Scared kid in dentist's chair having teeth extracted

Warning To Parents On The Potential Risks Of Orthodontic Treatment

When I was 13 years old, I had orthodontic treatment to correct my crowded teeth which involved removing four otherwise healthy bicuspids and fitting metal braces which pulled my front teeth backwards to close the resulting gaps and straighten my remaining teeth. This routine process involving premolar extraction and retraction orthodontics (PER) contributed to me developing obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) by further reducing tongue space in my already undersized mouth with the result that my tongue is forced backwards into my airway during sleep.

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CBCT scan showing skeletal expansion and teeth tipping

Fourteen Month Vivos mRNA Appliance Update: Mid-treatment CBCT Scan Shows Expansion and Teeth Tipping

This update has been delayed for a few reasons: My mum died in September 2021 and that’s been taking up a lot of my time and emotional energy. I had a mid-treatment CBCT scan and was concerned about the results, so I wanted to talk this over with my provider before posting about it. I also had nasal surgery to improve my daytime breathing and have been recovering from that.

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Bar graph showing slight decline in CPAP pressure trend

Eleven Months Vivos mRNA Appliance Update

I’ve been using my Vivos mRNA Appliance for eleven months now, so in theory I’m nearly half-way through my treatment… although I did notice treatments as long as 35 months in Vivos’s most recent real-world data submission to the FDA, so perhaps I’m only a third of the way there. Nevertheless, it’s all good news this month: my AHI continues to drop, as does my CPAP pressure trend, I’m exercising more, and my health continues to improve.

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What Is It Like Having Undiagnosed Sleep Apnea?

I’m a huge fan of Canadian psychologist Dr Jordan Peterson, who I discovered after stumbling across his psychology lectures on his YouTube channel. I particularly enjoyed his series of talks on The Psychological Significance of The Bible Stories, which helped put my childhood religious indoctrination into perspective for me.

But it was something he said in a recent interview that really got my attention.

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