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91. What an Orthodontist can Tell You About your Brain with Dr. Amanda Wilson

What if the reason your brain feels foggy, dysregulated, or just off… has something to do with your jaw?

Dr. Amanda Wilson is an orthodontist, global lecturer, dental consultant, and proud member of the neurodivergent community who didn't find out she was on the autism spectrum until a year ago. And that diagnosis, combined with a healing journey that went from supervised psychedelic therapy in Oregon to HRT to a 12-step program, completely changed the way she understands herself, her career, and her superpowers.

In this conversation, Dr. Amanda breaks open the connection most people have never heard of: the link between jaw structure, airway health, nasal breathing, and neurodivergence. If you or your kids have ever been dismissed, misdiagnosed, or told that traditional meds were your only option this episode is for you. It's also for anyone who has looked at their life and thought: I did everything right, so why does this still feel so hard?

Buckle up. Dr. Amanda drops a lot of bombs all backed by research.

In This Episode You'll Learn:

  • Why Dr. Amanda walked away from a traditional orthodontic career to be a stay-at-home mom and what happened next
  • What it's like to receive a late autism diagnosis as a high-functioning adult woman and why it was actually a key to everything
  • Why conventional SSRIs made Dr. Amanda's brain worse and what she did instead 
  • How healing from multiple angles medical, holistic, and spiritual worked when nothing else did
  • The surprising research connecting jaw structure and mouth breathing to ADHD and neurodivergence
  • Why interceptive orthodontics starting at ages 6–7 could potentially prevent major issues later
  • What myofunctional therapy is and why it might be the missing piece you've never heard of
  • How tongue ties are connected to neurodivergence, speech, airway, sleep, and brain function
  • Simple, low-risk things you can do right now to support your nasal breathing
  • Why insurance won't cover most of this and how to advocate for yourself anyway

Key Concepts Covered:

  • Late autism diagnosis Dr. Amanda didn't know she was on the autism spectrum until her early 50s. This is extremely common for high-functioning women, who learn to mask early and are chronically misdiagnosed or dismissed. The diagnosis wasn't a limitation it was clarity.
  • Healing from all directions Neither the purely medical path nor the purely holistic path worked on their own. It was the combination brain, body, nervous system, spirit hitting it all at once that finally moved the needle. You can heal from all directions, and you'll just heal better.
  • Neurodivergent superpowers Not all neurodivergence looks the same. For Dr. Amanda, the gift is discernment: reading people, reading rooms, reading what's really happening underneath the surface. She's been right about people for 50 years. She's just learning to trust it.
  • Airway and ADHD There is published, research-backed correlation between ADHD diagnosis and the size and position of the airway. Mouth breathing during facial development changes how the jaw grows  and potentially affects brain function, sleep quality, and behavior.
  • Interceptive orthodontics Starting orthodontic intervention at ages 6–7, while the upper jaw is still growing, rather than waiting until the teen years. Earlier intervention may prevent the airway and sleep issues that compound over a lifetime.
  • Myofunctional therapy Exercises for the muscles of the mouth, tongue, and airway that retrain how you breathe, swallow, and hold your jaw at rest. Think physical therapy, but for your face. Often reveals tongue ties, incorrect swallow patterns, and airway restrictions.
  • Tongue tie and the neurodivergence chain  Tongue tie (ankyloglossia) is showing up in research as connected to neurodivergence, speech difficulties, airway restriction, facial growth patterns, and sleep quality. One thing connects to everything.
  • Advocating for yourself in the medical system  Dr. Amanda sent her OB-GYN a certified letter with research articles to make the case for her own HRT. It worked. Sometimes you have to do the research, build the case, and refuse to be dismissed.

Try This After the Episode:

Start with the two lowest-risk things Dr. Amanda recommends:

  1. Try a nasal breathing strip at night (Breathe Right, Intake Breathing, or a nasal dilator) for a week. Notice how you feel in the morning. If you feel noticeably better that's data.
  2. Get a free orthodontic evaluation, especially if you or your kids have a history of mouth breathing, snoring, ADHD, speech issues, or allergies. Ask about airway-focused orthodontics specifically. Get more than one opinion.

If you want to go deeper: look for a myofunctional therapist (OMT) in your area, or ask your dental office if they offer functional assessments.

Reflection Questions:

  1. How often do you breathe through your nose during the day really? And at night?
  2. Have you ever had a healthcare concern dismissed that you kept being right about? What did it cost you to wait?
  3. Where in your life are you habituating to a problem rather than investigating it?
  4. Is there an area where you've only been attacking healing from one angle when it might need all of them?

Mentioned in This Episode:

Connect with Dr. Amanda Wilson:

Connect with Janna:

  • Instagram: @jannaholterman
  • Website: www.jannaholterman.com
  • Podcast: Unlocking Your More available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Substack, Amazon Music, and iHeart Radio

If this episode hit different:

Share it with anyone who's ever been dismissed by a doctor, anyone who's suspected something was "off" for years without answers, or any parent wondering why their kid is struggling in ways nobody can explain. The dots connect and knowing they exist is where the work starts.

Leave a review on and subscribe so you don't miss what's coming next.

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