You’ve Got to Know When to Hold Them: A Smarter Approach to Growing Healthy Smiles

I’m not a gambler, but I am an observer who realizes that some things just get better with

watchful waiting for normal growth to correct an apparent problem that will improve over time. Too often Mothers want a “right now” approach to childhood issues when it will resolve later. Some of the early treatment success stories would have spontaneously corrected with growth without any intervention, but the claim is made that X. Y or Z appliance treatment made the difference. In orthodontics, things go better with good growth patterns and worse with abnormal growth patterns. Do you know the difference? 

Rather than a focus on treatment, the best course of action with children aged 2 -10 is to make sure all the things that matter are attended to. No human can develop normally without restorative sleep, good nutrition, daily exercise, mental challenges, healthy social interaction and spiritual regard for God. You can hold on to that foundation forever.

You can fold on a health care system that supports sickness and disease with Big Pharma treating symptoms rather than eliminating causes and prevention. They, correctly, know that most people won’t make the hard choices nor have the self- discipline so necessary for maintaining health, so they capitalize on lazy human nature that is more willing to take the easy path rather than the hard climb to health.  We become dependent on their pills and potions treating only the symptoms instead of preventing or curing the disease. We must develop self-control over what we eat, drink, and think about.

Brain scans on teenagers are showing damage to the critical thinking areas of the brain, this is scary and troublesome as to its root cause. Kids just don’t understand the Russian roulette they are playing with their health and the long-term consequences of abuse. The allure of pleasure overpowers reason and resistance. Appreciation for the miraculous nature of the human body working 24/7 awake or asleep needs to be continuously reinforced and red flags of warning need to be continuously waving. Why should this generation be the first not to outlive their parents?

Nothing comes close to the form, function, beauty and value of a picture-perfect natural smile radiating health- priceless!  No dental replacement, no matter how advanced our technology, equals nature’s original equipment designed to last a lifetime.

We welcome the opportunity to demonstrate a more enlightened approach to total health, a learning experience, a more excellent way, but to borrow an axiom printed on NCAA tournament basketball warm-ups, “Nothing’s Easy”. Your overall health is profoundly affected by your toolkit of teeth and how you care for them. You gotta know how to hold them.

John B. Harrison DDS,MSc