More Than Just a Pretty Smile

More Than Just a Pretty Smile

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Hello everyone, and welcome to the podcast. I am Dr. Michael Bennett. I'm here with Cathy, my wife.

Hello everyone. Great to be back here with you.

We feel like we have a very provocative topic to share with you today.

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A Common Orthodontic Dilemma

Well, I get asked all the time about dental questions because of who I’m married to. Imagine that—it’s a bit of a curse, along with constantly noticing people’s teeth and smiles. Just recently, a friend of mine told me she had taken her kids in for an orthodontic consultation. They’d never had braces, but like so many, their teeth were crooked.

She said the orthodontist recommended pulling some permanent teeth so there would be enough room to align everything. But she remembered hearing me talk about that in our public health classes and recalled that it might not be the best idea. She got a second opinion, and that orthodontist said, “No, I would not suggest pulling permanent teeth. We’ll use expanders and try to keep all the teeth in the mouth.” She ended up going with him.

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The Importance of Keeping Permanent Teeth

So let’s break that down. It’s actually very common in healthcare to visit one practitioner and get Treatment Plan A—which might include removing teeth—and another who offers Plan B that takes a different approach. And both could be right, depending on their training and philosophy.

In dental school, those four years are jam-packed just trying to prepare you for your boards. Specialty training in orthodontics adds two to three more years of intensive education.

But this podcast is about unleashing the healing power of sleep—and to do that, you have to breathe well. So let’s bring it back to that.

Put your finger under your nose like you’re trying to stop a sneeze. Now feel that hard bone above the roots of your teeth—that’s the maxilla. If it’s crowded, there’s not enough room for your teeth, and likely, not enough room for your nose.

So here’s my core belief: If you can keep body parts in the body, do it. We’re born with 10 fingers, 10 toes, two eyes, two ears, one nose, and 32 teeth. Which would you voluntarily remove? None. Each has a purpose.

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Chinese Medicine and the Teeth-Organ Connection

And I think it’s fascinating that Chinese medicine correlates each tooth with a specific organ. The most commonly extracted permanent teeth—the premolars—are linked to lung and intestinal function. That’s your breathing and digestive systems.

If that’s accurate, then pulling these teeth might negatively affect internal organ function. And even if you don’t buy into Eastern medicine entirely, there’s still a strong structural argument for preserving all your teeth.

When you remove premolars, the arch shape of your upper jaw (your maxilla) often changes from a broad “U” shape to a narrow “V.” That doesn’t leave much room for the tongue—and where does the tongue go if it can’t fit in the mouth? Back into the airway.

And anything that blocks your airway disrupts your sleep and your health.

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Facial Changes and Aesthetic Considerations

It also changes the appearance of your face. I remember attending a seminar with you where we learned about the “Golden Proportion” or “Divine Proportion.” These are ideal measurements between the chin, nose, eyes, and forehead that make a face aesthetically balanced.

People often seek orthodontics for aesthetic reasons, so consider this: pulling teeth can cause your front teeth to be pulled backward, reducing lip support and making the nose appear larger.

One study found that reclining the front teeth just one millimeter can reduce lip support by nearly the same amount. That can dramatically impact how a face looks.

And what’s more, it may affect your bite, or occlusion. You could be moving your jaw into a less natural, more uncomfortable position just to make your back teeth touch. That’s something I treat daily: craniofacial pain and TMJ disorders that often originate from misalignment caused by early orthodontic extractions.

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Real-World Experience: Treating Myself

Speaking from experience, I had teeth pulled as a kid. Later in life, I developed TMJ issues, tension headaches, and was diagnosed with mild sleep apnea. I now believe a lot of that was due to my underdeveloped jaws caused by those extractions.

The great thing is—you were able to treat yourself! Tell us about that.

Yes, I used a technique called biomimetic appliance therapy. The idea is to use oral appliances that gently stretch the growth zones of the jaw, encouraging the bone to return to its genetically programmed shape—a shape designed to hold 32 teeth.

Our tongues are our original appliances. When positioned correctly on the roof of the mouth during swallowing and sleep, the tongue helps shape our facial structure. The tongue is so neurologically important that it’s connected to five of the twelve cranial nerves. It’s a very smart muscle.

With appliance therapy, I started seeing space open up where teeth were once pulled. My premolars began to make room again. And no, it doesn’t look odd—I still have a great smile. But more importantly, I sleep better, feel better, and don’t snore.

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Why Slow, Gentle Growth Works Best

Now, you might ask: why not just expand things quickly? You can, but it comes with a cost.

