full-mouth reconstruction Archives - Dr. Duane Delaune's Blog

My Top Teeth Don’t Show When I Smile

Posted on July 21, 2023 by AllSmiles.

When I smile, you can barely see my upper teeth. Sometimes when the weather is cold, my jaw feels tight, and I cannot pronounce certain words. I am self-conscious about it. I want to do something about it. I wear a night guard for teeth grinding and jaw and neck pain. I saw a dentist recommending crowns, but I would like to know if that is the only option. If I ever get this straight, teeth whitening is next on my wish list. Where do I start? – Cynthia from CT

Cynthia

Your description sounds like your bite collapsed, and you have temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorder. A dentist may be able to open your bite with crowns, but you need an experienced dentist for an accurate diagnosis.

Opening Your Bite and Restoring Your Smile

Skilled dentists open your bite with a temporary restoration. If successful, they will duplicate the temporary crowns with the final crowns. What determines your temporary restorations’ success?

You no longer have teeth or jaw pain.
You love your smile and how it affects your facial appearance.
Your upper teeth show when you smile.
The restoration resolves issues with your speech.

Choosing a Dentist for TMJ and Bite Issues

Consult with a dentist with training in occlusion, bite, and TMJ treatment

A general or family dentist must have advanced training in full-mouth reconstruction to resolve all the issues with your teeth, bite, and jaw.

In the United States, several high-quality institutes offer advanced training to dentists on occlusion and bite so your jaw, teeth, and bite are in harmony. Look for dentists with advanced training from one or more of these training facilities:

Dawson Academy, Florida
D. Pankey Institute, Florida
Las Vegas Institute for Advanced Dental Studies, Nevada

We recommend scheduling consultations with at least two dentists with advanced training and experience in full-mouth reconstruction. List your questions and prepare to take notes to compare your options from each dentist. Also, tell the dentist you want teeth whitening as part of your smile makeover. The dentist will include it in your treatment plan.

Metairie, Louisiana, dentist Dr. Duane Delaune sponsors this post.

Should She Finish This Full-Mouth Reconstruction?

Posted on January 27, 2021 by writeradmin.

I went for years grinding my teeth without any intervention or knowledge that it was happening. I moved to a new city, which meant a new dentist. He was the one who told me about the grinding. I would explain why my jaw always hurt. I am wearing a night guard now, but he also suggested a full-mouth reconstruction. I was a bit nervous about that because I have a very sensitive mouth. I once had Zoom Whitening done and it was absolute agony. I did (and do) trust this dentist so I went ahead with the reconstruction. He’s finished the first half, which is the bottom arch. While it does make that part of my smile look much better, it almost looks too perfect. I liked the quirky look of my old smile. Plus, like the Zoom, the procedure was agony for me. I’m no longer hurting, since he did the first half and I’m wondering now if it is necessary to finish. There is a color difference wtih my bottom teeth being whiter. If Zoom weren’t such a painful experience for me I’d just do that. Do you have an opinion?

Katherine

Dear Katherine,

You’ll need to bear in mind that I haven’t examined you, nor have I seen any x-rays. I can give you some generalities. I am not usually one to recommend half of a full-mouth reconstruction. In general, restorative material is harder on your teeth than natural tooth structure. That could cause a problem with your upper teeth, including increased sensitivity–something you definitely don’t need.

If not having the quirkiness bothers you, there is an easy solution for that. Most cosmetic patients want the perfect smile look. My feeling is your dentist and his ceramist would LOVE the opportunity to be more creative and add some quirkiness. You mentioned having some pain with the reconstruction. If the numbing medication isn’t working it is likely because with your sensitive teeth you have had enough bad experiences to give you dental anxiety. There is something about how the anxeity affects your body chemistry that causes it to interfere with the effectiveness of your medication. Oten, doing something as simple as using nitrous oxide before the procedure starts will relax you enough to enable the numbing medication to do its job.

All of that being said, if you feel the first half of your reconstruction has served the purpose you needed and all you truly want at this point is the whitening, you don’t have to use Zoom Whitening, which can be a tad strong for people with sensitive teeth. Instead, you can do home whitening trays. You will wear the gel at your convenience for as long as you can comfortably tolerate. You may find that a better solution for you. There are a variety of teeth whitening options.

This blog is brought to you by New Orleans Cosemtic Dentist Dr. Duane Delaune.

Is Grinding my Teeth No Big Deal?

Posted on June 25, 2020 by writeradmin.

I mentioned to my dentist that my jaw hurts and I realized that sometimes I clench and grind my jaw. He said it is no big deal and not to worry about it, but my jaw hurts. Is there anything I can do about it? It seems like a big deal from where I’m sitting.

Tracy

Dear Tracy,

Grinding your teeth IS a big deal.

The first thing I’m going to say is you need to get a different dentist. This is not only a big deal, it is a HUGE deal. First, the pain you are experiencing alone is enough to do something about it. But, in addition, you are slowly grinding down your teeth. Eventually, you will wear them down to nubs. If that happens, the procedure to deal with that is a full mouth reconstruction. That requires getting a dental crown on every tooth. While proactive treatment will only bring in a couple of hundred dollars. A full-mouth reconstruction is a cost of $30, 000 or more. Plus, you are at a much greater risk to develop TMJ disorder.

There are a few things that can be done to help this. First, you’ll want to get out of pain. Believe it or not, some Botox can help with this, as well as any migraines you may be experiencing as a result.

The next thing you’ll want to do is protect your teeth. While it is easy enough to notice when you’re grinding your teeth during the day. While you’re sleeping is when most of this likely occurs. I suggest you have a nightguard made. This will protect your teeth from grinding and clenching while you sleep.

However, I don’t think your dentist is the best one to handle this. I’d like you to see a dentist with TMJ training. They can help get to the root cause of all this and solve the source of the problem.

This isn’t something that is taught in general dental school, so you’ll want a dentist who has invested in post-doctoral training. For instance, Dr. Delaune did advanced training in TMJ Disorder through the well-respected Dawson Academy.

This blog is brought to you by New Orleans Dentist Dr. Duane Delaune.