I found some before and after photos from an Orthodontist in Colorado named Kent Lauson ( https://www.realself.com/find/Colorado/Aurora/Orthodontist/kent-lauson-dds#photos ). He challenges conventional wisdom about orthodontics, and promulgates the potential for skeletal changes to improve facial form and teeth alignment at any age. He is the author of a book called "Straight Talk about Crooked Teeth." However, scanning its table of contents, I believe the book focuses on treatment options for children and teens. Many of his philosophies seem to be similar to Dr. Mew's, but he uses the term "Dentofacial Orthopedics" rather than "Orthotropics."

I bought the book.

Some excerpts:

The reason for crooked teeth (or dental crowding) is generally because of constricted jaw structures; therefore, a dental bone structural imbalance is present, necessitating FFO.

Essentially, bones change over time due to pressures being placed on them

That is why adverse oral habits, such as thumb sucking, can create facial skeletal growth problems

definition of FFO: the effect of applying therapeutic gentle pressures to reshape facial structures or to reposition them to improve the health and appearance of an individual.

., it corrects bone structures that are narrow or underdeveloped by expanding or enlarging them to bring them into harmony with the rest of the face. Virtually all of the bone structure problems seen are due to underdevelopment. This is where FFO shines and expansion can generally be accomplished within about a four- to six-month period.

The second type of correction is to reposition bone structures, usually by moving the lower jaw forward. While the upper jaw is being expanded, the lower jaw can come forward on its own as it is no longer trapped behind the upper teeth. The use of an FFO appliance, called a bite plate or bite ramp, can also be used to guide the lower jaw forward. This creates a better balance with the rest of the face. A more advanced method of repositioning the lower jaw involves a very specialized type of appliance called a mandibular orthotic, which can correct a TMD by moving the jaw into a more ideal functional position.

A key principle to understand—and one that traditional dentistry has not yet recognized—is that this suture remains viable and living all throughout life and therefore permits significant expansion of the upper jaw at any stage of life.

Dentists and orthodontists, myself included, were incorrectly taught in dental school that this midpalatal suture calcifies over and that the two adjacent bones become fused together at around ages twelve to fourteen.

There are three notable exceptions to nonextraction treatment. The first is when extreme protrusion of the front teeth is present. Typically, this protrusion is the result of a skeletal deficiency, which is a result of growth patterns altered by undesirable oral habits (especially mouth breathing). However, the determination whether to extract teeth or not is made after the expansion with FFO (to be discussed in Key #1) has given the patient the full arch form necessary to make that decision.

For instance, if the upper jaw is narrow and a correction is not made to make a more fully developed arch form (Key #1), then unobstructed nasal breathing (Key #2) and proper forward positioning of the lower jaw (Key #3) will be more difficult to achieve. In addition to that, healthy TMJ function (Key #4) could be compromised, and ideal head posture (Key #5) may be negatively affected.

As is evident by the majority of patients who pass through my office, a narrow or underdeveloped maxilla is the root of almost all orthodontic problems. I have included a review in Appendix C that finds that 95% of the patients in the author's orthodontic practice have a deficient maxilla.

A narrow upper jaw also causes reduction to the nasal breathing capacity, which in severe cases can result in a mouth-breathing habit with many undesired effects. In short, the maxilla is a ground-zero source for many health issues.

The teeth are straight, but the narrowness remains. This result is considered perfectly acceptable for the traditional orthodontist, but leaves the arch forms narrow and can cause many future problems, not the least of which is the narrowness of the smile. For those who are widely concerned with their looks, a well-developed upper jaw creates strong, balanced facial contours and the potential for an unforgettable smile. Consider the parade of cover girls you have seen or the “movie star smile” exemplified by the picture below of the famous actress Julia Roberts. Although she was not a patient of mine, her beautiful smile is a great example of the full, ideally developed maxilla.

From an aesthetic standpoint, the underdeveloped maxilla can cause what cosmetic dentists call “dark triangles.” These are dark, shadowy, triangular-shaped spaces between one's teeth and at the widest corner of one's smile,

These dark triangles indicate that the dental arch form is constricted, causing the front teeth to be accentuated or to appear too large. Many times this is the result of leaving the arch form constricted; no “movie star smile” is achieved, and the dreaded dark triangles remain!

After their maxillas were widened, many of my patients who suffered with asthma felt profound relief with their breathing problems.

Occasionally, a parent may be concerned about changes in facial appearance when considering FFO treatment. The motherly, loving, untrained eye may think little Mary looks just fine. “We don't want our daughter to look funny!” is an occasional response. However, a parent quickly gains confidence when shown before and after photos of previously treated patients. “They look beautiful!” is the standard comment made by the parent. Yes, the power of the maxilla to redefine the face is truly remarkable!

“Brett always seems to be waking up with a sore throat and a stuffy nose,” she fretted. “And in the last few years he's been listless and always looks like he is really tired out. Lately, he can barely force himself to get through the day.”

All of those clues were classic symptoms of the condition known as nasopharyngeal obstruction (NPO). The little guy was a mouth breather!

When a person breathes through his or her mouth in a normal, everyday, nonstressful situation, the body's knee-jerk solution triggers an avalanche of unintended consequences. Left unchecked, these consequences ripple outward to include more and more conditions and disorders that can impact one's health well into adulthood. All in all, I consider NPO possibly the most devastating, but absolutely preventable, facial development problem for a youngster. It's almost impossible to overemphasize how important it is to correct this condition at as young an age as possible.

the act of open-mouthed breathing itself alters the proper placement of the tongue. With the mouth open, the lower jaw is lower, pulling the tongue away from its proper placement, which is up against the roof of the mouth. The dropped posture of the tongue and the subsequent understimulation to the upper jaw leads to the underdevelopment (or narrowing) of the upper arch. This narrowing of the upper jaw (see Chapter 4) leads to the trapping effect of the lower jaw (see Chapter 6) by putting it into a retruded position, meaning it is set too far back in the face. This also leads to other adverse consequences: that of the head going into a forward posture

the inflamed gums were a result of the boy's mouth-breathing habit. Because a dry mouth also dries up saliva, the body's natural decay-preventative substance, tooth decay was also likely.

Other suspected relationships link NPO as a cause for sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) and attention deficit disorder (ADD and ADHD)