There are many similarities between Dentistry and Chiropractic that many people are not aware of. After a recent visit to my Dentist, I realized that we share many things in common.
First of all, many years ago the Dental profession did a marvelous job of going into the schools and educating the students. Do you remember mister happy tooth, or chewing a red tablet and looking in the mirror for any plaque? I would love it if we could give you a tablet that would show red spots where subluxations existed. You can, however, check your posture. Are your shoulders level? Is your head straight when you look into the mirror? Does one arm hang lower than the other? Is your pelvis level? These are things you can try out for yourself, or on your friends. Now we all know that you should brush and floss daily, and visit your dentist for regular check-ups to prevent cavities. This would be like doing your spinal exercises, watching your body mechanics and visiting your chiropractor for regular check-ups, before you get into pain and crisis. Unfortunately, by the time most patients come into see us; they have let their condition progress for years, and have permanent disc decay and degeneration. Had we been able to take care of them earlier, this would have been prevented. At least you can always get false teeth. You can’t replace your spine, and this can affect your nervous system; which controls every aspect of your body.
Secondly, do you know how long it takes for an adult for braces to straighten their teeth? Most adults require 2-4 years in braces. Most patients in chiropractic require 6-9 months of care. Unfortunately, most people are used to the medical model of health care. They wait until they have symptoms (crisis) and they go to their doctor expecting a medication to take for a few days to “fix” them. I am not saying that we don’t need medical doctors, they certainly do save lives and help in crisis situations. I believe most people could improve on how they take care of themselves on a regular basis. By the time most patients come into see me, their condition has usually been progressing for many years. It is unrealistic to expect that a few “treatments” will take care of their condition. I find that patients who discontinue care pre-maturely (usually when there are no more symptoms) come into see us years later, and their condition has gotten worse. They will usually show signs of spinal decay and degeneration. Did you know that chiropractic care is the only form of health care that can prevent disc decay and degeneration? We have many patients in there 60’s and 70’s that have no decay or degeneration because they have been under care all there live. Most of our long- term patients enjoy wonderful health, just like taking care of your teeth will give you healthy teeth for your life. Also, just like wearing a retainer, if you don’t follow through with wellness care, your spine gets out of alignment and you will have problems again.