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Alyssa Luck

Alyssa Luck

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CBCT Results: An Update on Implants [AGGA/CAB Update]

Alyssa Luck · Sep 3, 2021 · 2 Comments

Hey friends! Latest AGGA/CAB video update is up on YouTube, and as promised, below is a snapshot from my CBCT scan.

First, to summarize the video: this was supposed to be the appointment where my dentist showed me my CBCT results, told me that I had plenty of space and bone for implants (as expected), and referred me to the implant dentist for an initial consultation and to get on the books.

INSTEAD, he told me that despite having 7mm gaps in my mouth, I do not have 7mm gaps between the roots below the surface, which means not enough room for implants.

This was a huge bomb drop, since we’d been aligned from the beginning that the plan was to do implants, and he never once had any doubts that that would be possible for me. Up until he looked at the CBCT.

I was pretty taken aback, and he said that if I “held his feet to the fire,” he’d definitely try some things to make enough space – uprighting the teeth on each side, maybe doing a couple more bump-outs in the front, etc. But in his professional opinion, he thinks we should skip the implants and just bring my molars forward to close the gaps.

I pressed him on this pretty good, voicing concerns about relapse being more likely without implants, difficulty moving molars without losing growth, etc, but he’s extremely confident that he can give me great results this way. He said that if there was any part of him that thought we were sacrificing results by not doing implants, he would figure out how to make the implants work.

He also said that he’s thrilled with how my jaw looked on the CBCT, so he just wants to keep everything in place where it’s at, and again, is extremely confident he can do that by simply bringing my molars forward.

So, I’m trusting him. No implants. Bringing molars forward. I’ll most certainly not be out of braces by the end of this year, but it’s possible I could still be out of them by my 28th birthday in early March…wish me luck.

(And…skipping the implants does save me about $10k. So that softens the blow a bit.)

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Comments

  1. Paul says

    November 24, 2021 at 11:37 am

    Hi Alyssa,

    thank you very much for your work with your blog and videos! Very detailed and informative. And since there is not a lot of hard facts and information out there, rather some people seem to shout very loud from one direction, your input is highly appreciated.

    I am a functional prosthetic and biological dentist (no orthodontist!) myself and I am looking for a functional orthodontic solution for my brother, myself and my patients. So I am just learning about the AGGA/CAB and having a proposition to receive treatment myself. By the infos, that I found on the internet I am very unsure at this point. So I could learn a lot from your experience!

    So, I`ve been super interested, when I saw your post on with the after CBCT. My question is: Do you have any evaluation of your front teeth and maxillary arch? Especially concerning the bone in the front? Can you post some picture of the sagital slices on the front teeth (#12 and 13 e.g.)?

    By the way, as a hollistic, biological and functional dentist (2nd generation) I can agree on your decision to close the gaps with the molars. Maybe implants would be actually possible, but bearing some risk and a not so optimal situation probably.

    I would be super interested what your x-ray says about the front teeth, since it is such a major concern with the whole AGGA/CAB procedure.

    Thank you, whishing you all the best!

    Paul

    Reply
    • Alyssa Luck says

      December 6, 2021 at 11:33 am

      Hi Paul,

      Thanks so much for your comment, and apologies for my delayed response!

      I don’t currently have an evaluation of my front teeth and maxillary arch from my most recent CBCT. I’ll have to ask my dentist to go over that with me. (I’m certainly curious as well, but we always have such limited time at my appointments and there’s always much to discuss!)

      I’m assuming if I ask for what you say, “sagital slices on the front teeth,” he will know what that means? I’m getting a copy of the CBCT, but I’m guessing there won’t be any way for me to open/read it on my personal computer, so I imagine I’ll have to ask him for any images I want.

      I certainly appreciate your take on the molars vs. implants situation! At the moment I’m a bit stressed out at some noticeable retraction of my front teeth that I’m already noticing as we move the molars, but I’m going to discuss with my dentist (and maybe get a second opinion from an orthodontist as well) and come up with the best plan of action.

      I will do my best to get an assessment of my front teeth along with images from the CBCT scan to post, and please feel free to respond with any more questions/comments!
      Alyssa

      Reply

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Hi! I’m Alyssa. I like thunderstorms and cats, hate wearing shoes, and I get really nerdy about gut bacteria. This is me in Bali with a monkey on my shoulder. And this is my blog, where I muse about health-related topics and document my relentless self-guinea pigging (in the realms of gut health and orthodontics, mostly). I created the IBD Index to help people with ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease discover their next health breakthrough. If you want to know more about me, click here!

alyssa.luck

alyssa.luck
To continue my recounting of the health things I'm To continue my recounting of the health things I'm experimenting with, let me tell you about DNRS: the slightly cheesy, arguably outdated “brain rewiring” program that has changed my life. 

I found it because I was looking for ways to “retrain” my nervous system. I watched some success stories. None of the “target” health conditions matched mine, but I went for it anyway. Probably the best decision I’ve ever made for my health. 

