I mentioned to my dentist that I wanted whiter teeth. I thought we’d talk about teeth whitening. Instead, he’s said there is something wrong with my bite and I need to have all my teeth crowned to repair it. This really surprised me because I had braces when I was younger and my teeth/ bite have never bothered me. He thinks I have TMJ and it’s the only option. I’m thinking of getting a second opinion.
Chelsea – South Dakota
Chelsea,
Whoa! Did you even mention bite problems? Normally, TMJ would have some symptoms such has your jaw locking, popping, migraines, jaw pain, etc. If you’ve had none of these symptoms, TMJ would be a surprising diagnosis.
Even if you had TMJ, a full mouth reconstruction is a last resort procedure, especially if your teeth are otherwise healthy. Why grind down healthy tooth structure? There are many other procedural options.
If I were in your place, I’d definitely get a second opinion. For teeth whitening, you wouldn’t need crowns either, unless you have a tooth that is already crowned. Even then, you would do traditional teeth whitening on all of your other teeth and just get the one crown replaced.
His recommendation is dubious to me. Especially if you’ve given me all the information.
This blog is brought to you by Dr. Theodore Hadgis.