Bill HangDental Practitioner, Lecturer at OrthO2Health

The Case Against Ignoring Oral Posture - William M Hang, DDS MSD

10 Jun 2013 · 2 min

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1:54

In this segment of Dr. William M. Hang’s 2013 presentation, he recounts a specific patient who, after completing orthodontic treatment, returned with new dental crowding, an open bite, a lengthened facial profile, and difficulty closing her lips. The patient’s orthodontist suggested jaw surgery, but Dr. Hang, drawing on his encounter with Dr. John Mew and the principles of orthotropics, hypothesizes that the relapse stems from a deterioration in oral (resting) posture rather than a flaw in the orthodontic mechanics. He reviews pre‑ and post‑treatment photographs, points out the emergence of crowding where none existed before, the development of an open bite, and a visibly longer face with strained lip posture. The narrative serves as a cautionary illustration that neglecting oral posture can undermine orthodontic results and may lead to more invasive interventions later.

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That is a girl that I also treated, and it's really important to understand. No crowding in either arch. No crowding, no crowding, and overlap here in the front. Overlap, no crowding, no crowding. This then is post-treatment, and it's all nice. Then she moves away to— We get a call. Her teeth aren't the same. An orthodontist in said she'd need jaw surgery. Dr. Hang's so nice, I know he wouldn't do jaw surgery. And I'm thinking, this is, this is a conversation she's having with my receptionist. Well, when are you going to be back in? Well, I'll be there at Christmas. Why don't you come in and see Dr. Hang? So I went to the basement where we kept our records. I looked at these pictures here. Here, and I said— and I didn't have these pictures yet— and I said to myself, I bet she needs jaw surgery. I'd already met John Mew, and I knew what was going on. You see here, she never had crowding, and she's got crowding. She never had crowding here, and she's got crowding. She didn't have an open bite, didn't have an open bite, now she has an open bite. But let's look at her face. That's her After I finished the ortho, she's straining to get her lips together. Now here she is straining to get her lips together and her face is longer. From the side, look at her here. Very poor restoral posture, very long face, and it's only getting worse and will continue to do so. Look at that.