Written by Dan Mannikko, DDS |
What is your physical potential? Weekend warriors and professional athletes alike are always pushing their physical limits. How would instant improvements in balance, flexibility, and strength help your performance?
Traditionally, mouth guards have been used to protect an athlete’s teeth and jaws, mainly in high-impact activities. While we all know that teeth are used for chewing, smiling, and aid us in speech, their presence/absence in our mouths affect us in profound ways. The fact is, teeth are an integral part of the “posture chain” and support proper head position on the spine. When the posture is unbalanced it will cause improper alignment of the teeth/jaw, conversely, the unbalanced teeth/jaw condition will induce a cascade of events down the posture chain that influences every muscle in the body. For athletes, the effects can be significant. Always overlooked and underappreciated, an athlete’s bite is a critical component to proper posture, airway, and core balance.
Are you one of the estimated 80-90% of the population that has an unbalanced bite? A neuromuscular examination may be a fix for years of pain, discomfort, injuries or sluggish performance on and off the playing field.
Neuromuscular dentists who treat patients exhibiting symptoms of what is commonly called TMJ or TMD find that in a vast majority of cases, by balancing the bite, the patient experiences a decrease in pain and discomfort and a marked increase in strength, flexibility, and balance.
Professional and recreational athletes who have been fitted with the only neuromuscular product currently on the market, the PurePower® Mouthguard (PPM), report improvements in posture, strength, balance, and control. Among these athletes are Terrell Owens, Shaquille O’Neal, and PGA Tour pro Scott McCarron. McCarron, who had been in a bit of a slump, placed 5th and 2nd in Tour events within weeks of being fitted—and took home an additional $800,000 in prize money which he credits to the PPM.
Clearly, the alignment of a person’s bite—whether in high-performance athletics or ordinary daily activities—has a great impact on the quality of his or her “game.” A simple, painless examination can determine the condition of your bite and set you on the path to better health, well-being, and physical performance.
References:
1. Orthocranial Occlusion, Carlson, J.
2. Thomas, N., Neuromuscular Occlusion, Aurum Newsletter, Vol. 18, Issue 3.
For more info, contact Dan Mannikko, DDS at (775) 825-8366.
