Porcelain Dental Crowns
Claire’s Story
Raising a family and being involved with the family business has always kept Claire busy. In the midst of helping everyone else, she hasn’t always been able to take care of herself and her teeth suffered. Most of us clench and grind out teeth on a daily basis and high levels of stress only increase the amount and severity of this behavior (bruxism).
When a bruxer has weak natural teeth, teeth wear and breakage commonly occurs. As the years go by, the teeth shorten and "easy dental solutions" become the norm, although comprehensive dental care is usually necessary. Claire and her dentist discussed restoring her smile and Dr. Sam Muslin explained that all of her dental concerns could be addressed with the ultimate level of dental care, Face Lift Dentistry ®.
Dr. Muslin showed Claire that the teeth are for more than chewing and looking good when she smiles. Teeth can actually support and lengthen the entire face. As the patient gets older, the teeth get worn down and the face gets shorter. The goal of Face Lift Dentistry ® is to optimize the patient in every dimension with the best dental care possible.
Broken Porcelain Veneers
Too often, patients get porcelain veneers but seldom get the bite corrected. When the bite is not coordinated with the TMJ (temporomandibular joint), porcelain veneers can easily break off. Claire grinds her teeth and continued to damage her bite alignment over the years. This caused her to break off some existing porcelain veneers as well as the cusps of her natural teeth. She really wanted whiter teeth and a younger looking appearance combined with the best level of dental health possible.
TMJ
The bite and the TMJ are related in terms of chewing and jaw clenching. Both the bite and the TMJ have to function harmoniously. Without harmony, porcelain crowns, porcelain veneers and natural teeth can easily break. The goal of treating the bite is to get the teeth to fit together and the jaw joint to be optimally positioned at the same time. When the teeth and the jaw joint are in the best positions, the health of the patient improves as the stress level is reduced.
Muscles and Jaw Stress
When the bite is bad, the muscles work overtime. The mechanical stress level rises due to the muscle overloading the entire system. Sometimes patients get neck pain; sometimes patients get headaches while others have jaw pain. Stress from clenching and grinding effects the overall health of the patient. Reducing stress by correcting the bite can help patients improve their health and live their lives more comfortably. The critical component is the years of experience of the dentist at treating patients to this level of care. BROKEN PORCELAIN CROWNS
crowns break on one side, the pressure is transferred to the next tooth. This can cause the bite to worsen and more crowns (or natural teeth) to break. Once the bite has changed, we unconsciously clench or grind more. Our jaw and neck muscles get tight and the pressure is transferred to the teeth and the jaw joint.
Face Lift Dentistry ®
The goal of Face Lift Dentistry ® improves the health and comfort of the patient and revitalizes the entire face. The teeth need to have the best length and angles. The bite has to harmonize with the TMJ. The lips can be supported and the face can be lengthened for a younger appearance. The jaw can be allowed to move to a more comfortable position.
The stress level of the entire facial, jaw and masculatory system is reduced. Dr. Muslin thanks Clair for giving him permission to show her photos. He considers it a huge compliment when a patient grants permission because of their high level of satisfaction without any compensation. All of the before and after photos are untouched and unaltered and Sam Muslin DDS MAGD sincerely thanks all of his patients for giving him permission to show the photos of his work.