Chiropractic and Braces- More in Common Than You Think!!!

An unlikely pairing, but you’d be surprised at how much seeing a chiropractor regularly and visiting your dentist has in common.  It is often said, “once you go to a chiropractor, they’ll make you go forever.”  Let's rephrase this and say, “Once you go to a chiropractor, you will want to continue going to take care of your body, because you have never felt better!”  Everyone’s body responds differently and not everyone needs to come the same number of visits.  It is also important to remember- our goal is to get you feeling better and educate you on how to maintain proper body mechanics.  This prevents further injuries and body dysfunctions. It also allows you to live a better and healthier lifestyle but on your time.  This is similar to getting a routine dental check-up or getting your braces adjusted. 

Often time’s people expect for Chiropractic treatments to resolve issues after one quick visit.  Although you can see improvement quickly it does not resolve the root of the issue in one visit.

When you get braces on your teeth is takes time for the bones to straighten. With each tightening, they get closer and closer to the desired new location. This is much like chiropractic care, bones don’t just move out and in, they shift, each visit you get closer and closer each visit feeling more and more improved until we reach the desired location of that bone. After we reach that point your visits can then decrease, much like wearing a retainer so your teeth do not go back to normal your doctor will talk with you about visits to maintain optimal health of your spine so you can continue to do all the things that you love pain free!

Why we can compare braces and adjustments is because both are using pressure to move something.  Orthodontists put braces on to put pressure on the teeth to move them over a period of time.  The length of time is determined by how crooked the teeth are or what other complicating factors may play a role.  A chiropractic adjustment corrects misalignments; or subluxations, in the spine by placing pressure on the affected areas to help vertebrae back into proper alignment.   We use therapies, acupuncture, exercises and ergonomic changes to help support the adjustments; just like tightening braces or using rubber bands to help support the changes of your teeth.  

The vertebrae (bones of the spine) also help to protect the spinal cord, which we cannot see.  When we have subluxations, those vertebrae can place pressure on the spinal cord and the nerves that connect from the spinal cord to our organs, glands and muscles.  The pressure placed on the nerves can trigger pain, numbness, and tingling along with the pain you might be experiencing.  However, it is important to remember that sometimes there are no symptoms, but dysfunction can still be developing.  The sooner you get it taken care of the better the results will be.   Have you ever been to the dentist and despite having no pain and feeling good, they still find a cavity?  You only went to that appointment for routine maintenance.   Now it’s time to make adjustments and spinal checks part of your routine body maintenance.

-Dr. Emily Odom