Crowns In My Mouth… Not My Hand!
Q: Years ago I said to my dentist, “I’m losing my back teeth. You Just had to pull another one. Is it just me or what – my genes, my diet, or something?” He told me that I was a grinder and that was contributing to my loss.
I said to him I had pretty good teeth as a child and young teenager and then, in my late teens and early twenties, I had some decay and had to have fillings. After the fillings, my teeth were so sensitive I couldn’t stand it, so I had to have root canals.
With root canals came crowns and then when nothing else was left to do and I thought finally all is done, my crowns started breaking off. I can tell you that when this happens to you personally, it’s very traumatic. I did everything, I mean everything, I could. I followed all the advice; I brushed, I flossed, I cut back all refined carbs and what have I got? One crown after another… in my hand.
So, I went to a guy that’s supposed to have answers for my dilemma. I went in with attitude against the whole profession. I laid out my story and surprise of surprises, he listened. He said he felt bad I’d had such a demoralizing experience. He checked my mouth and bite thoroughly and said he felt certain he knew what was wrong. He got records of my mouth (x-rays, etc.) and told me to return in ten days with his findings.
When I went back, he showed me why my back teeth had failed. He also said if implants were put in, they would likely fail unless, and this was big, my front teeth were made to distribute all the forces of my bite. It’s like my bite was out of alignment like a car. Can this really be? I was going to have implants because I have no back teeth on one side and just two on the other. I was told they’d be strong enough. But it’s not strength, is it… it’s the front teeth protecting the back teeth and all the teeth working with the jaw joints. Why was I not informed?
A: The masticatory system (i.e., your mouth and joints), is complex. Temporomandibular joints (the most complex joints in the body) combined with bone/jaw development, position, morphology (shape), size, plus the complexity of tooth-to-tooth contact with muscle interaction are a few of the variables that must be coordinated.
You have it right; anterior teeth must take all the cutting and guiding forces and the back teeth take the crushing forces. Those forces must be coordinated with your joints.
Front teeth must be fitted first and in harmony with the TM joint followed by well-balanced posterior teeth or implants, also in TM joint harmony. In nearly 100% of these mouth reconstructions, teeth will wear evenly without loss to fracture or pain.
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