my only sibling has scoliosis too. His is not as intense as mine, but it’s there nonetheless. He, too, had braces around the same age I did and had some jaw-adjusting apparatuses along with his braces. The ratio of boys to girls who have scoli is 20/80, so my brother is in the minority. The most interesting piece to our scoli family puzzle is that scoliosis doesn’t appear in our familial past. Meaning, our scoliosis doesn’t seem to have a genetic cause.
So, where does our scoli come from? I believe our jaw-moving apparatus was the main culprit for both of our scoliosis.
In the Beautiful Scoliotic Back*, I recount working with a set of genetically identical twins, both of whom had scoliosis. Their mother was going to have one of them get braces and rubber bands to help with her overbite. I pleaded with her to reconsider because her daughter was going through puberty, and I was very worried that any teeth and jaw-shifting would make her daughter’s scoliosis worse – and it did.
I reached out to a skilled Pilates instructor and myo-fascial therapist whom I knew a long time ago because I remembered her telling me about a connection between braces and scoliosis. Here is an excerpt from an email she sent me:
“My main experience (with scoliosis and orthodontics) was witnessing at the dance studio. The generation of children that started wearing dental headgear at ages 7-9, around (the year) 1998, was the highest percentage of scoliosis in teenagers we ever had. They all went to one orthodontist – Dr. K (I took the name out to protect his identity). We actually had four students in scoliosis (back) braces out of about 160 kids. They all had worn early (orthodontic) braces as well as expanders and/or had their bites changed dramatically. The lack of stabilization coupled with dancer-type loose ligaments and dramatic hormone changes did not set them up for success by ages 12-13. ”
Additionally, research shows that there is a plausible correlation between malocclusion and scoliosis. Malocclusion is the misalignment of the top and bottom teeth as the top and bottom jaws bites together. The research shows that scoliosis and malocclusion are often related. If you have scoliosis, often times a deviation of the alignment of the jaw will be present. This also shows that if you realign the jaw, the spine will be affected. If a deviation of both the spine (scoliosis) and the jaw (malocclusion) are present, and you fix the alignment of the jaw, the scoliosis sometimes gets better.
But what about my case, where scoliosis wasn’t present but malocclusion was present? I had a deviated jaw but a straight spine. I wonder what would’ve happened to my straight spine if I had left my deviated jaw where it was. After my orthodontic work I had a straight jaw and a deviated spine. If research shows that there’s a positive correlation between the alignment of the jaw and the spine, realizing there is a correlation between orthodontics and scoliosis isn’t that hard to fathom.
Full disclosure: my dad is a dentist. I know he would never knowingly put me in harm’s way. And that’s the point: most of us don’t know about this connection between orthodontic braces and scoli. Get out there! Ask questions! I can tell you this: my kids aren’t getting braces or any having any orthodontic work done while they are living under my roof. I’m going to let them live with the mouths they have in an effort to keep their spines straight.
A final note, we’re so obsessed with perfection and vanity in America. A parent of one of my young scoli clients repeated what an orthodontist said to her about her child having a correctly aligned jaw and straight teeth, “it’s a first world problem.” How important is a “perfect” smile to you? Royalty from other countries have imperfect smiles and they seem to be doing just fine on the popularity scales.
SO, will you think twice about getting braces for your children?
If this article brought up many questions for you, I recommend my book, I Have Scoliosis; Now What?. In addition to delving into the root causes of scoli, it also explores many new research studies about the way a body with scoliosis body differs and how to take care of it. You should also feel free to reach out and book an in-person or virtual lesson with my highly trained staff or me. We’d be happy to help empower you and/or your child.
Erin Myers is an international presenter on scoliosis and founder of Spiral Spine, a company designed to enrich the lives of people with scoliosis. She’s also created a number of scoliosis resources including the books I Have Scoliosis; Now What? and Analyzing Scoliosis, the scoliometer app (iPhone and Android) and many videos. She owns Spiral Spine Pilates studio in Brentwood, TN, which allows her to actively pursue her passion of helping those with scoliosis through Pilates, which she has been doing for over 15 years.
Sources
[i] http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16166889
iihttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24231781
hi Erin,
It’s an insight to read your posts and feedback. My daughter who is 15 has had chronic pulsating migraine 24 hours a day for 7 months now and the pain still hasn’t subsided. She has dizziness on certain movements and sinus tachycardia issues.
A cardiologist suggested she may have subluxation of upper cervical spine. Sure enough we found an upper cervical chiropracter who took images including a cbct scan and it showed subluxated upper cervical vertebrae, misaligned jaw, decompressed tmj and thoracic kyphosis and an element of scoliosis!! …and guess what she had orthodontic work with an expander and partial braces when she was only 8 years old. Then when she turned 14 they gave her invisalign. Her whole cranium has shifted when you compare the cbct scan of this year to 7 years ago.
This year because of her chronic migraine, dizziness, visual distortion issues and sinus tachycardia she hasn’t been able to go to school for 7 months!
We are actively getting help from a chiropracter using the neural organisation technique. The plan is to gently open up a compressed cranium prior to working on the tmj and maybe having to wear a mouth splint. Have you heard of this approach before?
Wondering if you’ve ever heard of this level of pain and impact before?
Pain specialists want to prescribe tricycles antidepressants. Help!!
Hi Teresa,
It sounds like your daughter is going through a lot. I’d also suggest finding a manual therapist that can do inter-mouth work on her. I have this done about 2 x a month, 1 x from two different therapists, during regular massage sessions where my back is worked on. My therapists’ techniques are very different and I benefit greatly from both, leaving my head tension free. You’ll need to start searching for these skilled manual therapists where you live. They are there, you just have to look and ask every therapist if they can do inter-mouth work.
