When orthodontists talk about the influences of heredity and natural processes on the way a child grows, they refer to "Growth and Development". For instance, if we are unsure if a 6 year old is going to need braces, we might "wait for further growth and development". Or if a child's jaw structure seem to be getting worse as he grows older, we describe it as "poor growth and development". If we want to explain to a parent why a child's teeth are crooked, we say....you guessed it....G&D.
But this view of the way a person grows is limited because it is missing an extremely important element in the way a child grows and develops: Adaptation. Neither growth (a change in size or mass), nor development (the genetically pre-determined maturing of a structure) leaves room for the interaction of the person with the environment. The expression of genetic potential DEPENDS on how the individual and the environment interact.
Not all of the details of our face and position of our teeth are predetermined. The bones grow and the teeth erupt under the guidance of all the forces that surround them - from the muscles, airway, posture, swallowing, nutrition, habits, etc. They ADAPT to the surrounding forces (Functional Matrices in Moss' terms). And this element of change is every bit as important as growth and development.
It's not just G&D. It's G,D&A! And THAT is the missing link in our thinking.
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