DentalSlim: Do or Don’t
A Bite-Size Read for Your Health and Your Waistline
In the world of dieting innovations, this one might just take the cake. Have you heard of the DentalSlim Diet Control? It is the latest weight control device brought to the world by a couple of scientists in New Zealand.
The DentalSlim Diet Control is touted as a non-invasive, reversible, relatively economical, and for some people, an attractive alternative to surgical procedures. It’s a metal contraption, created by researchers at the University of Otago, New Zealand, which is fitted to the back teeth in one’s mouth. There’s a magnetic locking bolt that prevents the person from opening their mouth more than two millimeters… which is basically enough space to drink, breathe and talk. Basically, when the contraption is secured, you’re on a liquid diet.
The University of Otago claims it has no adverse consequences. I beg to differ.
In their study, participants lost an average of 6.36 kg (about 14 lbs), in two weeks. After two or three weeks, they have the magnets disengaged and the device removed, then there’s a period of “less restrictive” eating. The University claims “the intention of the device is not intended as a quick or long term weight management tool…it’s aimed to assist people who want to undergo surgery but can’t have the surgery until they’ve lost weight.”
By my assessment, it IS a quick weight loss tool, as they describe it. Fundamentally, the device does not support optimal nutrition, health, or weight management.
Interestingly, this isn’t the first time the idea of wiring people’s jaws shut was used for weight management purposes. In the 1980s, there were some countries literally wiring jaws shut at the time, which led to jaw issues, people choking on their own vomit, as well as inflammation leading to gum disease, and psychiatric conditions. These were the first things I thought about when I heard about the DentalSlim.
DentalSlim’s own clinical findings noted that participants had trouble pronouncing some words, felt tense and embarrassed, and occasionally had discomfort. Participants felt that life in general was less satisfying, but overall, people tolerated the device for the two week period with satisfactory weight loss.
So, fundamentally, this has troubling implications. It teaches that two weeks of a liquid diet will get you tremendous results, but I definitely don’t recommend this approach.
When it’s recommended for somebody to lose weight ahead of surgical procedures, the goal is to improve potential outcomes. Sometimes the doctor wants patients to reduce body fat, especially in the abdominal area and around the liver. The doctor may also want to reduce the size of the patient’s liver, especially with laparoscopic procedures. When we reduce the size of the liver, it can shorten the length of the procedure itself. However, we generally want to improve and protect muscle mass and improve nutrition so that nutrients can help support the procedure and healing afterward. The liquid diet approach makes it more likely that someone’s going to lose water and muscle than remove fat. So this can make it difficult to recover post-surgery and likely won’t give the long-lasting results desired.
In addition, when we are on a liquid diet, we are not getting the fiber that our digestive system needs, which will raise the glycemic impact of everything we’re eating, adding to workload of the liver.
It’s also important to remember that when someone’s going for weight loss surgery, they’re generally not in a positive state of mind. IMHO this device, which caused people to report feeling less satisfied with life, is more likely to exacerbate the situation. When I work with someone, part of our objective in working together is to improve their satisfaction with life and increase human interaction. The fact that this device diminishes both of those are giant red flags for me.
I think we often turn to drastic options when we feel like there’s no hope, or we feel doomed, and we want things to be easier. While weight-loss procedures can help some people in the long run, for many, it’s not the final answer. There is so much more work to do — the restricted diet, both before and after surgery — it’s honestly the opposite of easy! And because, let’s face it, we didn’t get to this place simply because of the food. Nutrition is only one piece of the puzzle. We have to challenge ourselves to heal our relationship with food in order for these procedures to really be long term, and give us the outcomes that we’re looking for. So needless to say, I’m not a fan of this DentalSlim jaw wiring device.
I hope this shows us that just because something exists in the world and can help achieve fast results, doesn’t mean it’s necessarily the best choice for us. Thanks, New Zealand. While I appreciate innovation, I’m recommending we pass on the DentalSlim diet control.
