I have a teeth grinding problem. My dentist said my teeth were too worn down and I needed crowns. Now, I’ve worn those down too. The problem I have is while my last crowns felt okay, they looked awful. I’ve been told you need a TMJ dentist to do the crowns, which is fine but is it possible to get crowns which also look beautiful?
Karyn
Dear Karyn,
You haven’t been given adequate treatment. If your teeth grinding hasn’t been addressed, that means you will grind down these new crowns as well. It’s also why you’ve ground down the ones you have. A simple night guard would have protected both your teeth and your crowns, saving you a small fortune. While you will need new crowns, make sure you get a mouth guard as soon as they’re completed. You likely won’t need to replace your crowns for a long time with protection.
You don’t have to choose between a pain-free life with TMJ and having an attractive smile. However, it will require you finding the right dentist.
Finding a TMJ Dentist Who Can Do a Functional and Beautiful Smile
The first thing you need to find is a qualified TMJ Dentist. What you’re looking at is a full-mouth reconstruction with porcelain crowns. This requires advanced training and experience. For instance, Dr. Hadgis has done extensive post-graduate studies at the Las Vegas Institute for Advanced Dental Studies (LVI), including studies on full-mouth reconstruction.
That is the type of dentist you want. Don’t hesitate to ask for their qualifications. When this is done improperly, it can ruin your bite, leaving you in tremendous pain and costing tens of thousands of dollars to fix.
In addition to the technical know-how for the reconstruction, you’ll want an AACD accredited dentist. You’re talking about completely remaking your smile. The really great news about that is you can end up with a gorgeous smile. Expert cosmetic dentists can create any type of smile you want. So, while you’re researching your dentists, look at different smiles and see what is attractive to you. The dentist can help you with this too because he’ll know what will most compliment your facial shape.
Whatever you do, don’t go back to the dentist who did your last case. He or she has cost you unbelievable amounts of money and time unnecessarily.
This blog is brought to you by Grosse Pointe Woods Cosmetic Dentist Dr. Theodore Hadgis.