Archives for January 2022

TMJ Dentist Disasters

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I’ve been to two different TMJ Dentists and both times my situation ended up worse. The first time I was with my dentist and mentioned headaches. He told me it is probably because I grind my teeth and the situation is to crown all my teeth. It wasn’t done correctly, and my bite ended up at a slant. I managed to grind those down too and was in more pain than ever. I went to see another dentist who called himself a TMJ specialist. He placed me in some kind of bite splint for two years. Now my bite is too far forward on my lower jaw. The pain is unbearable. I don’t know who to turn to at this point. What do you recommend?

Katherine L.

Dear Katherine,

Woman holding her jaw in pain from TMJ disorder

Treating TMJ properly requires training.

One of the problems you are facing is that being a TMJ Dentist is not really a specialty. Any dentist can call themselves a TMJ dentist, regardless of the amount of post-doctoral training they have. It seems you have been seen by two dentists who did procedures that were over their heads. The first dentist botched your full-mouth reconstruction. This is one of the most advanced procedures in dental work and does require a great deal of post-doctoral training. Then, when your procedure was done, knowing you were a teeth grinder he should have provided you with a mouthguard. For that matter, why didn’t he provide you with a mouth guard to begin with? Why wait until your teeth were ground down and you needed them to be crowned? He was not serving your best interest.The second dentist left you in the orthotic way too long. These are meant to be temporary.

So, where do you go from here? They have left you with a serious case of TMJ Disorder at this point. You need a dentist with the training to give you proper treatment. I would look for someone who trained at the Dawson Academy, the Las Vegas Institute for Advanced Dental Studies, or the Kois Center. All of these have excellent TMJ Training Programs.

One other bit of advice. Do not think you have to choose between form and function. Whatever crowns your new dentist places, the first thing you need to make certain of is that your crowns fit comfortably. They should feel perfectly natural and your bite come together naturally. In addition to that, you want them to look beautiful. When they are placed, make sure the dentist does it with a temporary try-in paste. You should get a chance to look at the aesthetics of the bite in several different lightings. If you are not happy with how they look, then you need to have the dentist send them back and redo them until you are. A patient deserves a healthy, natural bite that looks beautiful as well.

This blog is brought to you by East Cobb Dentist Dr. Cristi Cheek.

My Husband’s Dental Implants Smell Awful

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My husband recently received implant overdentures. He only has the temporary dentures, which are acrylic. There are porcelain ones being made. Before those are attached, I wanted to reach out to another dentist because I think we need to switch his dental implants from the metal ones to the ceramic ones. There is a horrible smell in his mouth since getting these metal implants. I feel certain I can smell the implants themselves and the metal is reacting with his mouth. I think this will have long term negative effects on him, not to mention how I can’t stand being by his mouth at the moment. But, his dentist thinks there is nothing wrong. I think he just doesn’t offer the non-metal kinds and does not want us going somewhere else. Is there a way I can convince him something is wrong here?

Amanda

Dear Amanda,

Titanium and Zirconia Dental Implants

 

While there is something wrong, I don’t think it is what you’re thinking. The metal dental implants are made from titanium, which not only is biocompatible with decades of data. There has been no data showing any reactivity with titanium. It’s often used as a prosthetic and not just for in dental work. It’s used in other medical procedures too. One example is a hip replacement.

As to the smell, titanium is an inert metal, which means it doesn’t have any real smell. You could even ask the dentist to smell one and you’ll understand what I mean. However, none of that answers your question about the smell. A bad smell is an indication that something is wrong. My first place to look would be the denture used for his implant overdentures. It may have some open gaps that are allowing food and other bacteria to get trapped in there, which would make a horrific smell.

I would try having your husband use something like a WaterPik to help clean out the area. If that is the problem, the smell will go away. He’ll need to be extra tedious with his oral hygiene.

Another possibility for a bad smell is an infection, but that is generally accompanied by other symptoms such as pain and / or fever. I would start with the WaterPik and go from there.

Re-Doing a Dental Implant Procedure

Having him switch to ceramic (zirconia) dental implants is not as simple as taking metal implants out and putting non-metal in. First, he’ll need the surgery to remove the implants. This procedure will remove much of the bone in the area. Because of that, he’ll need a surgery for bone grafting to build back up that bone giving the implants a chance of success. Then, after a period of healing from the grafting, it will be time for the dental implant surgery. That’s three additional surgical procedures to switch these implants. Not an easy thing to ask anyone to do.

This blog is brought to you by Marietta Dentist Dr. Cristi Cheek.