Grind Once, Grind Twice, Gone!

Q: My father has been complaining of his teeth being sharp and he says they cut his cheeks and tongue when chewing his food. Sometimes it happens when he swallows and he says it can happen with certain words when he is talking. I went with him to the dentist to see what could be done. My father told the dentist he needed some fillings because he thought he had holes that were catching food and causing his teeth to be sharp. The dentist examined my father. He said that the holes were not areas caused by decay but holes caused by extreme grinding of his teeth. He said that more than two-thirds of his upper front teeth were worn away and over half of each of the lower front teeth were worn down. He also said that this wear was so far advanced that the teeth would have to be built up with crowns. My father has only nine teeth on top but has most of his teeth on the bottom. He needs implants the dentist said, because my father’s mouth would not hold a denture and he needs back teeth to carry the pressure he’s putting on the remaining teeth. He said that some of my father’s teeth might have to have root canals because there’s so much wear. We have to have more information but can it be this extreme?

A:Extreme tooth loss has a number of causes. Those who suffer from bulimia experience moderate to severe wear. Heavy grinders who eat acidic foods experience it as well. Through a process of abrasion and chemical erosion, the enamel is worn away. This is followed by dentin and being much softer than the enamel, wears more quickly. If this process is not arrested, teeth can wear all the way to the gum line. When a tooth or group of teeth is worn to this degree, it is at times necessary to root canal these teeth and it often requires all the teeth in the arch (upper or lower or both) to be crowned to return the missing tooth architecture for proper function. At this point, it will be necessary for your father to go through a very thorough diagnosis before starting treatment. A good diagnosis will lead to proper treatment. Once treatment is complete, it would do well to protect the new teeth against the powerful forces exerted by his muscles of mastication (chewing), so that he does not do to his new teeth, what he has done to his existing teeth. This can be done with a well constructed bite-guard splint.

If we can help, we’d like to. Call 778-410-2080 for a consultation or visit us today.

Based on actual patient cases

 Calvin Ross Crapo

Victoria Implant Centre

778-410-2080

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I Wish I’d Known To Act Sooner

Q: Over the years I’ve been getting myself ready for my teeth to be fixed. I’ve had lots of work but it’s been by drips and drabs. My bite isn’t right so I ventured to see what could be done. I had a thorough work-up and will go through the process. It was thorough and I’m confident things will work out the way I’d hoped. Two weeks after my consultation, I had a toothache. The work hadn’t started and the tooth in question had been flagged for work – it needed a root canal. It was surprising because it seemed to come out of nowhere and was really painful. Long story short, I went in and got a 3-D x-ray and it showed more problems than I or the dentist had thought. Three teeth needed root canals. They were very much filled up with calcium so one couldn’t get root canaled but the other two did. There was a hole in my bone under my infected teeth and it was huge. The dentist showed me the 3-D picture. He suggested that when the last bad tooth that couldn’t be root canaled came out and when the disease around the roots was taken out, the remaining hole or cavity should be grafted with bone. In the original consultation it didn’t look that bad and because I need a gum graft in that area, can that be done at the same time? I really left things too late but I just didn’t have any pain so I didn’t realize what was happening. Does this seem like the right treatment?

A: Teeth that have “quiet” abscesses and then become active (painful) are assessed on a case-by-case evaluation. Most of the time the abscess of the treated tooth is cleared away by the body and replaced with your own bone. In situations where a tooth is no longer serviceable for one reason or another and the abscess is very large, removing the infection thoroughly, conditioning the bone, then adding bone graft is an excellent way to speed healing and ensure support for the gum tissue and the root socket of the tooth that has been removed. The gum tissue should heal nicely over the gone graft as it will provide great stability for your gums and the remaining teeth and their roots. Over time the bone graft will become solid bone. With time your own bone will replace it as the body goes through its regenerative process. Gum grafting needs a good supportive layer of healthy bone for it to develop properly. Let your body heal and the bone mature. Then, after six months if a gume graft is needed, that would be the time. Reconstruction that requires all the all the elements of the mouth require time. Bone development is very important, be patient and you’ll get a very good result.

If we can help, we’d like to. Call 778-410-2080 for a consultation or visit us today.

Based on actual patient cases

© Calvin Ross Crapo

Victoria Implant Centre 778-410-2080

www.VictoriaImplantCentre.com