I have also heard of specialized orthodontists to “undo” work in people’s mouth, or correctly realign things. So, keep that in your back pocket if the inter mouth work doesn’t work. I’m always happy to do a virtual lesson with you if you want to chat about all this over the computer.
Blessings,
Erin
Thanks Erin for the tips. Will look into both of these.
Cheers,
Teresa
I’ve always believed that removing 4 teeth, and wearing a neckstrap hardware when I had braces in the 70’s affected the curvature of my neck. I’ve had a bulging disk in my neck. I had an overbite and the orthodontist pulled 4 teeth and pulled my upper teeth back way too far back. My bottom front teeth hit the back of my top front teeth when I close my mouth. There is a groove worn in the back of my top front teeth from that.
Hi Erin and everyone,
This thread means a lot to me, as I also developed scoliosis and kyphosis during my stint with braces as a teenager. I had chronic bronchitis and had had a foot injury so it was a perfect Storm for me. I then had a blow to my mouth after which the braces were reinstated — bad move! My upper palate didn’t get to develop properly because the tension in the palantine bones from the wires (retroactive logic.) I then developed fibromyalgia… it’s all connected.
I have been in an orthotropic appliance for six years, and it was going fine until the dentist built up my bite, which made my bite very unstable. the resulting malocclusion injured the jaw and shoulder and hip, and now my scoliosis is worse.
I am passionate about helping others avoid what happened to me and training myself so I can be an entry level consultant in the field.
It is of utmost importance to work closely with a bodyworker during any structural changes to the jaw and teeth… it’s a dynamic process; one influences the other. When I bring my shoulder down, my teeth level out, for example .
Thank you, Erin, for this article and for the link to the NIH study showing the correlation. I’ll be getting your book, and copying the link to
This article to pass on to others .
xxx
Hi Sabine,
Thanks for your post. I wish I could say your story is shocking to me, but it’s not. Yes, I agree that it’s all connected and I’m grateful to hear you want to be a consultant in this field. I’ve done a bunch of research and I could give you some additional research leads if you want to know more. Feel free to email me through the contact page of this website. I’d be happy to send them to you that way. Also, I’ve published many different scoliosis books, but my most comprehensive one is my new one: I Have Scoliosis; Now What? It’s on amazon and is the one I suggest you get. I have references on this topic.
Blessings,
Erin
I did not do braces on my son and now he has an underbite and begs me to try to find a dentist to fix it .
He is 18 and without surgery and screws on his upper palate the dentist does not know what else to do.
His posture is not good but otherwise he is very smart, not tmj, no headaches, perfect vision and hearing but as he says smiling that he does not have a smile at all 🙁
Hi! Try and look for orthotropics. I suffered from braces myself and now going through this treatment.
https://orthotropics.com/
Hello
i find your comments interesting
yesterday I started wearing an Invisalign retainer bottom jaw which I will wear in future at night
I have TMJ osteoarthritis (wear and tear) osteopenia unsurprisingly as aged 70
My question Do you reckon pain in right hip could be referred pain from jaw pain woke me up during the night and is very unpleasant as I write .. I will contact a fascia therapist today .. thank you
Hi DT,
Hmmmmm, I have no idea if it’s connected or not. My staff of 10 or I would be happy to do a virtual lesson with you to assess what’s going on with you hip and help you make a plan.
Erin
the treatment recommended for my son who was diagnosed with scoliosis at 13 with an 18° curvature, was a back brace and the schroth method of physical therapy. he did both, bracing the back with an orthotic (3 braces as he grew) and physical therapy. he is now 16 and the curvature increased to 60° regardless. i am desperate for help. his growth plate is almost closed and he will be seen by the orthopedic surgeon again in 6 months. if the curve continues to worsen, he was told he will need surgery. he has also developed a sudden underbite over the past two years, which may or may not be related to the scoliosis. the underbite too will require surgery when my son reaches adulthood. when brought to the attention to an oral surgeon as well as a orthopedic surgeon, both say the two are unrelated. in my opinion, they appear related as far as prevalence, timing, and growth. i would appreciate any suggestions, advice, and information that will help prevent the need for two major, life altering surgeries.
Hi Patricia,
Thanks for reaching out. Yes, I’d bet that your hunch is correct that the underbite and scoliosis are connected. I have much to say about all this and have many suggestions, but far too many to write here. I’d love it if you could book a virtual private lesson with me so we can talk, I can analyze his body, and I can give you suggestions. I know for sure he needs to find a manual therapist to start working out his tissue–especially IN his mouth. I have suggestions in the Stating Point videos. Start there, book a lesson, and I’ll chat with you soon.
Blessings,
Erin Myers
Hi! Great article.
I would recommend craniosacral therapy. with malocclusion or orthodontics. orthodontics have their place, but if the rest of the system is not changing (membranes, bone, tissue, etc.) then yes- the body will be thrown off it’s compensation pattern. It will be imperative to address the whole body with orthodontics, as malocclusion has a lot of risk factors as well (airway and snoring, for example).
Hi, my 16 years old son was recently diagnosed with scoliosis.He just had braces then he was diagnosed. Can you please help me find a skilled manual therapist in Maryland? Th You greatly appreciate.
Hi Nicole,
I’m glad you’re wanting to be proactive and find a manual therapist in your town. Check out video 5 of the Starting Point Videos for suggestions on how to find a good manual therapist where you live. Good luck!
Blessings,
Erin Myers
Hello, I am leaving a comment through this conversation because I couldn’t find a way to create my own comment box. (Sorry) i want to say that i have moderate scoliosis and a misaligned/deviated jaw and bite. I had crooked and serverly crowded teeth as i was growing up and definitely wanted braces. I got braces when i was 13 years old and iliterally after 2-3 months in half, i went to get my yearly physical and was diagnosed with scoliosis. Do you believe the braces could have caused my scoloisis in that small timeframe?
