I suffered from bulimia for nearly twenty years. Counseling has finally helped me overcome this illness, and I’m glad for that, but my teeth have been damaged severely. They are about half of normal size, and in the front, they no longer touch and are chipped because they’ve gotten so paper thin. And where my teeth still touch, they don’t fit well.
And now, the left side of my jaw protrudes out almost an inch every time I open my mouth to bite or chew, which causes headaches.
Is there any hope for me, given the severity of my issues? I’d like to see a cosmetic dentist to improve my smile and the functionality of my bite.
– Ruth in Georgia
Ruth,
You’re smart to think of a cosmetic dentist to help you with your teeth. Bulimia is an appearance issue as far as your teeth are concerned, and any expert cosmetic dentist such as the ones we recommend on this website has the training necessary to treat this well. When there is little tooth structure left, you need to have bonding technology used to restore your smile because conventional cementation techniques may not be strong enough to hold crowns on your teeth.
And yes, your headaches are most likely caused by a TMJ disorder, which comes from your bite discrepancy. One other piece of good news is that most expert cosmetic dentists are also fairly well trained in treating TMJ disorders, which requires restoring your bite to it’s normal state. Brace yourself – you are probably facing needing crowns on most if not all of your teeth. But the end result, if you go to the right dentist, will be a beautiful, radiant smile.
Check our list of cosmetic dentists. They are all carefully screened to be able to do this kind of all-porcelain crown that will bond to your teeth and look lifelike, and they all have the artistic talent necessary to make the work look beautiful.
And congratulations on overcoming your disease. You have made great strides. The worst is behind you, and I anticipate things will just get better for you from this point on.
– Dr. Hall
About David A. Hall
Dr. David A. Hall was one of the first 40 accredited cosmetic dentists in the world. He practiced cosmetic dentistry in Iowa, and in 1990 earned his accreditation with the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry. He is now president of Infinity Dental Web, a company in Mesa, Arizona that does advanced internet marketing for dentists.
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