A Full Mouth Reconstruction Can Rebuild Your Smile
At the Cosmetic and Restorative Dental Practice of Dr. Jon Marc Van Slate, he has been doing full mouth reconstruction in Houston for over 25 years. Full mouth rehabilitation is needed when someone's teeth have become severely worn down from years of tooth grinding and clenching. Not only can this lead to cosmetic and smile concerns, but it can also often lead to painful teeth, loss of teeth and jaw joint discomfort and pain. Many times, patients who suffer from tooth wear have teeth that no longer touch in their optimal position. This can often cause the muscles of the head and neck to feel tender and sore. To restore a person's smile and teeth to their proper size and proportion, full mouth rehabilitation requires a combination of crowns, onlays and veneers on all the remaining teeth so that the bite can be restored back into an optimal position. When this is accomplished, the muscles of the head and neck remain more comfortable, and the jaw joints are fully supported.
What is Full Mouth Rehabilitation?
A full mouth restoration is needed when the teeth have become severely worn down resulting in the potential for painful teeth, loss of teeth and jaw joint problems. Often in these patients, their teeth no longer touch optimally during chewing. To correct the size and position of the teeth with full mouth restoration, we place a combination of crowns, onlays and veneers on all the teeth to place the bite in its optimal position.
Who is a Candidate for Full Mouth Rehabilitation?
Most individuals who require full mouth rehabilitation fall into four categories:
- Those with clenching or grinding habits that have resulted teeth than have worn down to the point where their optimal bite position is permanently altered. These people have front these that appear short, chipped and worn.
- To provide an optimal cosmetic change for patients with severely worn front teeth.
- To correct problems associated with deep bites, overbites and crossbites. Often, these people have a long history of dental problems related to a less than desirable bite position.
- To alleviate pain in patients in patients with debilitating jaw joint symptoms.
Full mouth reconstruction gives us the ability to correct the size, length and width of the front teeth to their most ideal proportions.
How does Dr. Van Slate do a Full Mouth Rehabilitation?
Whenever we are trying to find the optimal bite position, it requires taking the time and care to plan and design the case properly. To accomplish this, we use BioPak jaw tracking and TENs technology. This computer software helps us find the precise jaw position so that when the teeth touch together, the supporting jaw muscles are in their most comfortable position, and the jaw joint is fully decompressed. Once the ideal jaw position is confirmed with the BioPak software, we can design an appliance that is bonded in the mouth for 3-4 months to make sure this jaw position is comfortable before anything is done permanently to the teeth. Once the proper bite position is confirmed, we can prepare the teeth and place the new restorations in as little as two visits that are about one month apart.
WHAT IS BIOPAK SOFTWARE AND TENS TECHNOLOGY?
The TENs unit is used a lot in muscle therapy and joint rehabilitation therapy to relax sore and fatigued muscles. Like a medical EKG, adhesive pads are placed over the jaw joint and neck. A light electrical pulse is used to oxygenate muscles and to remove undesirable lactic acid from sore and fatigued muscles.
The BioPak involves two parts, we can place adhesive pads on jaw muscles of the head and neck to confirm comfortable jaw muscles and optimal jaw position. The head gear is a jaw tracking device that helps confirm optimal joint decompression and jaw joint position. Using this technology, we can predictably confirm the optimal jaw position for each individual patient.
We use BioPak and TENs technology for any procedure when we need to find the ideal bite position. We routinely use this technology for dentures, bite guards, sleep appliances and full mouth reconstruction.
Learn More about Full Mouth Rehabilitation
For individuals with cracked or worn teeth, as well as those suffering from severe tooth and jaw pain, full mouth restoration may be the ideal solution. The expert care and consistently outstanding results that Dr. Van Slate and our team provide are what make us a Texas leader in cosmetic dentistry If you live in the Houston area and are considering full mouth restoration, please contact the Cosmetic and Restorative Dental Practice of Dr. Jon Marc Van Slate today.
