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How Do Dental Crowns Help TMJ Disorder?

How Do Dental Crowns Help TMJ Disorder?

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I went to see a dentist for TMJ symptoms and he is saying I need dental crowns to fix it. I don’t understand how dental crowns on healthy teeth can fix TMJ.

Betty

Dear Betty,

A porcelain crown being placed on a tooth

 

It is possible he is talking about a full-mouth reconstruction, which is one method of dealing with TMJ Disorder. However, I am concerned that this is what your dentist is jumping to first. There are several more conservative options that should have been tried first. Based on your description above, it sounds like your dentist immediately jumped to one of the most invasive treatments possible.

However, before doing that, I want you to get a second opinion from another dentist.  A full-mouth reconstruction involves placing dental crowns on every tooth. This is one of the most advanced procedures in dentistry and I would like to be certain you actually need it.

If it turns out you do end up needing that full-mouth reconstruction make sure whatever dentist you go to has the training necessary to do it correctly. A prosthodontist or another dentist with advanced post-doctoral TMJ training would be a good option.

You will also want to be certain he cares about aesthetics as well. You don’t have to substitute function for form. You can have both. Here is how you can make certain you get it. When you are deciding on your dentist make sure they are willing to place the crowns with a temporary try-in paste. If you are not thrilled with how the dental crowns look, then they need to be willing to send them back to the lab and make any requested changes.

This blog is brought to you by San Antonio Dentist Dr. Tostado.

 

Her Dentist is Missing it on This Infection

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I had a root canal treatment a few years back. Last month my cheek started to ache near the spot that I had the root canal treatment. I called my dentist and he did some x-rays. It seems that the spot has re-infected. He did another root canal treatment and gave me some Penicillin. Ten days later,  and I actually felt worse. He suggested that I give it some more time because some people take longer than others to heal. It’s been another week and I feel my cheek swelling up. How long should I expect it to take before I start to feel better? Is it reasonable to ask for a different antibiotic? I don’t think this one was working.

Amanda

Dear Amanda,

Woman holding her cheek in pain and in need of an emergency dentist

 

Your dentist is making two mistakes here. the first thing I want you to do is to call a root canal specialist. You have a dental emergency on your hands here.  Let’s start with the antibiotic. Penicillin is not the best choice for a dental infection. These types of infections really need a stronger antibiotic in order to give your body the backup to heal.  I would have suggested he provide you with Clyndimyacin. When you call the specialist, tell him or her what is going on and ask them to prescribe a more appropriate antibiotic.

The second mistake is not paying attention to your symptoms. When a root canal treatment is done, they can fail even when the dentist does everything right. That leads to a re-treatment. The problem is the chances of success go down significantly with each proceeding treatment. If it failed the first time, there is a greater chance it will fail the second time and even a larger chance of the third time. You have all the indications of the second treatment failing and he just wasn’t putting two and two together.

My hope is that your tooth can be saved by getting to a root canal specialist quickly. If it can’t, the next step is a tooth extraction. When that happens, you need to give serious thought to your tooth replacement. You don’t want to leave the space open. The adjacent teeth will begin to shift or tip into the empty space. This will throw off your bite and could lead to more serious issues such as TMJ disorder. The way to prevent this is to replace the tooth as soon as possible. If you’re looking for the best tooth replacement, I would recommend a dental implant. There are other options though which your dentist can go over with you should that become necessary.

First step, call that specialist right away.

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