The persisting period of time under standing on one foot with both eyes closed is a simple test in which balance function of the body without any help of visual power is investigated. As the results, good biting with healthy teeth was found to be associated with favorable balance function. Simple comparison between the residual number of teeth and the persisting period of time under standing on one foot with both eyes closed failed to reveal any correlation like those in the salivary secretion.When these data became available, I could not understand why dental functions were correlated with balance activity but it is quite reasonable because conventional dental common sense (Teeth are only a part of digestive organs and responsible only for chewing functions.) could not permit us to imagine the relationship with the balance activity. There was a possibility to overlook this key point because this finding was too unbelievable. If the balance activity without any help of visual activity is recognized as the information treatment by brain, the balance activity is regarded as the results of higher level control in the brain stem including righting reflex based on labyrinth system and proprioceptive sensation, muscular tonicity and cooperation with anti-gravity muscles. These data preceded the word coinage of “Hazo (Teeth-organ)”, besides detailed data suggestive of the relationship between teeth and systemic functions being not available at that time. “Why are these data obtained” this question lasted for a long time after that.
When the information emitting features of teeth to brain based on the “Hazo” concept was obviously proved, these facts gave me a valuable hint and I really wanted to prove this correctness in a clinical field. Then, I tried to prepare the artificial teeth carefully to satisfy the suitable dental occlusion for a vivid elderly person who could not stand up on his foot. Immediately after implantation of the beautifully fitted artificial teeth, this elderly person who previously could not stand up walked to my surprise.
When I experienced this case, I murmured “The keyword to connect teeth with the persisting period of time under standing on one foot might be the dental occlusion”. Now time comes to give the final answer to the long-lasting pending question.
If there is a correlation between dental occlusion and the balance functions, what is the mechanism for such a remote connection? Through our study on teeth and saliva, involvement of autonomic nervous functions as a “Hazo” feature was disclosed; however, this could not stand for the relevant mechanism. It seemed to me that there would be any other “Hazo” functions.By the way, during pursuing the relationship between teeth and autonomic nerve, I showed that teeth provided sounds but there is a possibility that in terms of maintenance of posture, each tooth exerts its own sound. Accordingly, I changed the height of each tooth a bit and then, I monitored changes of the subject posture. As the results, I observed significant changes which could be compared to the dancing posture. Please look at Figure 37.
When the height of the medial incisor is elevated a little, the subject face turns upward and the head seems to be pulled down to the backward. In addition, the body weight is supported on the inside and the subject stands with a pigeon-toed posture. As the next step, the height of the side incisor is higher a bit (Figure 38), the face is similarly pulled upward, the body is leaned backward and the body weight is supported by the heels with the toe being elevated. As the results, the breast is projected. As the next step, the height of the canine is elevated (Figure 39) and the upper half of the body is pulled backward, with the knees being projected, the abdomen being also projected forwards and the low back being bent backward, indicating that excessive load is placed on the low back.
However, if the first bicuspid becomes a little higher (Figure 40), the different response from those in the front teeth is observed. No bent of the posture is found but the body itself is twisted from the knee toward the right side which is opposite to the bitten side. The central axis is straight. The subject feels that the head axis is also straight.
When the second bicuspid becomes higher (Figure 41), quite a different change occurs. The shoulder on the bitten side becomes lowered while the head is leaned to the left. If we investigate the pattern of the body weight on the foot, it is observed that the body weight is on the whole foot sole unlike the pattern found after stimulation of other teeth. Next comes the elevation of the first molar teeth (Figure 42), the abdomen is projected forward, the knee being also projected forward. As the result, the back-ward leaned posture is observed, indicating loading on the low back. When the second molar teeth become higher (Figure 43), the left shoulder is pulled backward unlike those in the first molar teeth and the body is twisted to the left side which is the same side with the elevated height of the teeth, and the body is leaned.
The central line of the body is leaned to the left side unlike those in the first bicuspid. If the height of the third molar teeth is increased, the subject feels as if the whole body is pulled backward (Figure 44).
Like these examples, investigation of the body posture following changes of the heights of each tooth showed that dental occlusion is associated with the body posture closely. The second bicuspid teeth (the fifth position from the front part) correspond to the most behind second deciduous molar teeth in children. These teeth play a role as the dynamic center and can be designated as the supporting point. Whenever we talk about the heights of bilateral occlusion, the height of this second bicuspid tooth is used as the standard. Unless this tooth height becomes irregular, we cannot obtain appropriate occlusion balance even if treatments are given to other front teeth or back teeth, resulting in morbidity of various symptoms. For example, in case of lower height of this tooth, there might occur pains from blade bone to shoulder, pains and numbness from shoulder to arms via outer side of arms, or numbness of the middle finger and pains due to inflammation of the tendon sheath of thumb, as well as muscle weakness. As regards changes in lower half of the body, pains from low back to knee via thigh sometimes occur. However, the subject could not recognize that the heights of these teeth are too low.
In the previous Section, it was explained that there are the sympathetic nerve triangle in the front part and the parasympathetic nerve triangle. It is very interesting to note that the supporting point of the dynamic balance between the autonomic nerve balance and the occlusion are shared. When the height of this second bicuspid is adjusted to be suitable for occlusion, the subjects sometimes say “I feel exciting”; furthermore, the subject referred to his experience to have felt not only physical changes including pains and numb feeling but also sensation of some changes in biological mechanism involved in secretion of intrabrain hormone.
In any events, it seems to us that teeth exert not only autonomic nerve functions but also quite different information emission functions to brain and the whole body. And, these functions are unique in that they are different by respective teeth. It would appear likely that they contributed to changes in balance functions in vivid elderly persons as the background mechanisms but a large-scaled “Hazo (Teeth-organ)” mechanism seems to exist. Through investigating the relationship between teeth and the postures, we wish to study further on these points to clarify another “Hazo” function.
Figure37
Influences of the medial incisor on the posture
We investigated influences of teeth on the posture by experimentally elevating teeth a little bit. Left side teeth were subjected to investi-gation. When the height of the front medial incisor was elevated, the subject face turned upward and the head was pulled down to the backward. As the result, the body weight was supported on the inside and the subject stood with a pigeon-toed posture.
Figure38
Influences of the side incisor on the posture
As the result, the face was similarly pulled upward and the body was leaned backward, with the toe being elevated. The breast was projected forward with the excessive load being placed on the low back.
Figure39
Influences of canine on the posture
The upper half of the body was pulled backward, with the knees being projected; simultaneously, the abdomen was also projected forwards and the low back was bent backward, indicating that excessive load was placed on the low back.
Figure40
Influences of first bicuspid on the posture
The body itself was twisted from the knee toward the right side. The central axis was felt to be straight.
Figure41
Influences of second bicuspid on the posture
The left shoulder was lowered while the head was leaned to the left.
Figure42
Influences of first molar on the posture
The abdomen was projected forward, the knee being also projected forward. As the result, the back-ward leaned posture was observed, indicating loading on the low back.
Figure43
Influences of second molar on the posture
The left shoulder seemed to be pulled backward and the body was twisted to the left side.
Figure44
Influences of third molar on the posture
The whole body seemed to be pulled backwards.
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