I’m hoping you can advise me. I’ve been doing research on treatment options because my dentist recently told me my bite alignment was off. As a result he wants to do a full mouth reconstruction, by placing a crown on each tooth. That seems a little drastic to me. I have had braces in the past and there are fillings on several of the teeth where the bands were. My appearance is important to me because I am a professional. Is this the best option?
John- New York
John,
I am not crazy about your proposed treatment plan. A full mouth reconstruction seems to be a radical treatment for your bite being “off”. In my opinion it would take a major, debilitating, functional problem, like TMJ, to need such a treatment. But even then there are other, more reasonable options to try first.
Honestly, most people’s bite is off a little bit. Has that been causing your problems? It sounds to me like it is something your dentist brought up instead of you.
Treatment for TMJ can be complicated. You’d want to find a dentist with an extensive amount of post graduate TMJ training in the area who would be qualified to do a full mouth reconstruction. But even then, Generally, a TMJ Dentist would recommend a removable splint therapy first. Then they would test your new bite alignment to see if it solved the problem before committing you to such a drastic treatment plan. I think your safest option is to get a second opinion.
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