Form and Function
The world of design is a delicate balance between form and function. In other words, the way the product works or operates vs. the way the product looks. Those who are mainly concerned with the functionality of a device are more engineer types, while those who only care about the device's aesthetic presentation are more artistic. Left brained and right brained respectively. A simple glance around your immediate location will offer up a plethora of design choices for you to critique. Let’s discuss some examples and then apply these design concepts to our teeth.
Cars. I love cars. I fantasize about owning a classic car at some point in my life. I’m partial to the early 60’s Lincoln Continentals. Every year in the car industry automakers present what are known as Concept Cars at the major car shows around the world. What I imagine happens is the artists lock out the engineers in the design center and design what they want without the “functional” constraints of realistic road travel.
It should come as no surprise that these “concept” cars look phenomenal, but the actual consumer model that is released is far less exciting. The engineers get their hands on the drawings and make sure it meets the functional requirements of efficient aerodynamics and fuel usage. They also make sure that the shape of the vehicle can safely contain the engine and drivetrain along with the safety devices required by law. The car emerges much less sexy but much more functional.
Let’s move on to robots. Robots are a construct of science fiction with the first mention of them being in the 1920’s. For decades they were just fantasy and thought to be unrealistic but as technology has advanced they are becoming more present and accessible to society. As we examine the design (form and function) of robots throughout the years we see them becoming more and more “animal” like. Meaning they have a rigid jointed skeleton with hydraulics and pistons which mimic our individual muscles.
The advances in computer processing speed and efficiency has allowed engineers to simply copy mammalian anatomy. We have all seen the videos out of Boston Dynamics depicting a two-legged (human-ish) and a four-legged (dog-ish) robot navigating obstacles smoothly, eliminating the “herky-jerky” movements that are typically attributed to robots. If you're like me these robots creep you out. The design process has sacrificed some form in the name of function.
Robot design has trended more and more towards mimicking our own natural design for good reason, it is extremely efficient and functional. As for the form? I think we all look pretty good. One of the many design features of the human body is the dentition, which refers to the teeth collectively. The human body comes with 20 primary teeth (aka baby teeth). These baby teeth are then replaced by the secondary premolars, canines, and incisors. In addition to these, 3 secondary molars grow in each corner for a total of 32 teeth.
Each and every tooth that appears in our mouths has a specific individual function along with its role in the overall function of your teeth (dentition) as a whole. Let’s perform an exercise. Everyone bite your teeth together and keep them touching throughout this entire process. Now, with teeth touching, slide your lower jaw to the left and then to the right. If everything is functioning properly the only teeth that should be touching during this movement are your upper and lower Canine teeth. This is referred to as Canine Guidance and ensures that your back teeth don't contact when the jaw is slid to the side. This is important because the back teeth are good at taking longitudinal forces (straight up and down), but they are not built to take off-center forces (side to side).
Now again, bite your teeth together and now slide your lower jaw forward. In a normal functioning bite the backsides of your upper front six teeth (Canines and Incisors) will slide your lower jaw down and immediately cause your back teeth to separate and allow your lower jaw to slide forward. This is referred to as Anterior Guidance and again protects our back teeth from side to side forces.
With this new information in mind you can start to imagine what would happen if there were some parafunctional habits taking place. A parafunctional habit is the habitual exercise of a body part in a way that is other than the most common use of that body part. In other words it is violating the original function of it’s design. The most common parafunctional habits when referring to the teeth are clenching and grinding and are collectively referred to as Bruxism.
If Bruxism is left untreated the guidance planes on our Canines and Incisors will eventually wear away and expose our posterior teeth to lateral excursive forces. At which point we start to see a more rapid breakdown of the posterior teeth, specifically molars and premolars. The majority of Bruxism cases occur at night during a person’s sleep. This makes it difficult to treat from a psychological angle. The most popular treatment for the majority of Bruxism cases is treated by fabricating a custom occlusal splint for the patient. These are also more commonly referred to as a “nightguard.”
A nightguard will allow the sleeper’s teeth to bite down in a more physiologically relaxed position and will protect the teeth from grinding together. It’s not a cure for clenching and grinding, but can reduce both while protecting the teeth from wearing down over time. Ask your dentist if you are showing signs of parafunctional wear and tear and if a nightguard will benefit you.
Happy New Year everyone. 2020 was definitely a year for the books. I’m an optimist and know that by the time 2022 rolls around all this craziness will be in the rearview mirror. Be Happy, Be Safe, and Smile!!
Read Form and Function by Dr. John Miller in 406 Woman magazine.