A Trifecta of Problems

Question: Well, here I am, an older retired senior with “gas in the tank,” a great wife, and a set of teeth so bucked out I could eat a pie out of a milk bottle. I kid you not, people see my teeth before they see me. “Must be Bob, here come his teeth.” Well, you get my drift. And it seems they’re getting worse. The colour of my teeth is getting darker and darker and my wife even says I should do something. At the outset I should say that I’ve got some gaps in every area of my mouth, behind my front eye teeth are gaps and that compounds the appearance problem. I’ve got a broken back tooth and one that’s got so much decay that it’s a goner.

I don’t know what to do. I know I don’t want dentures, so I put it to my dentist and he said I had a bad jaw relationship that is higher on one side than the other and he said it’s hard to make me an even bite. When I smile my lower teeth jut way up on the left side and slump down on the right.

While we were talking, he said, “You really are doing some tremendous grinding. You’re wearing your gold crowns down like nothing else. We’ll have to protect against that when all is done.”

Somewhere in the conversation I told him I was going through sleep apnea diagnosis and treatment. “That’s one of the causes of excessive grinding,” my dentist said. “We’ll work with your doctors on the sleep apnea and take that into consideration if we fix up your mouth.”

He told me it would be expensive so I’m wondering what’s the best to do.

Answer: At your age with lots of decay a problem, it’s time to seriously consider not only the aesthetics but the question, after all is done am I going to lose my teeth to decay?

Seniors can get a decay syndrome known as senile caries. In this condition, decay pops up everywhere so that you are doing fillings under crowns, replacing crowns, doing more root canals, and just hating your dental visits.

It is less expensive in the long run to go with teeth supported by implants. They accomplish many things – no more decay, bone that’s harmonized so that it’s level and can receive teeth that are in the right place functionally and aesthetically.

These teeth are fixed bridges that allow great function. If grinding is a problem, bite splints can be made and should be, to make life easier on your joints, save your new teeth, and maybe even help the sleep apnea.

Look seriously at this option because it has a great track record and will solve the three serious problems you’re experiencing (decay, jaw alignment, and aesthetics).

Three Times Unlucky

Question: Four weeks ago, I was eating and my upper front bridge just snapped and fell out. It was the third bridge I had. Thirty-five years ago, I had a tooth knocked out so I got a bridge. Then after about fifteen years it fell out and another tooth was bad so I got another bridge. That lasted for nearly ten years and another tooth went bad and that bridge fell out. I only had my eye teeth left and they needed root canals before this last bridge was put in. Each time I was told this would fix the problem.

The dentist I saw recently told me my bite was way off and this was the reason my bridges were always falling out. I think I need implants because he said my eye teeth were now broken and couldn’t hold a bridge. He took x-rays and other things to tell me my best choices. He said I have just enough good bone for implants but he said my bite needs to be put right if he puts in implants or I’ll just put so much pressure on the new bridge that I’ll wreck it too. I don’t know anything about my bite, I just thought it was either a bad job or my teeth are too weak. He told me that the treatment would be expensive to make the bridge on implants and put my bite right. I guess I knew that but I don’t want to throw good money after bad so that I’m in trouble with my teeth in five years. He said I’ve got good teeth on my upper right side, my upper left has some problems and my lower teeth need crowns to help with the bite and fix some broken teeth.

Is there an easier solution or is it a big deal?

Answer: A bad bite can mean many things so correcting the root causes will be important. Underdiagnosing and undertreating leaves problems that will undermine new treatment.

In essence, the position of your teeth (upper and lower) must be in harmony with the correct position of your jaw joints (TMJs). Careful dental work can achieve this balance but because the muscles, joints, ligaments, and teeth are in a dynamic relationship, minor changes can occur without you being aware. Your dentist will be looking to check this balance so minor changes can be managed.

No, there is not an easy solution. Losing all your upper front teeth is like losing the steering wheel and front-end connections in your car. Not only have you lost the mouth’s guidance systems but the force distribution on the rest of your teeth.

You have a number of options. Thanks to technology (implants) you can have your problem corrected quite quickly and not be forced to wear a denture.