The author of this article works at the University of Arkansas. I used to live 20 miles from there, and when we needed to "straighten" my son's teeth, we ended up checking out an orthodontist who has been influenced by the new school of thought that is emerging in Australia and Europe on dealing with orthodontic issues.

We ended up settling on a regimen of jaw exercises combined with a device known as a "Myobrace". I was initially very, very skeptical, and was concerned about the lack of rigorous scientific studies conducted on the practice. However, the more I researched the science, the more I became open to giving it a try.

Within 6 months, my son's jaw had widened, and his teeth were mostly straight. I was honestly shocked by how effective the treatment was. It's now been almost 18 months, and the before and after photos are shocking.

He wears the appliance while sleeping, and then during the day (we use the strategy of him doing it whenever he is watching tv or playing Xbox) we have him do jaw exercises with and without the appliance in.

The focus has been on expanding his jaw, and the side effect of this is straightened teeth. Pretty fascinating stuff.