Full Mouth Reconstruction
What is a Full Mouth Reconstruction and why do we do it?
Sometimes, the full mouth has suffered from years of severe wear and tear. This may be as a result of an injury or most often, as a result of clenching and stress. One of the main reasons for the deterioration is that the physics of the bite is wrong. In other words, you probably have a very deep bite. You may have many broken down teeth, fractured molars, missing teeth, significant wear or loss of enamel and short or chipped front teeth.
Sometimes we can't just fix the front 6 or 8 teeth to make a person's smile merely "look pretty". We have to fix all the teeth because the teeth, jawbone and the muscles of the face are not working together properly, causing the damage that is visible when a person smiles and has missing teeth, fractures, chips, and rotated teeth.
Some patients will be suffering from TMD symptoms, while others will be pain and symptom-free. Those with symptoms will be suffering from:
- Sensitivity to hot and cold
- Severe Headaches
- Difficulty Chewing
- Tingling pain, pain behind the eyes, and ear congestion
- See our TMJ/TMD web page for more information.
Again, some patients are symptom-free, but still have signs of obvious severe wear and tear due to an improper bite.
How do we do a Full Mouth Reconstruction?
First of all, we do a series of in-office tests which we refer to as a Full Neuromuscular Workup. This includes:
- Using computer software K- 7 to track range of motion, jaw tracking, electromyography and joint sonography
- Tens: We tens the patient to achieve muscle relaxation
- Photographic Analysis
- X-rays (including cranial and cervical) if needed
- Facial Esthetic Analysis.
All of these tests help the dentist and her team analyze the patient's bite and determine the optimal, natural bite, that the patient ought to be in to avoid further malfunction and severe wear and tear on the teeth.
Also, when a patient does have symptoms as described above, the patient will most likely wear an orthotic appliance or full temporaries for three to six months, until they are symptom-free.
The next step in treatment is a complete diagnostic workup/waxup. The full mouth is done in wax and then the teeth are prepped. Lastly, the patient will be strongly advised to wear a nightguard to protect the reconstruction.
Visit our TMJ/TMD Neuromuscular Web Page for pictures and a more detailed explanation of the various tests and the reasoning behind our process. It's not enough just to make a beautiful smile, it has to work properly too!
Before & After Full Mouth Reconstruction:
Below: Before Reconstruction (on top) After Reconstruction (bottom photos)
SAME PATIENT, FRONT VIEW, FOLLOWED BY A GREAT SMILE, BELOW RIGHT:
ANOTHER PATIENT SHOWS US BEFORE AND AFTER PICTURES. See the difference between the top pictures where the teeth show significant wear and tear, and how beautiful the bottom teeth are...
Same patient, front view BEFORE & AFTER:
Another example of a full mouth reconstruction:
BEFORE PICTURES ON TOP
AFTER PICTURES ON THE BOTTOM
And the final picture:
