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President Lynn Walton presided over today’s meeting. Freddy Walter provided the opening prayer. Tyler Gravely led us in the Pledge of Allegiance. Lynn led us in the Four Way Test. The meeting was held at the Holiday Inn North and on Zoom. Lynn thanked everyone in attendance.
Bill MacLauchlan introduced today’s guests. Annie Jackson is a guest of Mark Killingsworth. She is applying for membership. Lynn announced that we have 3 new Rotarian prospects. Mark Killingsworth has two and Jerome Brown has one. Lynn also announced that we are wrapping up the donations for The Disaster Relief Fund today. We collected $75 today at lunch.
Joe Meador was asked to provide a brief classification talk. He is a 5th generation Meador. He worked as an engineer for the city for 35 years, then 10 years as an inspector before retiring. He will celebrate 50 years of marriage next month and has 2 kids, 3 grandkids, 3 step grandkids, and too many great-grandkids to count.
Lynn then introduced today’s guest speaker, Erik Graham, DMD PA, of Baker & Graham Dentistry. Dr. Graham has a passion for dentistry, a craft that is all too often perceived as boring, conventional, and even scary.
Today Erik talked about Malocclusion. Malocclusion is a misalignment of teeth, that makes it hard for people to chew or bite. It can affect one’s oral and digestive health. Most people experience malocclusions in some form due to genetic factors or poor oral hygiene.
Extended use of milk bottles, sucking of thumb and the use of a pacifier can all cause malocclusion. The symptoms of malocclusion can vary from the irregular alignment of teeth, the inability to chew properly, biting the cheeks frequently, speech problems that include lisping, change in the appearance of the face, and breathing from the mouth instead of the nose.
The teeth and jaw should be in proper alignment to prevent bites on the cheek, lip, and tongue. The teeth of the upper jaw should slightly overlap the teeth of the lower jaw. If there is a misalignment, it will result in a malocclusion. Moreover, malocclusions are of three types.
Apart from the three key types of malocclusions, other people suffer from the same which includes those who have long faces or due to the likelihood of thumb sucking or tongue thrusting as well as those with small faces, whose molars have not developed. Malocclusions can be treated with the help of braces, fixed multibracket braces, this is when brackets are attached to each tooth and are connected with the help of a wire.
Removable Devices—These removable braces include retainers and headgear which are the ones used frequently. Retainers hold the teeth in the right position so that the jawbone grows properly around it.
Invisalign—These can be removed and are transparent and work the same way as dental braces, without affecting the way you smile. Most patients opt for Invisalign. Book an appointment today, if you’re looking for orthodontic treatment.
Lynn thanked Erik for his remarks. There being no further business to come before the club, she adjourned the meeting with our motto: “Service Above Self.”