High-Tech Bite Reconstruction
Los Angeles
What is Bite Reconstruction?
A Bite Reconstruction is a dental procedure to improve the patient’s bite (how the teeth fit together). Generally, all of the teeth are treated in order to improve the bite and the patient’s jaw position. Dentists across the country are being trained to get the teeth to fit in a jaw position known as centric relation. Centric Relation is the rear most and upper most position of the lower jaw fitting into the upper socket in the skull. In a sense, the treatment is standardized for all patients but the problem is that standardization does not work consistantly. Bite Reconstruction is a good level of care if the dentist is skilled, however Face Lift Dentistry ® is a Bite Reconstruction that achieves the highest level of treatment that is not standardized treatment. Face Lift Dentistry ® treats the entire face instead of standardized bite reconstruction.
Bite Reconstruction Dentistry
Bite reconstruction dentistry by Los Angeles cosmetic dentist Sam Muslin DDS MAGD has helped many patients gain a healthier and betterbalanced bite that not only improves their comfort and looks, but also improves their health. A typical patient who would undergo a bite reconstruction generally has or needs a significant amount of dental care. Some patients (see our Bite Reconstruction Case Studies) have let themselves go from a dental health perspective and now need a lot of dental care to restore badly decayed teeth, missing teeth, old dental crowns, teeth that are worn down or broken, etc. Often times, patients have a "bad bite" that may cause headaches, bruxism (teeth grinding), clicking jaws or discomfort. The Bite is reconstructed in order to improve the patient’s bite and dental health at the same time.
What is a "Bad Bite?"
Bad bites are typically a lack of harmony between the TMJ (jaw joint) and the way that the teeth fit together. When the jaw is in a stressful position, it may cause discomfort or pain in the jaw joint. The teeth or bite can force the jaw in a stressful position. The lack of coordination between the bite and the jaw joint can also cause bruxism (teeth grinding), headaches and jaw pain, and wearing down of the natural teeth. All of the characteristics of a bad bite can be corrected with a bite reconstruction; but not all bite reconstructions are created equal.
Broken porcelain veneers from a Bad Bite were restored by creating
a new bite that is in harmony with the jaw joint
Some patients have gone through the bite reconstruction procedures that have fallen short of the optimal level of care. The dentist did not achieve a balanced bite and the patient is still not comfortable. The porcelain crowns or porcelain veneers can break. There are huge differences between the skills and knowledge of the treating dentists.
Deep overbites cause the teeth to wear down exposing the dentin
Bad Bites and Deep Over Bites
What is a Deep Over Bite? A deep overbite occurs when a patient closes his or her teeth together and the upper teeth almost completely cover the lower teeth. These patients usually have problems with the position of their lower jaw because the lower jaw is trapped behind the upper teeth. A deep overbite can also create a square-shaped jaw-line that is out of proportion with their face. When a deep overbite is corrected during a bite reconstruction, we can accomplish better harmony with the bite and jaw joint and elongate the face. With the elongation of the face, the patient looks younger and has better facial support, lip support, less wrinkles and a fuller smile. With Face-Lift Dentistry ® type of bite reconstruction, the results can be stunning and last a lifetime.
Dental Health and Bite Reconstruction
Face Lift Dentistry ® improves the overall health of a patient. With Bite Reconstruction or Face-Lift Dentistry ® existing decay is removed and all of the miss-matched materials from previous dental work are replaced with “high noble metals” and/or all biologically compatible materials to provide the patient with the maximum dental health possible. The disease and pathogenic bacteria factors are removed and the health of the patient is improved. The goal of the bite reconstruction is to develop a comfortable jaw position. If the bite and the jaw are in harmony, the patient can experience far less headaches and/or less intense headaches. Again, the skill level of the treating dentist is the most important factor in this level of care.
The patient went beyond a bite reconstruction and had Face Lift Dentistry ®
Face Lift Dentistry ® vs. Bite Reconstruction
With a traditional bite reconstruction, the dentist tries to achieve harmony between the jaw joint and bite to improve overall dental health, but falls short of treating all facial characteristics. Face Lift Dentistry ® goes beyond just reconstructing the bite by offering the highest level of care by which the lower jaw is three-dimensionally repositioned with the jaw joint (TMJ), and enhances all of the patient's facial characteristics; the jaw is repositioned, the nose to chin distance is larger, there is increased support to the cheeks, face and lips, and speech clarity is often times improved. Face Lift Dentistry ® gives the patient a younger, more revitalized facial appearance and maximizes jaw comfort and dental health- all by treating the teeth.
Dentistry Changes Faces
It may be hard to understand that dentistry can change the appearance of an entire face. Most patients and dentists think that treating this tooth or a few teeth is good care. However, patients are living longer than ever and want the best dental care possible. Most patients in their 50’s, 60’s and 70’s don’t want to look old. Worn down yellow teeth, mismatched dental restorations, teeth worn unevenly and broken all contribute to making us look older. Face Lift Dentistry ® is the level of dental care that reverses the aging process and revitalizes the entire face. (See Kevin's Testimonial for one patient’s experience with this level of dental care.)