PubMed-ID: 22238724Seiten: 406-427, Sprache: EnglischSchunke, Stefan / Enssle, Armin / Kreisl, Alexandra / Schlee, MarkusEsthetics is a topic that has become much discussed both in medicine and in dentistry. However, it should be questioned how reliable and reproducible the guidelines and protocols for esthetic procedures really are. This article will describe in detail the interactions between the musculoskeletal and masticatory systems. Dentists are frequently misled by their false interpretation of existing reference lines, without recognizing the true problem. The close relationship between skeletal and dental problems and their impact on the masticatory and musculoskeletal systems will be explained in this paper. Esthetics and function - not only of the teeth - form an entity that needs to be viewed and treated as a whole. Many of these interactions are thought of as "alternative medicine" and are therefore hardly considered at all in conventional mainstream medicine. This holistic approach will be further explained and discussed with a patient case.