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FAQ About Full-Mouth Restoration
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| << Previous FAQ Page 8 | Ask the Cosmetic Dentists' Index | Next FAQ Page 10 >> |
Q: What is meant by a "full-mouth restoration"?
A: In short, a full-mouth restoration (or sometimes called reconstruction or rehabilitation) is the individual restructuring of each and every tooth in a mouth. FMR is called for where the teeth are worn down, broken down or missing, causing problems in both the bite and appearance of the mouth. The most common solutions to these problems are crown, veneers, onlays, and bridge work. FMR in the hands of a highly skilled dentist is usually so successful that others cannot discern the real teeth from the restoration. This technique involves some easy preliminary information gathering. Reconstruction is completed in just two appointments - a preparation appointment and a seating appointment. During the preparation appointment all old restorations and any decay are removed, impressions are made of the underlying healthy tooth structure and beautiful temporary teeth are made. These temporaries are worn until the seat appointment, about three weeks later. This appointment involves removing the temporaries and bonding on the final restorations.
Q: My teeth are really broken down and worn. Can the youthful smile I had years ago be recreated?
A: In many cases, the answer is, "yes." If you have teeth that are worn, shifted, missing, broken, or a combination of these, then FMR may be the answer. FMR is designed to restore your smile and, at the same time, make eating easier and more comfortable. Cosmetic dentistry has evolved dramatically in recent years. Many people have old dentistry that was done in bits and pieces. Much of it has worn resulting in collapsed bites and difficulty with chewing. This wear and patchwork quilt of old dental work creates an appearance that can age you beyond how you feel. Furthermore, a poor bite can cause jaw joint problems, muscle tenderness, and even headaches. Chewing and speech may be affected, as well.
Q: How do I know whether I am a candidate for full-mouth restoration?
A: If you have teeth that are in very poor health or those who have worn them excessively over time, you should consider this procedure. You probably have lost vertical dimension if your teeth appear short, show signs of wear, or if your top teeth nearly or completely overlap your lower teeth. This "vertical dimension" is typically lost from decay or from teeth "grinding" (often from stress and/or misalignment of teeth). Other signs of lost vertical dimension are pains in the joints located near your ears, headaches, back pain, muscle pain, clicking and or popping of the jaw joints. Vertical dimension is restored by physically adding to the biting surfaces of all teeth. A material similar to porcelain is used to enhance the height of teeth in the form of a typical crown. It has been estimated that approximately 80% of the general population have lost some Vertical Dimension.
Q: Why should you choose Cosmetic Dentists at the Atlanta Center for Cosmetic Dentistry for Full Mouth Restoration?
A: Full mouth reconstruction is a demanding area of dentistry that often requires a combination of many disciplines. Most importantly, it requires planning and advanced skills on part of the cosmetic dentist.
Our cosmetic dentists have had extensive training in Full Mouth Restoration at the Pacific Aesthetic Continuum at the University of the Pacific in San Francisco. In addition to the training and passion for this technique, Dr. King instructs other dentists from around the world on the technique. "Every time I teach I come back home with something new that augments my skills and therefore our client's end result," says Dr. King. Most cosmetics dentists, who do FMRs for their clientele, do this over a period of time, say several years. The advantage to our technique is that we complete it usually in a couple of appointments. Because of this efficiency we are able to increase the vertical dimension all at once. Vertical dimension cannot be increased when a cosmetic dentist is restructuring a mouth one or even several teeth at a time. To see photographs of full mouth reconstruction cases performed by our cosmetic dentists, click on our before and after Photo Gallery.
| << Previous FAQ Page 8 | Ask the Cosmetic Dentists' Index | Next FAQ Page 10 >> |
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