I went to a great dentist because of some sensitivity in my teeth, especially molars. It turned out that I had been grinding my teeth for years. She immediately got me fitted for a nightguard and then recommended a full-mouth reconstruction for my collapsed bite and worn teeth. She did the lowers first because that is where most of my pain originated. I’m not in pain anymore, but I am worried the bottom looks too perfect and I’m hesitant to do the uppers if I am not in pain anymore. I liked the quirkiness of my natural smile and perfection doesn’t seem to suit me. What do you recommend?
Laura
Dear Laura,
It would be hard for me to give you anything definitive without seeing your bite, but I can give you some guidance. If your teeth are worn down from grinding, then the top teeth will be worn too. In order to completely fix a collapsed bite, you’d normally have to repair both arches.
An additional consideration is that the dental crowns on your bottom teeth will be harder on your upper teeth that your natural tooth structure was. This will make them more susceptible to damage.
If you leave your full-mouth reconstruction half-finished, there is a real danger of developing TMJ Disorder, if you don’t already have it. Usually, this treatment is given to solve that problem.
Getting the Quirkiness Back
If your only concern for not going through with the remainder of the reconstruction is your smile would be too perfect, there is actually an easy solution for that. I would simply talk to your dentist who is doing the work. Let her know what you loved about your smile before the makeover.
I promise you a good ceramist would totally enjoy adding some quirks to your smile. They so often have patients who only want a perfect smile, there is little opportunity for them to have fun with giving a smile character. You would be the highlight of their workweek.
This blog is brought to you by Libertyville Dentist Dr. David Potts.