Are All Crowns, Implants and Veneers the Same?
There IS a secret to getting your cosmetic work done for less. And it’s simple. It’s getting it done right the first time.
Even high quality crowns, veneers and dental implants can fail in your mouth. They can feel unnatural and make it uncomfortable to chew. Done incorrectly, they can lead to popping and clicking in your jaw or head, neck and back pain.
The secret to saving thousands on your crowns, porcelain veneers and dental implants is to ensure that the cosmetic dentistry actually “fits” your head, neck and jaw. Consider that dentistry is engineering on a very tiny scale. Everything must fit together to function correctly. Often, patients come to me with a jaw joint imbalance that has led to a deteriorated dental condition. Once this imbalance is corrected, cosmetic dental work can be placed on a sound structure.
This is called orthopedic cosmetic dentistry . This is not a recognized specialty in dentistry, but a protocol I’ve followed based on thirty-five years of experience, training and research into the best ways to ensure that cosmetic dental work lasts, does not interfere with natural chewing function, or create a structural imbalance leading to pain.
If you’re over the age of forty and have considered getting veneers, implants or crowns, I apply the principles of orthopedic cosmetic dentistry to Midlife Dentistry. That’s a sequence of treatment to restore the health of your teeth and gums and enhance your smile and usually entails some procedures that are common in the midlife mouth, such as:
* Your head, neck and jaw are balanced so that your cosmetic dental work is sitting on a sound structure. This ensures that your cosmetic work will last and save you from redoing procedures.
* As you age your teeth wear down, often causing an uneven bite. This can lead to unexplained pain in the head and neck area. If not addressed, you may have to redo cosmetic dental work. Worse, you may seek medical treatment for pain that has been caused by your cosmetic work.
But whether you’re midlife or not, your teeth and gums are part of the interrelated structure of your head, neck and jaw. A comprehensive program ensures the outcome of natural chewing as well as the expected aesthetic outcome. If your primary concern is just looks, then you may not get the work done correctly the first time.
I regularly have patients come to me to correct cosmetic work that was done over misalignment of the head, neck or jaw. This often leads to unexplained headaches due to a basic malfunction that was only made worse by veneers or crowns.
Some signs you may be ready for orthopedic dentistry are:
1. Thinning of your lips.
2. Wrinkles or sagging around your mouth and jaw.
3. A wearing down of your teeth causing your chin to get closer to your nose.
4. You avoid chewing on one side of your mouth.
5. You have missing or cracked teeth.
6. You don’t smile for pictures anymore.
7. You noticed facial pain with increased pressure in your head and sinuses.
8. You put your hand over your mouth when you smile.
9. You notice your smile is getting crooked as teeth wear down unevenly.
10. You’ve had an increase in root canals, especially on one side of your mouth.
11. You have neck and low back pain that creates inactivity.
The primary role of dentistry is chewing. Whether you are getting simple fillings or implants and crowns, your dental work needs to function naturally. With this approach to your cosmetic dentistry, your work is performed so that it’s in alignment with your structure. It is also done in the correct sequence, since all procedures are done in my office. This leads to work that doesn’t have to be redone. And that’s the secret to saving thousands on your cosmetic work.
You can learn more in my free downloadable ebook: Lifetime Smile.
If you are interested in a Consultation for Implants, Veneers, Crowns or Bridges,
call our St Louis dentist office 314 576 3000.
Midlife Dentistry is a service mark owned by Dr. Peter J. Pagano, DDS PC
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