Dr. Allyson Hurley's Blog

Counseling has finally helped me overcome my bulimia, and I’m glad for that… but my teeth have been ruined !  They are about half  their healthy size, and in the front they no longer touch. They are also severely chipped because they’ve gotten so paper thin. My teeth also do not fit well where they do still touch.  Also, the right side of my jaw protrudes out an inch every time I open my mouth to bite or chew. I’m pretty sure this is causing severe headaches for me on top of everything else.

I’d like to see a cosmetic dentist to improve my smile and the performance of my bite.
- Stacy from Oregon 

Stacy,

First of all,  congratulations on overcoming your disease. You have made truly great strides, and the worst is behind you.  I anticipate things will just get better and better for you from this point on.

Bulimia is an appearance issue as far as your teeth are concerned. When there is very little tooth structure left, you need to have bonding technology used to restore your smile because standard 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.  But brace yourself – you are probably facing needing  porcelain 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.

- Dr. Hurley

Not long ago, I had chipped my two front teeth that left a gap between them in the form of a V. When I went to my dentist I was told that he could repair the gap by doing a dental bonding procedure. Now that the procedure is complete, I can see where the bonding material has been applied, and I still have a gap between my teeth. While this procedure has made an improvement in my appearance, I am still not satisfied with the results. Is there anything I can do about this? Is this bonding process reversible?

 Karen from Ontario

 Karen,

 Fortunately, tooth bonding can be reversed by sanding these teeth down to the enamel with special sandpaper that most dentist should have.

 Once the material has been removed from your teeth, I highly recommend that you find a qualified cosmetic dentist, one who has had additional post-graduate training in this procedure. While dentist tend to be good technicians, they do not have an a artistic skill to do this type of work. Direct bonding takes a very special skill since it is done freehand. If the work is done right, you will be quite pleased with the results. When searching for a well-qualified cosmetic dentist to do the work right, look for one who is accredited in cosmetic dentistry by the American Academy of Cosmetic dentistry.

Over the last twenty-five years I have had an ongoing battle with bulimia. At last I finally feel like I have a grasp on this illness after having many years of intensive counseling and belonging to support groups. As a result of my illness, I now fear my teeth have been damaged beyond repair. I can no longer bite or chew correctly, because my teeth have worn down to almost nothing and many of them have chipped apart from being so thin.

Eating has also become difficult because of my damaged teeth and my jaw is even misaligned.  As a result of this damage, I suffer from terrible pain and I get headaches when opening my mouth to bite or chew.

I’m considering finding a cosmetic dentist to fix my jaw and improve my smile. Can something still be done for me?

- Sheri from Washington

Sheri,

I commend you for overcoming your eating disorder. As time goes on your life will improve more each day.

You’ve made a wise choice to consider a cosmetic dentist to help you with your jaw and teeth problems. Cosmetic dentists are highly trained in treating severe cases such as yours resulting from Bulimia. If your teeth have worn down to paper thin, this may require dental bonding technology to repair them. Crowns may also be a necessity, but they may not hold on your severely worn teeth since the conventional cementation techniques may not have the strength to secure them.

You also mentioned your bite is now misaligned and that you suffer from severe jaw pain and headaches when opening your mouth to chew or bite. These symptoms may be caused from TMJ disorder, so you will need to find a good dentist who can restore your bite. When searching for a cosmetic dentist be sure to look for one who also has extensive experience in treating TMJ disorders.

This will be extensive work that you will need to have done since you will more than likely require crowns on nearly all your teeth, so I’m glad you realize that you should find an experienced cosmetic dentist. I wish you all the best in overcoming these challenges.