Dr. Nammy Patel, founder of Green Dentistry in San Francisco, sits down with John Maher to talk about growing bones naturally. She covers the importance of having healthy jaw and mouth bones, and she discusses a holistic, pain-free way of stimulating bone growth.
John Maher: Hi, I’m John Maher. I’m here today with Dr. Nammy Patel, founder of Green Dentistry in San Francisco, California, helping patients recognize the vital connection between dental health and whole body health, and author of the best-selling book Age With Style: Guide to a Youthful Smile and Healthy Living. Today, our topic is growing bone naturally. Welcome Dr. Nammy.
Dr. Nammy Patel: Hi John. Thank you for having me.
Why Do People Need to Regrow Mouth and Jaw Bones?
John: Sure! How do we grow bone, and why would we need to regrow the bones in our mouth and our jaw?
Dr. Nammy: Wow, that’s a great question, John. Bone is really important because it’s our entire cranial base, and bone is what keeps our tongue, our sinuses, our eyes, our brain structure protected. And there are times where we need to grow the bone. And the times typically end up being like, if somebody has an underbite or an overbite, that’s one example, for us to be able to grow bone naturally in order to make sure that the jaw formation is proper. We want to make sure there’s enough space for the tongue so that we can get good breathing. Sometimes we need to expand the bones to make sure that the sinuses have enough space to drain so that we’re not having chronic allergies and having other issues throughout the body. So there are many times that we want to grow the bone.
How Do You Stimulate Bone Growth?
John: Okay. And what sort of techniques do you use to stimulate bone growth?
Dr. Nammy: So in our practice, we use something called epigenetics and biomimicry. What that means is biomimicry means that we take a stimulus and it looks like synthetic appliance that mimics our biology, and we have stem cells in our mouth and we can actually activate them to grow. And that’s what we actually do in our practice. We actually use a device that helps grow bone.
How Do You Stimulate Bone Growth in Specific Areas of the Mouth and Jaw?
John: Okay. And so how is it that you apply that to, like you said, you can help to fix an overbite or an underbite, or open up more space in your jaw for your tongue, or open up the sinuses. How do you apply that treatment to one certain area of the jaw or the mouth to make those different things happen?
Dr. Nammy: These devices are specific, for some… Actually a lot of times patients come to me for cosmetic reasons. They find their one side of the jaw is smaller than the other, and they’re considering surgery, and this is a non-surgical solution. We use a device to help grow one side of their jaw in order to make sure that they have symmetry. So that actually works really specific, and we can actually control how much we grow the bone and how far we grow the bone.
Benefits of Stimulating Bone Growth
John: Okay. So what are some of the benefits of these treatments?
Dr. Nammy: The basic benefit of this treatment is a healthier immune system because you’re getting better breathing through the nose. You’re getting your sinuses to drain properly. You’re getting better breathing because the tongue is at the roof of the mouth, where it belongs. You’re not grinding and chipping and breaking your teeth. You’re also looking better because there’s symmetry in the mouth. And honestly, you’re avoiding a lot of surgical dental work in the long term and also a lot of body issues. And you’re saving time and money, and your health.
Risks of Stimulating Bone Growth
John: Are there any risks or drawbacks to these treatments?
Dr. Nammy: The only risks to actually the treatment is you have to wear it. There’s a device, you must use it in order for it to work. Other than that, there really are not any sort of issues that exist. The beauty of these is once you’re done wearing the appliance, once a jaw bone is grown into place, you don’t have to worry about wearing anything anymore, which is really the main reason why people love it for sleep apnea. People love it for growing their jaw. And treatments can be as quick as six months, sometimes 12 months. And they’re really happy with it.
How Long Do You Have to Wear the Bone Growth Device?
John: Will people notice that I have this device in my mouth, do I have to wear it 24 hours a day?
Dr. Nammy: Actually, you only wear it 16 hours a day. So it makes it really much more comfortable, too. So I always think of it like intermittent fasting. It’s really good for your health, and so I stop eating at six o’clock in the evening, and then I start having something at about 10:00 AM the next day. So that’s about 16 hours. So just pop it in during those times, and then you’re good to go.
Contact Green Dentistry Today
John: Well, that’s really great information, Dr. Nammy, thanks again for speaking with me today.
Dr. Nammy: My pleasure.
John: And for more information about Green Dentistry, visit the website at sfgreendentist.com or call (415) 433-0119.
