Dental appliance ensures that you don't stuff your face

[Guest guest]

http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2004-05-18-dental-appliance_x.htm

Dental appliance ensures that you don't stuff your face

By Nanci Hellmich, USA TODAY

A dental appliance designed to help dieters take smaller bites and eat more

slowly hits the market Wednesday.

By , Jr. , USA TODAY

It's the latest addition to the $40 billion weight-loss industry, which

caters to millions of Americans who are trying to lose weight. Some experts

say the device may be helpful in changing behaviors. Others say this shows

how truly desperate Americans have become.

The small retainer-like device, called the DDS System, fits into the top of

a person's mouth, filling much of the upper cavity. The price: $400 to $500.

It's available only through dentists who have been trained in fitting the

appliance.

" You can pop it in when you go out to lunch and pop it out when you're

finished, " says Longley, founder of Scientific Intake in Atlanta,

which is making and marketing the product. The effect on speech is minor,

and it doesn't interfere with swallowing, he says. Longley cites a study in

Japan that showed those who ate more slowly weighed less. But some aren't

convinced.

" You don't need a $500 device to slow yourself down when eating, " says

Ayoob, a pediatric nutritionist at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine

in New York. " You need to make your meal last a half an hour. Choose a

smaller plate, serve yourself less food, and make sure you take that time to

eat and relax for at least 30 minutes. That's easier to do if you eat with

other people and carry on a conversation.

" The French manage to eat slowly without a device, because they make it a

priority to enjoy the food experience. "

The appliance was the brainchild of a woman who had torus palatinus, a bulge

of bone that grows from the center of the palate. She said it helped her

stay thin all her life because she had to take smaller bites and eat more

slowly. She got a patent on the appliance and licensed it to Longley almost

three years ago.

To test the device, researchers at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center

at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge recruited 32 overweight people.

Participants ate their meals at the center for two days. One day was a

baseline to establish caloric intake. On the second day, half the volunteers

wore the DDS System, and the other half didn't.

Researchers found that those wearing the dental appliance on the second day

ate about 25% less food (in weight) over the course of a day than those who

weren't wearing one. The DDS System " has promise but needs additional

research to examine its long-term utility, " says Pennington researcher Don

on.

It usually takes patients a couple of meals to get used to wearing it.

" It doesn't work if you have it in your pocket, " Longley says. And patients

can override the benefits of the system by drinking milkshakes or other

high-calorie drinks, he says.

Dentists trained in the procedure can be found on www.ddssystem.com or by

calling .

© Copyright 2004 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Co. Inc.

[Guest guest]

Hi All:

Wow! Have I missed the boat or what? My dtr. has torus palatinus. It

was diagnosed by an EENT guy at Sick Kids after she had been examnined

in the Child Developmental clinic. Now I know why she is so

unbelievably thin....not. The severe nausea caused by dystautonomia and

some aspect of HEDS that we do not understand causes it. I know an adult

woman who also has torus palatinus and has to diet and exercise daily to

control her weight. I strongly

suspect this device would not work.

Regards, Bernie

Dental appliance ensures that you don't stuff your face

http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2004-05-18-dental-appliance_x.htm

Dental appliance ensures that you don't stuff your face

By Nanci Hellmich, USA TODAY

The appliance was the brainchild of a woman who had torus palatinus, a

bulge of bone that grows from the center of the palate. She said it

helped her stay thin all her life because she had to take smaller bites

and eat more slowly. She got a patent on the appliance and licensed it

to Longley almost three years ago.

[Guest guest]

Hi All:

Wow! Have I missed the boat or what? My dtr. has torus palatinus. It

was diagnosed by an EENT guy at Sick Kids after she had been examnined

in the Child Developmental clinic. Now I know why she is so

unbelievably thin....not. The severe nausea caused by dystautonomia and

some aspect of HEDS that we do not understand causes it. I know an adult

woman who also has torus palatinus and has to diet and exercise daily to

control her weight. I strongly

suspect this device would not work.

Regards, Bernie

Dental appliance ensures that you don't stuff your face

http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2004-05-18-dental-appliance_x.htm

Dental appliance ensures that you don't stuff your face

By Nanci Hellmich, USA TODAY

The appliance was the brainchild of a woman who had torus palatinus, a

bulge of bone that grows from the center of the palate. She said it

helped her stay thin all her life because she had to take smaller bites

and eat more slowly. She got a patent on the appliance and licensed it

to Longley almost three years ago.

[Guest guest]

Hi All:

Wow! Have I missed the boat or what? My dtr. has torus palatinus. It

was diagnosed by an EENT guy at Sick Kids after she had been examnined

in the Child Developmental clinic. Now I know why she is so

unbelievably thin....not. The severe nausea caused by dystautonomia and

some aspect of HEDS that we do not understand causes it. I know an adult

woman who also has torus palatinus and has to diet and exercise daily to

control her weight. I strongly

suspect this device would not work.

Regards, Bernie

Dental appliance ensures that you don't stuff your face

http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2004-05-18-dental-appliance_x.htm

Dental appliance ensures that you don't stuff your face

By Nanci Hellmich, USA TODAY

The appliance was the brainchild of a woman who had torus palatinus, a

bulge of bone that grows from the center of the palate. She said it

helped her stay thin all her life because she had to take smaller bites

and eat more slowly. She got a patent on the appliance and licensed it

to Longley almost three years ago.