I recently had four teeth on my bottom right replaced with a new implant bridge, with two implants. When I bite down on the right side, my top and bottom teeth line up, but they don’t on the left. Is this normal?     — Sharon in PA

Sharon,
This is not normal. All your teeth should come together at the same time, and if this isn’t fixed, it could lead to TMJ disorder.

This brings to light a good point about the quality and standards of implant dentistry among dentists today. Implant dentistry is not a recognized specialty, so any dentist can claim to be an implant dentist – even if they have no extra training.

You should have another dentist look at this – one who understands and practices quality implant dentistry and has credentials from either the International Congress of Oral Implantologists or the American Academy of Implant Dentistry.

It could be possible that the implants were restored incorrectly or more likely that the implants were placed in the wrong position. Sometimes, when surgery is done by one dentist and the implants are placed by another, there can be a lack of communication and the implants are placed in a position that makes it difficult or impossible to restore them correctly. A restorative dentist skilled in implant dentistry should make some type of surgical guide that fits in your mouth and that fixes the exact position and angle where the implant should be placed.

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