5/23/06
According to an article in the daily mail, Nick Mohindra, DDS, in London, has developed the “Oralift”—a beautifying brace that fixes faces instead of teeth.
According to the company, the Oralift works by two principles: the healing capacity of the body and the body’s ability to adapt to environmental change. When the muscles of the face are relaxed, they usually keep the lips together and the teeth slightly apart. The freeway space between the upper and lower teeth is 1–3 mm. At this relaxed or resting position, there is a minimal amount of electrical activity occurring in the facial muscles to maintain muscle tone.
When a patient wears the Oralift appliance, it separates the teeth by an amount much greater than their original freeway space. The muscles therefore adapt by altering their fibers to create a new resting length and a new freeway space. This process involves greater protein activity, for which muscles need more oxygen. To achieve this, any capillaries that have been damaged due to aging are also repaired. This repair process is initiated by the muscles releasing a mechano growth factor, which triggers the body’s healing process, therefore counteracting the harmful effects of facial aging. Wearers report that the brace also reduces lines and eye bags and reveals prominent cheekbones, smoother skin, and a firmer jawline. Oralift is even said to improve hair quality and increase fullness of the lips.
Oralift may be worn at night (for passive exercise), during the day, and even while eating (for active exercise)—to stretch the muscles.
It currently costs about $4,700.
Mohindra says, "People spend a fortune on cosmetic surgery, which doesn’t always have the desired result and can occasionally prove disastrous. Oralift sculpts the face without the need of a scalpel, using the body’s own natural healing processes, and is completely safe."
