I had braces in my younger years. I wore them for several years and a retainer after that. My dentist said he thinks my bite is off and I should get my teeth crowned because of TMJ disorder. The last time he brought up me getting crowns was when I told him I wanted whiter teeth, but that felt like a drastic step to take for white teeth. I’m thinking I should get a second opinion from a TMJ Specialist. What do you think?
Franny
Dear Franny,
I definitely think a second opinion is a very good idea. I’m a little concerned about what I’m hearing. You never even mentioned any TMJ Symptoms, such as clicking or jaw pain. If you haven’t had any of this and he just brought that up out of the blue, I’m even more suspicious. Plus, why wouldn’t he mention orthodontics if your bite is off?
Even if you did end up having TMJ, a full mouth reconstruction is a massive overtreatment before other, less invasive options have been tried. There are plenty of treatment options before crowning all of your teeth.
I also don’t like the fact that he suggested crowns for teeth whitening. Teeth whitening is done with an inexpensive gel and trays. To grind down teeth to get whiter ones is insane. The only time you’d have to crown your teeth to get them whiter is on teeth which already have crowns on them.
Do You Have TMJ?
Obviously, for a true diagnosis, you’d need to see a TMJ dentist, but there are some common symptoms. These just tell you whether TMJ is a possibility. It is NOT a diagnosis.
Symptoms include:
- Jaw or facial pain
- Limited range of motion in the jaw
- Lockjaw, in which the jaw becomes stuck in one position
- Chronic headaches
Without at least two of these symptoms, I wouldn’t even bother going to a TMJ dentist.
May I suggest you get another dentist? I’m having trouble thinking you’re getting honest care. It seems to me like he’s suggesting the most invasive, expensive treatments available without even a cause.
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