Hi Samantha,
Absolutely scoli could have started in that small of a time frame, but I don’t think it would’ve shown up as a huge curve. My guess is that it was a perfect storm for you with multiple things happening at once.
Erin Myers
Hello Erin,
I am now 24 years old with moderate scoliosis. I have had braces twice in my life due to my teeth being crowded. (Second time of braces, I had 4 teeth pulled, big mistake I know) my teeth now are straight and may look nice but functionality wise, it’s not good at all. Like I mentioned before I have a crossbite/misaligned bite and deviated chin/jaw. (I had this still my first attempt with braces) I am planning to get braces again for the third time by an actual great dentist that actually knows what he is doing and looks at the entire picture of the teeth,bite, and crainial functions. What is your opinion on this? About me getting braces for the third time to fix these problems. Do you believe this time with braces can have a more postive affect on my scoliosis since I am getting braces and other appliances for the purpose of fixing my bite alignment and functionality?
Hi Samantha,
I have no idea if getting more work done on your jaw will help or harm your scoli. Time will tell. That being said, I’d highly suggest you find a great manual/massage therapist to start seeing who can work on your spine, neck, and jaw/mouth while all this is happening. They’ll be able to see how things look before the treatment starts in your mouth and can keep things in check and see if things are changing.
Erin
I have a mysterious ringing in my ears. It happened soon after I got my braces tightened (tenth month), and I couldn’t close my jaw properly (my top row of teeth was in braces). Before the braces were put in, my teeth were crooked and I had a severe overbite and snaggle tooth.
Straight after my tenth month of braces/tightening, I fell into a dark depression and I became moody. I also had trouble sleeping due to a sudden onset of tinnitus and the feeling of squeezing around my head. I woke up at 2 AM and I had a stiff neck, a headache, and sudden ringing in the ears. I would also suffer from light-headedness and panic attacks/hyperventilating. I had an incident where I couldn’t stand or sit up vertically without feeling woozy, so I had to lie down. I think this was brought on by CSF flow stasis (cerebrospinal fluid). I suspect the braces have forced my skull bones to move out of alignment through the sphenoid bone. I decided to try two types of therapy: regular counselling and physiotherapy. At first, the symptoms presented like a TMJ Disorder, but that theory was soon debunked. My physiotherapist told me that my temporal bones are compressed and that’s why I have tinnitus. However, people keep telling me that my symptoms are stress-induced (the orthodontist, audiologist, counsellor, and physiotherapist). I went to an audiologist to get my hearing checked and I have absolutely no hearing loss. I have gone into emotional therapy just in case. My emotional backstory is nothing unusual. I had a stressful exam and that’s about it. I highly doubt that emotions are causing my physical problems. It’s been six months now, and I’ve been through hell and back. I have regular nightmares now which is highly unusual for me – I used to pride myself on never having scary dreams! I can relate to Solomon’s story because sometimes I would have a hot or flushed face. My braces were taken out last month and I noticed several things: my stiff neck is gone (no more cracking sounds), my sleep has improved, my head is longer squeezy, lower anxiety levels, mood is better, etc. The panic attacks have stopped! However, the symptoms haven’t totally cleared. What kind of treatment should I look for?
Hi Caitlin,
I’m sorry to hear you’ve gone through so much. I’d suggest you find a really skilled manual therapist to do inter-mouth massage work. I have this done monthly. On the Starting Point videos I talk you through how to find a skilled manual/massage therapist in your town. If you find the right therapist, I bet you’ll be amazed at how much your symptoms will diminish. Great job being proactive!
Blessings,
Erin
Thank you, Erin! So far, I have tried physiotherapy, craniosacral therapy, acupuncture and soft tissue massage. I would say that craniosacral therapy was most effective, but soft tissue massage was good for minimising tinnitus.
Caitlin,
All of those therapist can be good, but I want you to find someone who can do inter-mouth, or INSIDE your mouth massage. Both of my regular massage therapists do this in my monthly appointments, which I’ve been having done for about a decade and a half. They get medical gloves on and massage everything from the muscles in my cheeks, to those at the bottom and top of my gum lines, to the lower and upper pallets, to way back in my throat (that makes me gag). Without a shadow of a doubt that has been the most beneficial thing for me and my scoli clients that have had orthodontics. One of my massage therapists, the Rolfer/structural integrator, has also massage in my ears and up my nostrils. It’s the craziest thing to have this work done, but has been life-changing for me and so many of my clients. I can’t encourage you enough to find a therapist knowledgable in this.
Blessings,
Erin
I got my masseter muscle and sternocleidomastoid massaged and the tinnitus completely stopped! It keeps coming back, so I have a long recovery process ahead of me. If anyone is interested to learn more about cranial anatomy/skull bones, just head over to Brant Larsen’s YouTube videos about cranial misalignment. Orthodontic braces can apparently squeeze the maxillary and palantine bones – It causes a chain reaction throughout the entire body! Don’t let the orthodontist convince you that nothing’s wrong or that braces aren’t the cause!
This actually makes so much sense. Our whole body is connected, and bone is maleable. I actually believe now that having braces from age 12-15 damaged me: it gave me malocclusion.
Before braces I had perfect facial proportions but imperfect teeth (looking back this was just perfectionism because my teeth were beautiful). After braces I had malocclusion. My maxilla underdeveloped and it changed my face for the worse. You cannot see my upper teeth when I speak, and barely when I smile. I look at pictures before braces (of course I was very young) but my teeth were so present in my smile, it was a very dramatic change and I couldn’t really put my finger on it for the longest time (after all my teeth were perfectly straight now).
