Katey

Treatment Description

Our lovely patient did not like her smile and had chronic jaw pain. She had a mouth full of old crowns which had already been redone twice. Her gums also showed excessively, one side more than the other.

I immediately saw there was a deep overbite in the front, which restricted her function and movement and caused an excessive collision of her front teeth. You can see chips on the upper canines, and her gums receding as a result of the confined relationship.

Her jaw muscle pain was a result of her bite alignment in which she could not find her normal bite position. I discovered she had the first point of tooth contact when she closed, which drove her jaw to deflect to a different biting position. This generated repeated jaw muscle force causing spasms.

First, we made her an orthopedic appliance to wear at night to relieve her jaw symptoms. Once she was comfortable, a gum lift was then performed to align her gum levels. After healing, we test drove her esthetics and new bite with functional prototypes/temporaries. Finally, 20 porcelain veneers and crowns were done to replace the old to give her a brighter, fuller, balanced smile.

We were able to improve bite mechanics and function and help her become comfortable and pain-free. This shows the significance of the link between function, diagnosis, and planning.