The growth line down the middle of your palate, called the maxillary suture, can be split open rapidly with force. But this creates hemorrhaging and swelling. I found this in the textbook Contemporary Orthodontics by William Proffit, which explains that rapid expansion creates space between the front teeth that fills with tissue fluids and hemorrhage—and the result is highly unstable.

That’s why orthodontic relapse is so common. Studies, including one from the American Journal of Orthodontics (1988), show up to 90% of cases experience some degree of relapse. That’s why retainers are usually prescribed for life.

I’ve had braces twice now—and the teeth always want to move back. So you’ve got to ask, what causes crowding in the first place?

Well, allergies that force mouth breathing, eating processed soft foods that don’t stimulate jaw development, and inflamed sinuses that clog up the nose—these are major contributors. We’ve shifted away from foods that require chewing and that weakens the muscles and bones of the jaw.

The tongue is the orthodontist of the body. If it’s not up on the roof of the mouth—because of inflammation, poor diet, or underdevelopment—then the face doesn’t grow properly and crowding occurs.

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Nutrition's Vital Role in Oral and Structural Health

That’s what’s so incredible—nutrition plays a foundational role, from infancy through adulthood. Breastfeeding, for instance, helps build the jaw muscles early on. But if a baby switches to soft processed foods too soon, those jaws don’t get the workout they need.

You’d see all those dissolvable toddler snacks in the grocery store—turns out they’re terrible not just nutritionally but structurally. They don’t require chewing, so they don’t promote growth.

As a young mom, I made sure our kids got their five fruits and vegetables daily. We’d cut up carrots, apples, cucumbers, and celery for them to snack on in the car. If that’s what they were offered, that’s what they ate.

And it’s not just the nutrients. The mechanical act of chewing stimulates bone and muscle growth. Just like weightlifting strengthens the skeleton, chewing tough food strengthens the face.

If you remove a tooth and don’t replace it, the body reabsorbs the surrounding bone. Bone responds to pressure. That’s why the calcaneus—the heel bone—is the densest in the body.

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Consider a Second Opinion

So if a dentist or orthodontist recommends pulling a permanent tooth, please get a second opinion. There are often alternatives like expansion that preserve structure and function.

Every tooth is there for a reason—not just to complete your smile, but to maintain structural integrity and support the airway.

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Practical Tips for Families

So remember, parents, aunts, uncles, and grandparents—help your families build healthier mouths by:

• Encouraging kids to eat crunchy vegetables.
• Minimizing inflammatory foods that cause congestion.
• Teaching them to breathe through their nose with lips sealed and the tongue resting on the roof of the mouth.

Mouth crowding (and the airway compromise that comes with it) affects as much as 90% of the U.S. population.

Also, every tooth socket contains mesenchymal stem cells—dormant cells waiting to be told what to become. When you pull a tooth, you lose part of that regenerative potential. These sockets aren’t just ligaments as once thought; they’re more like cranial sutures—true growth centers.

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Our Family's Experience

In our own family, our six children illustrate this evolution. Our oldest three didn’t benefit from these insights. But the youngest three did.

Our 20-year-old daughter underwent Vivos appliance expansion and still has her wisdom teeth—plus a beautiful, wide arch and a strong airway.

Our youngest son never had braces. His teeth were very crooked, but after using an appliance, they came in straight—and he now breathes and sleeps so much better.

And then there’s one son who’s not so great at wearing his device. So yes, compliance matters.

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Final Thoughts and Encouragement

We hope this podcast offered you valuable insight. Whether your child needs orthodontics or not, it’s crucial to look beyond cosmetics and ask how their airway and jaw development are doing. Give them the lifelong gift of good sleep and good health.

Many dentists are now trained in airway-focused care, especially using the Vivos System. I use it here in Orem, Utah at Newville Wellness with Dr. Larson. And if you’re wondering—do you still need braces after appliance therapy? In most cases, no. Less than 5% of my patients do.

These treatments are comfortable, gentle, and align the jaws naturally. You won’t just fix teeth—you’ll fix the cause of the misalignment. And more importantly, you’ll be addressing the root cause of many chronic health issues, not just masking symptoms.

A good airway matters more than straight teeth. Dentists are in a powerful position to change public health for the better—and that’s exciting. If your dentist doesn’t yet know about airway-based orthodontics, invite them to listen to this podcast or check out vivoslife.com.

Take care, and remember to prioritize your sleep and airway health. Until next time.

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