The Cranial Mechanism and Dentistry

As a student at Temple University School of Dentistry, my classmates and I were taught that the function of the sutures in the skull was to permit growth and expansion of the cranial vault and at some point after growth and development had been completed the sutures would fuse together. This belief is held by most dentists and physicians.

What I didn't know at the time was that these conclusions about the purpose of cranial sutures were based on the study of cadaver material and had little basis in fact. This has been known for many years within the chiropractic and osteopathic professions. Though our skull may seem rigid, it is pliable and made of bones that move in relation to one another. This was initially brought to light by the work of Sutherland in the early part of this century.

As we bite, the forces generated are transmitted along the roots of the teeth and pass into the bones of the skull. When the jaw is aligned and the bite balanced, the forces directed into the skull are dissipated in a manner that supports healthy function of the cranial mechanism. Problems with the the bite may cause distortion in the shape and movement of these bones. This affects what is known as the Cranial-Sacral system.

There is a term in chiropractic, "Lovett Brother." This is used to describe the compensatory response to rotation or displacement of a component of the skeletal chain. For example; when a vertebra is misaligned in the neck, there will always be a compensatory shift in a vertebrae in the low back. A distortion of the skull (caused by a bad bite or other influence) will always be accompanied by a distortion in the pelvis.

The meningeal membranes provide a functional link between the physiologic micro-motion of the bones within the cranium and pelvis. As shown in the diagram below the dural tube is viewed as the "core link" connecting the occiput and the sacrum.

Asymmetries of the face and facial expression will be associated with asymmetries of the bite and the skull with imbalance in the functioning of the jaw muscles.

The imbalances resulting in the muscles of the jaw and face will be influential throughout the whole body, from head to toe. This occurs as a consequence of the reflexive and interactive nature of muscles along the acupuncture circuits.