The core of DNRS is built on the principles of neuroplasticity. They call it "brain rewiring" because you intentionally take triggers that would normally stimulate a negative response in your body or mind, and associate them repeatedly with neural signals of safety. If that sounds pseudosciencey, I hear ya – one of my goals with future posts is to bring some concreteness and specificity to the topic. I imagine there are lots of people who could benefit from this type of thing who are turned off by the overly abstract or touchy-feely language. 

There are tons of "brain rewiring" programs like DNRS, but they're all built on similar ideas. Most bring in elements of other popular approaches, ranging from the scientifically validated (cognitive behavioral therapy, mindfulness, acceptance and commitment therapy) to the type of new-agey stuff I always scoffed at (shadow work, inner child work, parts work). 

For me, DNRS has provided the perfect framework to finally achieve what meditation experts and therapists and mystics alike are always advocating – the ability to step into the role of “curious observer.” It's given me everything therapy and meditation promised but could never deliver, helping me recognize my own patterns of thought and behavior and consciously redirect unhelpful ones. If this sounds vague, that's because there isn't a single area of my life that hasn't been improved by using this framework. 

I spend far more time in states of joy and peace and gratitude, and less time in states of anxiety or depression or frenzy. Many chronic worries that used to occupy my mind or keep me up at night – whether related to health, relationships, or my future – have disappeared, and the others are on their way out. (Cont. in comments)
Isn’t it crazy how something can be so easy and Isn’t it crazy how something can be so easy and natural for one person, but so hard for another? 

Me doing food: I can totally cook everything I eat from scratch, no prob

Me doing mental health: just doing my hour of daily mindful cognitive gratitudinal journalization

Me doing physical therapy: I can’t do it I don’t have that muscle

I’ve done many hard things in the name of health, but I think they’ve all been the types of hard things that come naturally to me. And frankly, that hasn’t gotten me where I want to be. 

So I’ve decided to finally tackle something that feels very unnatural: developing a real relationship with my muscles and bones, and learning - through experience, not from a book - how they coordinate with each other and how to use them. 

I never really considered my musculoskeletal system a key player in autoimmune or digestive woes, but now I realize it’s naïve to think dysfunction in one part of the body doesn’t affect another. And since this is so obviously my weakest link, it’s high time to make it a priority!

Even though I’ve done strength training in the past, I never dedicated the time and focus to figure out what my body actually needed to function better, and workouts often felt awkward or led to injury. 

I’ve always dreaded PT-type exercises because they felt simultaneously like “not enough” and also SO HARD, especially when there’s no way to confirm whether I’m doing them “right” (my nightmare). 

But I’m pretty sure the fact that targeted “mind-muscle” work is so hard for me means it’s what I need the most. (That’s how that works, right?)

Anyway, I’m happy to report that I’m finally through both the initial phase of being a giant baby because I have to do something I’m bad at, AND the second phase of neurotically worrying about doing it “wrong.” And hopefully I’m on my way to better posture, improved breathing, and greater strength! 

Super thankful to have people in my life who remind me to have fun and stay curious, when my natural disposition is to write a 27-step plan to “fixing” everything “wrong” with me. And to remind me that it is, in fact, a JOY to be a novice at something (as @_john_the_savage_ would say).
"If your nervous system is balanced, your heart is "If your nervous system is balanced, your heart is constantly being told to beat slower by your parasympathetic system, and beat faster by your sympathetic system. This causes a fluctuation in your heart rate: HRV." (whoop.com) 
 
This statement is a formidable example of one of the biggest misconceptions about heart rate variability (HRV). 
 
HRV is highest during rest or sleep, when sympathetic input is lowest. If HRV was the result of an autonomic “tug-of-war,” why would it be greatest when one of the contenders has entirely dropped the rope? 
 
Part of the misunderstanding may stem from failure to recognize that the heart has an intrinsic rate, well above the resting heart rate maintained by the vagus nerve. Varying vagal impulses create HRV without any sympathetic input at all. 
 
There are many other common misconceptions, such as the notion that HRV metrics measure autonomic tone, or that HRV itself is a metric with one interpretation. 
 
Such misconceptions aren’t only found in layscience – they also pervade academic and clinical literature. For instance, you’ll see LF used as a measurement of “sympathetic tone” and LF/HF as a measurement of “sympathovagal balance,” even though it’s been clear for decades that those interpretations are not physiologically accurate.
 
This post (and the associated article at alyssaluck.com/hrv101) can be thought of as “foundations for understanding HRV research.” And it provides a good example not only of the insufficiency of “sound-byte” science, but also of real science in action. 
 
The unfortunate reality is that we can’t always take researchers’ conclusions at face value. Few have the time to adequately assess a field before adopting one of their metrics, and once a misinterpretation has taken root it can easily become an accepted fact that propagates through repetition, becoming more entrenched with each published paper.
 
