This biomechanical principle (the skull finds support on the teeth) can be understood easily by means of an experiment which posturologists use quite frequently: it requires placing a pencil on the last two molars and then closing the mouth, until the teeth rest on it.
The role of the pencil in the experiment is to create a height that offers a feeling of support for the skull. The individual needs to turn his attention to the way the head feels, and to feel how it is supported before and after the use of the pencil.
This experience should lead to an insight that the skull has a biomechanical system for keeping itself erect, independent of our own volition, for which a simple shimming (an increase in height) on the back molars, by means of the pencil, provides a feeling of elevating the skull.
Another important test is called the “Fukuda Test”, which has to do with an important diagnostic test, commonly used in neurology and ENT, to evaluate the presence of muscular hypertonicity while marching in place.
In practice it works like this: the individual remains standing with the hands held freely in front of him or resting on the opposite shoulders. The head needs to be in its normal position, relaxed, neutral, and the jaw in a position of rest (the teeth shouldn’t touch one another).
After that, with eyes closed, the individual takes a certain number of steps in place, in a normal rhythm, usually 50 steps in a minute. The steps in place need to be carried out in such a way that the lower limbs are lifted somewhat, but never excessively, and at a not too demanding pace.
It has been observed that individuals who undergo the test, and have a musculoskeletal asymmetry caused by a lack of dental height, rotate on the spot.
