I am having a full-mouth reconstruction done. The first set, which he called temporaries, were fine. However, ever since the permanent ones were placed I have been miserable. The teeth don’t all meet together the same so any chewing has been painful. It is also painful to move my jaw. My dentist finally agreed to have me come in again. He did some grinding down on the crowns that hit first. However, each time he’s “fixed” my crowns, things have just gotten worse. Where do I go from here?
Penny
Dear Penny,
I suspect your dentist is a fairly decent family dentist who is just in over his head. Full-mouth reconstructions aren’t taught in dental school. A dentist has to invest in occlusion training, such as you get with the post-doctoral schools who teach TMJ Disorder diagnosis and treatment.
For the benefit of those who may not know, a full-mouth reconstruction is when a dentist has to crown every tooth. Though, usually, it is done with a combination of bridges and crowns. You may think that shouldn’t be too hard as dental crowns are a bread and butter type of procedure for dentists. However, that is completely different from redesigning every tooth. The teeth have to meet together a certain way. Additionally, you have the Temporomandibular joint that complicates almost everything.
Now, back to your case, Penny. This needs to be re-done. When your bite is out of wack, as yours is, it will lead to a lifetime of pain. I would ask for a refund so you can go to a dentist who has the training that your case requires.
I would look for a dentist who has been to one of the following post-doctoral school:
- L.D. Pankey Institute
- Peter Dawson Academy
- Las Vegas Institute
The first two schools listed are both in Flordia and teach the standard TMJ therapy. The third school, in Las Vegas, teaches a different method. However, it has proven to be effective so it is a valid treatment.
This blog is brought to you by Des Moines Dentist Dr. Phelan Thomas.