I want to speak out now in hopes that I will avoid someone else the disadvantage braces gave me. (I am sure it might help some people, and all treatments are unique but I also know it’s unnatural to our development)
Hi Erin, while I dont think I have scoliosis, I have noticed a popping in my skull since getting braces almost 18 months ago. Could this be related? Its like a cracking sound like when you crack your knuckles. When I roll over on my pillow at night my skull cracks all the time. Is this normal? Are skulls supposed to crack? I’m certain that it’s my skull and not my neck. It happens even when I’m drying my hair with a towel and I push lightly on the side of my head. I’ve never experienced this until now. Any information you can give me would be greatly appreciated.
Hi Katie,
Yes, I’m quite certain it’s related. Your skull wouldn’t crack, it would be all the joints in your neck that are readjusting. There aren’t really bones to crack in your skull, but there are many in your neck. It may sound like it’s coming from inside your head, but your neck goes up pretty nigh into your head. It sounds like your head and neck have learned to find a new place to live (maybe not a great new place, but nonetheless a new place) since you started your braces. I’d suggest you find a very skilled manual therapist who does mouth work. They’ll put gloves on and do release work inside your mouth as well as in your neck in on our head. I’ve had this done for years and it’s such help.
Blessings,
Erin
HELLO, I NEED SOme advice. im 20 years old and i have mild scoliosis and i have been doing excercises since i was very young and i havent fixed my curves. I latley found out that scoliosis may be linked with jaw and teeth. my teeth are good only the front down teeth are a little missaglined, i also have very little overbite. i started mewing and now i get flashes of dizzines. im thinking of getting braces to fix my overbite but now seeeing this comments im scared. Should i get braces, i really dont want my curve to progress or to get flashes of anxiety and diziness. please advice me!
Hi Florent,
Thanks for reaching out. I would stop mewing, as you’re having flashes of dizziness. I’d also find a good massage or physical therapist to do inter mouth work and release the tight muscle tissue inside your mouth (which the mewing may have contributed to) before getting braces. Get your body back to normal homeostasis. I’d continue working with the same therapist you find to work on your mouth, to also release muscles along your spine. Make sure they know your spine well before (and if) you decide to do braces. If your spine starts getting worse after getting the braces on, then your therapist can catch it and you can stop the braces or slow the aggressiveness of the treatment down. I’d be happy to do a virtual lesson with you if you’d like to help guide you more, do analysis of your scoli, and give you do strengthening and release exercises for your body.
Blessings,
Erin
How can we have a virtual lesson? Id like to have a virtual chat with you
I’d love to work with you virtually. Feel free to send a note on the contact page and my staff will help you get booked. You can also book it directly on the virtual lesson page. See you soon!
-Erin
Mewing if performed correctly shouldn’t cause dizziness. Get the mewing app and make sure that you correctly follow the technique.
PS: htts://www.mewing.app/ or look it up in appstore
Wow. I am 50 years old and had braces for 3 n half years as a teenager with a retainer for years afterwards. At the time I recall telling my mother that my neck and nose were really hurting and that I was always uncomfortable sitting in class and continuously shifting position.
Skip forwards 30 years and my spine has become so bent that my pelvis swung out of position and my hip dislocated. Caused by pulling jaw back out of position to eat and obviously during sleep., as lower mandible follows the upper and my top teeth have been pushed back so far and moved accross , which has left me with limited breathing through my right nostril. And a slightly crooked face.
For years I have tried to make dentists and doctors and alternative practitioners understand the link . Recently i found a chiropractor who told me there is a direct link to the jaw compression and compression of the first vertebrae and that causes rest of spine to twist.
I am receiving his help but he says have two discs at base of neck that are virtually worn away and cannot be replaced and permanent nerve damage.
The last 5 years i have begged for help with excruciating pain and the motor function breakdown due to spinal / neck/ hip injury as well as struggling to function at work. A ll due to poor orthodentistry It seems .
Finally this issue is being seen for what it is and that can only be good for all of those who have suffered and for future orthodentistry.
I am very sad that you have suffered so much and my heart goes out to you and others who read this who are in the same boat.thank you so much for yr story and service. It is fantastic to find you and read yr valuable information upon the damage to skeletal structure that orthodentistry can produce.
Hi Lisa,
I’m sorry to hear about you story, but please don’t throw in the towel. It sounds like you’re still dealing with misalignments through your whole body, and while passive work can be OK for some people with scoli (ex: chiropractic work), it doesn’t replace active work (ex: Pilates). If you can’t find a skilled movement practitioner near you, my staff and I would be happy to do a virtual lesson with you, as we work with people in your circumstances all over the world. While yes, it sounds like your jaw is a root of the situation, it now affects your whole body and that now needs to be addressed. Also, there are totally things that can be done for your degenerated discs, which is contraindicated to what your chiro said. There’s amazing work being done in the regenerative medicine world with PRP, stem cells, and more to help degenerated discs. Please don’t throw the towel in and just assume that where your body is currently at is where it’s going to live for the rest of your life, even if someone told you that. Keep going forward!
Blessings,
Erin
Have you heard if rectifier from starecta that says they can straightened your scoliosis with this mouth guard that put space between upper and lower teeth and trains you to pull lower jaw forward to enlign your skull closer to your upper teeth.. I bought it but I worry it will shift other teeth. I have crowded teeth on bottom I had braces in 8th grade but they went back to crocked. I also was diagnosed with scoliosis in eighth grade. Gotten worse over years I’m 57 now thinking if spinecor flexible body brace. But I’ve been researching and found starecta rectifier for mouth. Many good reviews
Hi Christine,
I have heard about the Rectifier from Starecta, and actually have had his downloadable book printed out in a 3-ringed binder for a few years now (I seem to be finding every excuse to not finish reading it though). I would love for it to be the magic cure for all, which he kind-of claims it will be, but I’m really hesitant. I know it has helped some people, but again, I’m hesitant to mess around with my jaw. I’ve had so many different mouth appliances made by so many different practitioners all over the country, and I can honestly say I don’t think I’m any better for wearing any of them. I personally have benefitted so much more from inter-mouth, neck, and spinal manual practitioner work and wise exercising. If you are going to try it, I’d encourage you to first find a great manual therapist to keep an eye on your jaw and spine every week or so as you’re messing around with it. If something goes wrong, they can release the tissue back to the original position. As for the Spineco flexible body brace, I am NOT a fan of that. I’ve had a few clients who’ve had it and the results were not good. I eventually helped them wean off of it, and their spines have improved greatly from wise exercising and regular body work. Please be careful of gimmicky scoliosis products. I’m not saying they’re all bad, but I can promise you that they won’t cure your scoli. If you’re ever looking for guidance for your personal scoli, my staff and I would love to help guide you. We work virtually with people all over the world, and have for years. For more info, you can check this out. Great job at researching and desiring to care for your body.
