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.