Today we are solving a case of incisors worn down by bruxism
Good morning everyone! Today I am bringing you a very interesting case: an adult patient with tooth wear caused by bruxism.
You see, many times in life we put off decisions that we need to make and that are, to a greater or lesser extent, very important. Sometimes we do it out of laziness, sometimes out of fear, and sometimes simply because we do not realize how important it is to deal with certain problems in time. This is something I thought about a long time ago, but today, taking advantage of the case of incisors worn down by bruxism I am about to tell you about, I wanted to share it with all of you.
The patient in today’s case came to our clinic because, as time went by, he was noticing more and more that his incisors were worn down. That had started to cause discomfort and pain in the most worn teeth. When we carried out the initial examination we saw that the patient found it very hard to smile and that his muscles were also very tight.
Looking at the teeth, we could see that they were tilted far too far inwards, so that the jaws were locked. That did a great deal to encourage the incisors worn down by bruxism that the patient had.
It is essential, and I repeat, essential, to make a good diagnosis in order to solve this problem, because if we do not treat the underlying issue —in this case the incorrect tooth position— any treatment we carry out will fail.
Our patient came to us because he wanted porcelain veneers to restore his incisors worn down by bruxism but, applying our clinical judgment and after a good diagnosis, we concluded that the first thing this patient needed was proper orthodontic treatment to put the teeth in the right position relative to each other and to the bone. By getting the teeth properly positioned, we improved their relationship with each other and at the same time reduced the clenching and grinding habit.
Once the orthodontic treatment was over, we began planning the esthetic dentistry phase.
- The first thing we did was a teeth whitening treatment, so that the natural teeth would shed all the pigment that was giving them the color of an aged tooth.
- Once the teeth were as white as possible, we started planning the rehabilitation of the upper incisors with porcelain veneers. We wanted the porcelain to restore the tooth’s structure not only in terms of length but also in terms of thickness.
When teeth wear down, they become both shorter and thinner. It is worth pointing out that for a smile to be beautiful, the edge of the upper teeth has to follow the contour of the lower lip. After the orthodontic treatment and the whitening treatment, we could see that the smile was still a reverse smile because of the tooth wear. That is why the porcelain veneers would give the lip the support it needed to show a far younger and far more beautiful smile.
At Clínica Peydro we specialize in clear aligners, dental implants and esthetic dentistry
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As I explained when I started writing this case, our patient had repeatedly put off doing something about his dental problem. Over time, that led to the teeth worn down by bruxism you can see in the initial photographs.
September is a good month to deal with those little problems we have been putting to one side for far too long… So do not leave until tomorrow what you can do TODAY! 🙂
