Jaws: The Story of a Hidden Epidemic by Paul Ehrlich

Jaws

Subtitle: The Story of a Hidden Epidemic

Author: Paul Ehrlich

Genre: Nonfiction, Health

Publish Date: April 2018

Read: January 2025

Favorite Quote: The standard of care in orthodontics is thus to instruct the person to wear the retainer forever. This is in line with the general trend of modern medicine to focus on the maintenance of chronic diseases, rather than dealing with their causes.

Synopsis: When a dental professional sees her patients - and her own children - with ill-defined pallets, malocclusion (crowded teeth), and a host of related issues, she realizes current dentistry and orthodontia practices are causing more problems than they’re solving. From her journey, readers learn how many modern conveniences have created problems humans too often associate with genetics.

We learn how things like crowded teeth are a result of underdeveloped facial muscles and how a human mouth should be able to comfortably fit all 32 teeth (no wisdom teeth extraction). The reason our palates have narrowed is a result of soft foods and a lack of chewing, rather than genetics.

Why does this book beguile? Jaws messed with my head in the best way possible. Right up there with Breath and Why We Sleep, Jaws is now a must-read for health books. It’s not too late to change certain aspects of how you hold your jaw, how you chew, and how you develop your facial muscles to improve not only the look and shape of your face (goodbye under-eye bags!) but also improve your breathing, sleep, and overall health.

Rating: 5/5

Link*: Jaws: The Story of a Hidden Epidemic by Paul Ehrlich

If you’re interested in this, read*: Breath by James Nestor