Blessings,
Erin
Redpilled me totally. Very good article. I also think one Problem is the the backmovement of the jaws… with braces. I don’t want my kids to get these kinds of braces
Hello Erin, Thank you for this wonderful article. I hope you can make out a little time to read my story and advice.
My name is Solomon and sometime in the last months of last year I started my first invisalign treatment and it was all good until 5th of January when I was sent into my first panic attack because the retainer I had on at that time was so tight I guess my body couldn’t deal. And since then, my body has gone from worse to worse. I have to start by saying me being a super active guy that would spend about 3 hours in the gym working out nonstop, now I can’t even walk a mile without my whole neck and chest and head being messed up. I will try to keep this short.
Now the back of my neck is constantly hot or heated up.
my retainers kind of pulls on my chest, my ear drums, I cannot drop or relax my shoulders without it pulling down on the back of my neck through my skull, so I have to constantly hang my shoulders.
Heat and hot chilli foods now mess up my whole neck, chest and head muscles, including the sun which sometimes almost sends me into anxiety/panic attacks.
Sometimes its feels like my airway was pulled down kind of, because I can feel the air I’m breathing coming in half way through the airway and half way out, like my nose or airway is half closed.
Ringing in my ears sometimes, neck muscles are constantly pulling nonstop!! and its pulling on my chest muscles too or chest bone, causing me to always hang my shoulders to adjust pulling. When I relax or lay down, it feels like my skull is being pulled, if I lay on my right side, it feels like left side of my skull is being pulled, and vice versa.
My whole life has changed since the 5th of January and none of this was even present before then. I am unable to do any physical activity, none at all. My dentist seems like she doesn’t know anything and not even willing to research, all she says is that it can’t be the invisalign. I pulled 4 wisdom teeth two weeks ago and it helped a little but now its getting back to how it was again. I have about 4 months before my invisalign is done and I’m thinking about stopping or even doing a reversal and wearing all my retainers backwards to go back to how I was last year.
What would you advise me to do to get back to being healthy? is there a treatment to this? my jaws are still hanging since I’m not down with the treatment and teeth is still moving, do I just wait until my jaw drops to know if I will be fine? I am confused. I saw a chiropractor last week and he said my neck spinal is not as curved as it should be and he would like a treatment for me to get it curved and not somehow straight. Another chiropractor said everyones neck spinal isnt that curved and that might not be there problem. I just want my life back and I’m just 31!!! can’t be dealing with this. Please help
Hi Solomon,
I’m so sorry you’ve been going through all this. Sadly, your story doesn’t surprise me. I’ve been there (and really still am there), have gone through situations like this with the clients at Spiral Spine, have read of many people experiencing situations like yours, and read research correlating it all. I’m not a doctor, but will give give you my suggestion based on everything I just mentioned. First off I’d just stop wearing the retainers. Stop forcing your mouth to move. Simply allow your jaw and teeth to move as the tissue wants to move. Secondly, I wouldn’t suggest seeing a Chiro, but would see a manual therapist who will put gloves on and do release work on the soft tissue INSIDE your mouth. This therapist also needs to release all the soft tissue on your head (face and back of skull) along with your neck (front and back) and along your spine. My guess is that there’s going to be a LOT of really angry muscles and fascia that needs to be released. Deal with that, and the teeth will rearrange themselves as need be. As for therapists, on the starting point series (free videos on this site) I have a short video describing different therapists that can do this. About two weeks ago I posted a video of my therapist (a structural integrator) doing this work on me on instagram so people can see what it looks like. Look it up. This is what you need done. Lastly, like I have for many people around the world, I’d be happy to do a virtual lesson (or a few) with you to give you movements and self-release, hands-on exercises you can daily to undo where you’re currently at. You can contact me through the contact page of this site if you want more info about virtual lessons. Great job at reaching out–no, you don’t have to live like this.
Blessings,
Erin
My experience is so similar to Solomon!! I am 62. Was in braces for almost 3 years when I suffered a severe panic attack. Am presently experiencing weak legs, arms, numb toes ( that started with braces being out on) sore chest and torso. Mental state is horrible. Have been to the ER 3 times thinking I am having a heart attack and it is all anxiety due to how my spine and jaw are creating nerve issues. I am seeing a chiropractor and have found some relief. I would like to try the myofacial treatment. We live in Montana. Any chance there is one even in the entire state?? I am so tired of feeling weak and headaches.
I definitely believe it is all tied into having braces. Wish I had never gone down this road and let well enough be. My bite and jaw were so misaligned but I felt good.
appreciate any and all advice you can provide.
Hi Michelle,
I’m sorry to hear about all you’ve gone through (and continue to go through). We can still find a solution for you even though you live in Montana. Yes, look for a myofacial therapist, but give yourself permission to look for manual physical therapists and “regular” massage therapists. Talk to them and ask if they feel comfortable doing inter-mouth work. You may be surprised what you find. Also, look for either a Pilates or Gyrotonic instructor either near you or just a bit of a drive away from you. I want you to watch the free Starting Point Series videos and do everything in the videos. I bet starting to unwind the spine will help calm down the nervous system. Lastly, my staff and I work virtually with people all over the world who don’t have close access to good practitioners. We’d be happy to do a lesson with you, assess what’s going on, confirm you pad placement for your spine, give you some home mobility and stability exercises and help you make a game plan. Good job connecting the dots with your body.
