Solution for my Toothwear (End to End Bite)?

A condition called malocclusion, which means "having a bad bite", will affect the overall aligment and fit of your teeth. Many of the problems caused by bad bite, is bruxism or "grinding". Find a Neuromuscular Dentist, to do a dental evaluation and show you how it can help and restore your smile. Doing veneers or composite may not be the only options for you, because if you have destroyed what was given to you, you will destroy what the dentist give you, if proper treatment it is not followed. Again Look for  TMD/TMJ specialist in your area.

Edge-to-edge tooth wear generally occurs from bruxism, a damaging parafunctional habit that begins with teeth chipping, fillings breaking or cracking. It is important to understand that this is a functional issue that is causing an aesthetic problem . Eventually the wear continues and there is a "worn down" appearance to your teeth an this is especially unsightly when it affects the appearance of the front teeth. The most important consideration is that any attempt to treat the front teeth without addressing the functional issues will result in a failure of the bonding or veneers on these front teeth. You should be carefully evaluated and treated with a "holistic approach" correcting/opening up your bite so that a beautiful aesthetic result can be accomplished! 

One important question is: Do you have tooth wear on all you teeth or mostly on your front teeth?

If you have wear on all your teeth, then the treatment will most likely involve a lot of crowns and veneers. This way your end-to-end bite can be altered to a better relationship and at the same time restore the worn out tooth structure. You can avoid orthodontics this way but it will be very costly due to a lot of crowns.

If your tooth wear is only on your front teeth, then you will benefit from orthodontics to move the worn out teeth to the correct position and then restore them to their original shape with crowns or veneers. The advantage is that you don't have to do anything to the back teeth, so its more conservative and less expensive. It you still do not want ortho, then be prepared for lots of crowns.

Obviously there is much more to this but it would take to long to explain. Study models and pictures of your smile and bite need to be taken to properly plan this case.

Good luck

Dr. T

 

It sounds like you need a great cosmetic dentist that is well-versed in occlusion (the study of how the upper and lower teeth meet each other). Not all dentists take an interest in it. It takes lots of education and experience. Seek one out. Your problem might be able to be solved without orthodontics, but would most likely involve multiple crowns and veneers.

Your esthetic issues are caused by the functional demands of your bite over time.  And since you are 60, many of those teeth have been in your mouth for over 50 years and have been well used in that time causing chipping, craze lines, wear facets and even contacts.  If you don't want to undergo orthodontic care, and you don't want, can't afford a bite opening / full mouth, (or many tooth) reconstruction, then you might consider some small and easy cosmetic re-contouring changes.  I would suggest whitening your teeth first, placing new anterior fillings where needed in the whiter color (if you have fillings on your front teeth and to fill in the chipping) and then selective cosmetic enamel reshaping of the edges of your teeth so they no longer look like they are worn straight across.   We have good luck with these simple and effective procedures as we can bring some youth back in to our patient's faces / smiles.  Once you are done, the final step is a well fitting night guard to protect your new look / teeth.  Best to you!  Dr. Summer Lerch