Thankfully the ramifications in this case are not very serious - misdirection of experimental design and analysis, and many false statements, but no dire consequences. Nevertheless, it’s a good reminder that science is a human institution, and it never hurts to question oft-repeated “facts.”
My latest diet experiment: the bean protocol! This My latest diet experiment: the bean protocol! This was one of the changes I made immediately prior to my drastic increase in HRV. 

Brief background: the bean protocol entails eating lots of soluble fiber (particularly beans) as a way to support detox. It rests on the assumption that most chronic health issues are the result of fat-soluble environmental toxins, excess hormones, and other fat-soluble things being recirculated in the body rather than eliminated. 

There is some scientific merit to this: the liver does eliminate many toxins and other compounds through the bile, these things can be subject to reabsorption via enterohepatic recirculation, and certain types of fibers do interrupt this process by binding bile, preventing reabsorption and allowing excretion in the feces.

That said, there are many unanswered questions that would need to be answered for me to be on board with that as the sole or even primary explanation for the anecdotal success of those on the protocol. I think there are almost certainly other mechanisms at play, and I doubt things work exactly as proponents of the protocol describe. 

But at the end of the day, what matters is not mechanisms, but practical outcome. And whatever the reason, it works for many! It seems especially popular and effective for hormonal issues and acne, but the preeminent bean spokesperson @uniquehammond cured her severe Crohn’s with it. 

For me, I experienced better digestion and clearer skin, among other benefits (like not having to wear deodorant). On the less-good side, I lost weight I didn't need to lose, had cold hands and feet, and developed some dry patches on my skin. 

(The dry patches [and perhaps weight loss] were probably because I kept fat too low – mostly because their favored fat source, nuts, is a no-go for me.)

I'm continuing to experiment, hoping to find a balance that lets me reclaim the benefits (which I lost after returning to my normal eating pattern) while avoiding the pitfalls. I’ll share any exciting developments, and will eventually dig into the science behind it too. 

For info about what the protocol entails, you can visit alyssaluck.com/the-bean-protocol-for-ibd!
Fighting the Sunday scaries by reading this PDF ab Fighting the Sunday scaries by reading this PDF about the autonomic nervous system. This quote from the introduction to the book highlights a big reason why I'm so fascinated by the ANS these days. Silos abound in medicine (and everywhere else, for that matter), and while silo-ing is probably an unavoidable result of the specialization that has allowed us to make such phenomenal advances in technology and knowledge, it's quite limiting when it comes to actually treating patients. 

Anyone who’s ever had an upset stomach from nerves or grief knows that the mind can affect the body, but the precise nature of the border between the two remains fairly elusive. 
 
Some people (including many doctors, unfortunately), when faced with things they can't explain, tend to default to the position that it therefore must not exist, or isn't possible. Personally, I find it exhausting to try to contort reality to fit my existing beliefs – reality always seems to obstinately stay the same. And I think it's way more fun to try to find explanations for such things anyway!

In the case of health, this means taking the real observations and experiences of myself and others at face value, and searching for an explanatory framework into which they fit. From patients with persistent and debilitating symptoms that no doctor can find a physical cause for, to the placebo effect, to the effectiveness of some “alternative” treatments such as acupuncture, to the innumerable "medical miracles" that nobody can explain – it's easy for science to deny or brush these things aside because they don't fit nicely into existing scientific frameworks, but wouldn't it be better to build a new framework into which all these observations can fit?

I guess some people will say that's simply not possible, but only time will tell. Meanwhile, if you need me, I'll be over here hanging out at the ineffable border between mind and body.
Most people equate the sympathetic nervous system Most people equate the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) with “fight or flight,” and the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS) with “rest and digest.” This conflation can be misleading in two ways: 

1) Leads you to believe that each branch of the autonomic nervous system always activates globally, and that you’re always in either one “mode” or the other.

2) Paints a picture of the SNS and PNS as antagonistic, fighting each other.

I think it also fosters a third, more insidious belief: that sympathetic = bad, and parasympathetic = good. 

It's absolutely true that humans (and other animals) have a "fight or flight" stress response that involves global activation of the SNS, and that the PNS is largely responsible for "rest and digest" activities. It's also true that sympathetic and parasympathetic nerves often have opposite effects...but they are rarely directly antagonistic, and in fact most tissues only receive innervation from one system or the other. 

The best example of a truly antagonistic relationship is at the sinoatrial node of the heart, where sympathetic nerves increase heart rate and parasympathetic nerves decrease it. The fact that the heart has historically been the focus of research into the autonomic nervous system is probably a big reason the notion of antagonism is so powerful. 

Humans love dichotomies, especially when one side can be categorized as "good" and one as "bad," but our physiology doesn't care about moral frameworks. So, I’m sharing a few tidbits here to help break down this dichotomy and paint a slightly more nuanced picture of the autonomic nervous system. 

For my full article covering the basic anatomy and physiology of the autonomic nervous system, plus the references for this post, visit alyssaluck.com/ans101!
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Recent Posts

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