Blessings,
Erin
Thank you so much, Erin!! I am going to start laying the groundwork this week to start recovery!! This information is a Godsend to me. I will search for in-person treatment and May virtually connect with you also. You have just made my day and I am grateful for your quick response and support!
Hey Solomon. I have been going through something similar although my pain stopped when I had 2 molars on the right lower jaw pulled. I have had all of the same type of pain you describe and Am unable to get any answers from dentists but my jaw definitely feels oof all the time and it is causing a kinetic reaction down my spine and causing the twisting of my vertebrae.
I seriously am considering getting the molars pulled. It seems to me that when my orthodontist began standing up my right molar that is when my issues began. The relief would be so worth it.
l don’t see any relevance between the NCBI links and what you are conveying as being linked to scoliosis. Is it possible that you have imbalanced muscles throughout your body that need training?
Here are more articles for you to chew on:
https://scoliosisjournal.biomedcentral.com/track/pdf/10.1186/1748-7161-6-15 or https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3162939/
https://www.ajodo.org/article/S0889-5406(06)01023-7/abstract
https://online.boneandjoint.org.uk/doi/full/10.1302/1863-2548.13.190100
https://journals.lww.com/jbjsjournal/Abstract/2017/02150/Physical_Activities_and_Lifestyle_Factors_Related.2.aspx (you have to read the entire study, not just the abstract, to read the paragraph on orthodontics and results and the correlation of those numbers). This is the research I talk about in this post: https://spiralspine.com/braces-and-scoliosis/
Blessings,
Erin
i never had any issue with my neck or back but AFTER GETTING braces MY NECK IS HURTIONG ME A LOT. after ONE OF my regular appointment with orthodentist, he PUT pressure on my teeth to pull them backward, NEXT MORNING I WOKE UP WITH TREMENDOUS PAIN IN MY JAW AND I COULD NOT BITE PROPERLY AS MY JAWS MISALIGNED (THEY WERE FINE BEFORE).I COULD NOT BEAR THE PAIN AND AFTER 3 DAYS I ASKED MY ORTHODONTIST TO LOOSE MY WIRES. AFTER THAT, FOR 10 -15 DAYS, THERE WAS EXTREME PAIN IN THE JAWS, I COULD NOT MOVE THEM PROPERLY and WHEN I TRY TO MOVE THEM, THERE WAS POPPING SOUND. WHAT FOLLOWED AFTER 15 DAYS WAS HORRIBLE, MY NECK STARTS HURTING ME A LOT and i could feel the movement in my spine as if it is trying to adjust with the new jaw alignment. pain start radiating downwards, first upper back to lower back, more likey associated with spine movement. i could feel the spine movement and the pain associated with it. spine movement and back pain lasted for 2 month . now year has passed and i feel as if my neck is bit tilted which is putting a lot of stress on back region of my neck . i feel as if upper arc of my teeth has been shifted to right side,i can feel the unsymmetry whenever i talk or smile. midline alignment is disturbed, not only of teeth but of upper body. upper arc radius seems to be reduced, i can feel the constriction. and the worst affected part is the back region of neck. i left my treatment and orthodentist in the midway.now, i am planning to consult a more qualified doctor. my upper pre molar were removed for treatment and there is still space between my teeth and i am not even thinking about the space. i just want my neck and jaws to be normal again. getting braces was the worst decision of my life and i do not know how long will it haunt me.
Sahil,
I’m so sorry to hear you’ve had so many issues with your mouth and spine. I’d suggest you find a very skilled massage therapist of manual physical therapist who is comfortable with inter-mouth massage work. They’ll put a pair of gloves on and release tight tissue inside your mouth. I have had this done many, many times, as have many of my clients. We all have had much relief and success with this. Also, start moving your spine a lot. I have some videos on the shop page of this website where I bring you through spinal mobility exercises. That may help you as well. Feel free to reach out to me if you need more help.
Blessings,
Erin Myers
Am crying reading your research and all this comment.
1 week before the world quarantine started I removed 4 of my teeth and put a severe push back braces and next day I had lost taste and apeti, I had severe headache, my neck was shaking weirdly with discomfort and i felt dizzy so I went to the hospital first to a generalist who diagnosed me with low iron and hight vitamin b12 after a blood test then I had to start treating that but it didn’t help and my bones started really hurting me after a week so at this time we r in quarantine but I was going to the hospital cos I can not take the pain all I was given is a pain killer but it was temporary then I went to a bone doctor I don’t know what the name so I told him all the places I felt pain and he requested a radio so I find out that I have a beginning of scoliosis my back bone looks like a (S) shape he said it’s spin number 4,5,6 but slightly not only that something is happening under my right back shoulder bone that they don’t understand it’s really painful to a point it pull my shoulder and right upper chest bone and right side neck and right side jaw and I have right ear infection because of fear I could breath cos of all this pain for a moment I thought I had …..god forbid I dont wonna say it so I go to a shoulder massage with machines which it get worse after every massage and scoliosis exercise during the quarantine just imagine the fear and pain am having everyday to go to hospital. I can’t thank u inaff for this research and for u guys sharing ur experiences. Now I have 4 holes in my mouth with severe pain oh! I forgot they said something is wrong with my lower back and knees too! Now am scared to go to any dentist even for removal am scared to remove my mask.
