Short Description:
‘Civilised life’ may have caused specific habits of using our mouths and teeth which interfere with the freedom of the neck and head.
Mouritz description:
The author argues that in becoming ‘civilised’ we have adopted habits of using our mouths and teeth which interfere with the freedom of the neck and head; more especially, the custom of eating with knife and fork is assumed to cause the mandible to become chronically retracted, hence causing tension elsewhere in the upper neck area. The argument is based on Norbert Elias’ civilisation theory, and it hinges on what is correct or ‘natural’ occlusion and indications that ‘civilised’ people generally suffer from malocclusion.
