Braces Vs Dental Facelift Procedure

Im 41, have an over bite, grind my teeth and have the type of tmj that is muscular.

I like the size and shape of my teeth but some of my teeth are crooked and the overbite is making me look a little older than my age. There is a dentist that offers a dental facelift that is teeth straightening without braces that fix over bite and tmj etc. I assume he uses crowns and veneers to fix and lengthen one's bite and jaw since it takes 2 weeks.

Should I get braces or go with the 2 week guy?

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age 35-44 crooked overbite TMJ comparison grind lengthen

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4 Doctor Answers | Asked by zma in Los Angeles, CA

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TMJ Orthotic + Dentofacial Orthopedics + Braces or Invisalign is needed

To correct an overbite plus crowding plus TMJ Dysfunction requires a dentist with very specialized expertise. Your upper jaw is most likely narrower than ideal. To give a permanent solution you need a dentist who has strong expertise in treating TMJ Dysfunctions first, then with the next phase of treatment your options are orthodontics/dentofacial orthopedics or restorative (crowns etc.) As an orthodontist who does this type of work, I prefer to keep... more

Braces vs. crowns

The problem with crowns and veneers is that they require cutting down teeth (fine if they're in bad shape, not so good if they are healthy) . In addition, only a limited amount of overbite correction can be done since the roots have not been moved so the new crowns have to be close to the position of the original teeth. If I were you I would certainly get a few other opinions and make sure before I did anything!

TMJ issues complicate treatment

Although the restorative phase may only take two weeks, all pain must be resolved before placing restorations. A general rule of thumb is that pain must be resolved for 3 months before restoring, so avoid a two week solution. Even with ortho, you may still end up needing restorations and will have only delayed treatment. I would suggest consultations with both the orthodontist and the restorative dentist to see what options are best.

Braces Vs Dental Facelift

Be very careful with any dentist who claims he or she can fix all of your dental problems in two weeks. It is not possible to correct a TMJ problem in two weeks. If you don't like your overbite but do like the shape and size of your teeth then a two week solution would also not work for you. It is always better in the long run to move teeth into their proper location vs. artificially aligning the teeth, especially when a TMJ issue is involved.