Hi Elele,
You sure have been through a lot recently, and I’m very sorry. I wish I could give you a hug in person right now. Your mind is very powerful, and I’d encourage you to take slow, deep breaths often, to encourage your mind (the powerhouse of your nervous system) to calm down. It seems like you are feeling a lot of fear right now. Once you are out of acute pain, I’d encourage you to watch the free Starting Point videos on this website (spiralspine.com). It will teach you how to diagram out your scoli and place pads at the correct places on your back when lying on your back and side to start to untwist your scoliosis. Much love to you–and remember to take lots of slow, deep breaths.
Blessings, Erin Myers
I’m 24 and wore headgear when I was 8 to 11 years approx. Those years were a nightmare. I didn’t have any problems as a young kid but then I couldn’t sleep with the appliance on and I started feeling like I couldn’t move my neck as before and this never changed. I stopped being able even to pulling up my torso without using my arms, which I totally could before. I always complained about pain and disconfort but my dentist was an asshole. She used to scream at me, even to drag me by my shirt or arm if I didn’t comply with the instructions, every time the metal bands detached (very often actually but I’m sure it wasn’t my fault) she used to blame on me eating bread or pasta. In this moment I’m on my bed and still feel pressure on the back of the neck, as always. I remember clearly the feeling of the headgear and it is literally the same. And, starting from a second class malocclusion, I ended up as an adult to have a third class malocclusion so I wonder if it was really necessary. After headgear I wore regular braces for a year or so but my teeth were crooked (both upper and lower tooth have a horseshoe shape) and they remained like this. I found some pictures taken when I just got rid of braces and my teeth looked even way more crooked than now.
Hi Gia,
I’m so sorry to hear of all you’ve been through and can honestly say I truly understand what you’ve been through. I had the same headgear for year, have lost mobility in my neck, and the metal bands on my teeth detached all the time. While we can’t change our pasts, you can find physical and emotional relief now. Manual, hands on (in my mouth) release work from skilled massage therapists has been the key to finding mobility in my neck. I highly encourage you seek one out on your town. I’m also a huge fan of finding a counselor or psychologist that you learn to trust who can help you work through your past trauma. I have over the past few years and I’m continually shocked at how much anger and sadness I hold in me towards those who put me through that treatment. Please, don’t let what happened to you in your past dictate your future. Way to go for being proactive and working on healing yourself.
Blessings,
Erin
Im afraid to say that those doctors caused a malocclusion by removing the molars On one side … this was proven to cause scolisois… didn’t the bite to be balanced will correct the scoliosis.
This happened to me. How can it be fixed?
Hi Tim,
Great job researching your body and desiring to be proactive about it. I’d highly suggest you find a manual therapist to do release work inside your mouth and on your neck and upper back. I bet you have some really tight muscles there. What the free, short video I have on this site on the Starting Point videos to see what words you should search for to find a therapist in your town to help you. It’s video number 5. A few weeks ago I also posted a video of me getting this work done on myself on instagram. Check it out. Lastly, if your curves progress down into your thoracic and lumbar spines, I’d be more than happy to do a virtual lesson with you. If you’re interested in that, you can reach out to me via the contact page of this site.
Blessings,
Erin
Hello, i dont gave scoli for now but i am considering removing the fixed retainers that i have been wearing for 2 years now because of some jaw pain and neck pain that i had never experienced before. Do you think i should remove the retainers? I dont care anymore about my misaligned teeth, but i do about my cervicals. Any thoughts?
Hi Inmaculada, You could remove your fixed retainer, but first I’d try massage. Find a highly trained massage therapist that will do massage work inside your mouth (they wear medical gloves) to release tight tissue. You may have some really tight fascia and muscles inside your mouth and if that’s released your pain may go away. Give it a try. -Erin
I am also a scoliosis patient who had teeth braces. I wish there will be some sort of seminar or talkshow about those correlation. And if nessecary the talkshow needs testimony i believe lots of people will voluntary include me.
Thanks for sharing this.
You have explained well enogh so that i could share this to my doctor colleagues.
Hi Valent, I’d love to see more seminars and workshops about the correlation between dental braces and scoliosis. I’d be happy to give a talk on it if you ever have a platform, as I speak about it in the workshops I give currently. Keep spreading the word to your doctor colleagues. Blessings, Erin
hey, my name is summer and im now 20, I have recently seeked help with my shoulder / back pain ive been experiencing as well as numbness of the legs. so i decided to see a chiropractor and they had told me that i have scoliosis, my shoulder also sits higher that the other shoulder and ive been experiencing spinal shift for about 4 years now. so i looked up some videos today on you tube about how to correct my shoulder from being higher than the other and i found out about the muscle that connects to your shoulder as swell as up your neck and to the back of your ear. when that muscle tightens it causes your shoulder to sit higher and eventually you find the muscle just keeps tightening. its painful. it then got me thinking what if having orthodontic braces when i was a child ages 15 caused me to have scoliosis. because i thought once one muscle in the shoulder / back is effected it might also effect other parts of the body. my chiropractor explained to me that one shoulder is twisted forward and sits higher than the other and the opposite hip bone twists forward and sits higher than the other which was causing my spine to twist at two different directions from both ends of my spine causing the middle part of my back between the shoulder blades to be majorly effected, to the point where i couldn’t sleep at night. so then i search up if braces may effect your spine and i found this website, which gave me some sort of understanding to why i am developing silicosis, i also had braces for 2 and a half years . it made me think? maybe the tightening of the braces and the pressure it puts on the jaw muscles effects the muscles that connect your neck, jaw and shoulders together get pulled on causing them to tighten and because they are tight it caused my bones in the shoulder to adapt to its new positioning and then eventually started to travel all over my back down to my hips!! when i go to my chiropractor he always checks the gap of my jaw bones and he said that one side of my jaw sits higher than the other meaning there is a tension in the muscle . i truly belive that braces gave me scoliosis. I dont recommend giving your child braces when there body is still developing.
IM A HEALTHY 20 YEAR OLD STUDENT WHO HAS BEEN PLAYING SPORTS MY WHOLE LIFE, SUCH AS RUNNING AND NETBALL AS WELL AS FOOTBALL, IM FEMALE AND AT MY AGES I genuinely SHOULD NOT BE experiencing THESE BODY SHIFTS IN MY SPINE!
THIS SITE WAS VERY HELPFUL, THANK YOU.
KIND REGARDS
SUMMER GODDARD
Hi Summer, thanks for typing out your experience. There are so many people who’ve had very similar experiences. There’s no reason for you to be in pain. I have lots of resources for people who have scoliosis to get you out of pain. Please visit https://spiralspine.com/i-have-scoliosis/ on my site and take time to watch the videos, read my blogs, and see all the different ways I can help you get out of scoli pain. Great job researching what’s going on in your body. Blessings, Erin
I am 51 year old male diagnosed almost 4-months ago (7/2019) severe right rhomboid scapular winging with 27° thoracolumbar levoconvex, 17° Compensatory Thoracic dextroscolios and loss of cervical lordosis. After extensive research, I have not been able to find one person in my heritage ever having scoliosis. Not one. I have had many x-rays, several CT scans & myelograms of entire the spine since I was 22. With the exception of osteoarthritis my spine has always looked normal and straight. In 2017 it was straight.
As a military brat in Germany, I had braces installed at the age of 12 which included a double head-gear and tons of rubber-bands for an overbite. My mother had my head-gear wired in permenantly since I would remove it before school for obvious reasons. (I did immediately remove the wires with wire cutters). Point is I remember the pain.
I never considered the correlation between braces from adolescence and my current scoliosis. Shouldnt my scoliosis have appeared much sooner in life if related to braces/head-gears?
Thanks and best of grace,
TD
Hi TD,
Your Scoli is interesting. It is interesting that your scoli arose very recently. I’m hesitant to make a correlation with orthodontics and scoli in your case because there was such a time laps. But, the body remembers everything that has been done to it, so I wonder what happened in the last year or so that could possibly have triggered head/neck/thoracic misalignment. I wouldn’t put it past the body to remember the trauma it endured and have that play into the body. I’d suggest you see a myofascial or neurmuscular therapist who is willing to do work in your mouth (I’ve had it done many time). They pretty much massage the fascia and muscles in your face, neck, and upper body. I’d be intrigued to see what happens and what you experience. We can do a virtual lesson if you want some input on exercises you can do for your spine. We need to figure out the root of your scoli…
Blessings,
Erin
Drawing conclusions from your age and your osteoarthritis (!!) I would suggest you ask your orthopedic about degenerative scoliosis.
I wish you the best of luck on your scoliosis journey.
And @Ms Myers – yes, fascia and muscle are important but one can’t just blatantly ignore the role that the bone itself plays.
Spinal degeneration may be at the root of the scoli, but the question of “so what do we do about it?” still needs to be answered. You can see a doctor about it, but all they can offer is surgery in this case. Muscular and fascial therapy (work and release) would still be the direction I’d take in this situation. Lastly, many people over the age of 50 have some form of osteoarthritis. It’s an aging process. It happens.
Erin Myers
I had standard metal braces for 2 years when I was 12. All got back and became even worse. Now I am 31 and this is my first month wearing Invisalign aligners. My back started to ache and I wonder if there is a connection…
Thanks for this thought provoking post!
İ had dental braces in my 17 and in my 36 (because it all turned back to previous disalignment, dentist forgot to tell me about my wisdom-teeth should be pulled out:( ) In my 36 , it lasted more than 3years , and since then i have scoliosis that i noticed it towards the end of brace treatment for the second time. and i have one-sided jaw problems, and bad teeth gum and more, my teeth again want to align in previous position. i don’t know about teenagers but orthodontic treatment is total waste of time, money and health. that,’s what i feel.
I just want to share how much I appreciate this article and how I have experienced very similar conditions to the ones presented here. The link between braces and scoliosis seems to be pretty evident which is why people need to know the repercussions to getting braces. I would take my old crooked teeth and smile over the pain I am experiencing now in a heartbeat. Thanks for sharing this post.
Certainly thought provoking as I also have an under bite and scoliosis too. And like you, I’ve only worn braces to straighten my teeth for about two and a half years also.
Interestingly, I was working with a new client yesterday and at the end of her lesson she asked me if there was any correlation between orthodontics, TMJ, and scoli (she hand’t read this blog post). She suspected her scoli was partially connected for her former orthodontics and the TMJ she currently deals with. You are not the only person who suspects correlation between them all. I’ve recently come across a ton more research confirming my theory…I hope to get some more blog posts showing my findings in the future. Blessings, Erin
This completely aligns with issues I’m currently dealing with. I’m in my late 30s. I started experiencing TMJ issues after having orthodontics in my teens. TMJ has gotten progressively worse, as has a noticible head tilt and facial misalignment. Finally went to a chiropractor (I’ve suspected more and more that my entire spine is now wrapped up in these issues), and sure enough, I now have scoliosis that I did not have as a teen when I was checked in school. And other issues like uneven hips, etc. Trying to figure out if there’s a non-invasive way to correct this, or at least stop the progression.
Susie, thanks for your comment. Follow your instinct. For the time being I’d suggest you find a person who does Structural Integration/Rolfing. In session 7 of what they call “the 10 series” an hour and half is spent with the therapist’s hand releasing tight fascia all around your head (including in your ears, nose, and mouth while wearing gloves). I’ve found that the 7th session is what gives my scoli the most relief. I’ve had a few people send me tons of research and papers written about this topic from all over the world. I haven’t had time to sit down, sift through it all, and write a few good blog posts on it though since I opened my latest Pilates studio. I hope to have more time this year to give you more proactive things to do for your orthodontic/TMJ induced scoli. Stay tuned! Blessings, Erin