I suffered from bulimia for almost ten years. Through counseling and treatment, I finally overcame the illness, but my teeth have been damaged severely. They are half of their original size, and in the front they no longer touch. Also, where my teeth do still touch, they don’t fit well.
And now, the left side of my jaw sticks out nearly an inch every time I open my mouth to bite or chew, which causes headaches.
Is there any hope for me and these issues with my teeth ? I’d like to see a cosmetic dentist to improve my smile and the functionality of my bite.
– Mary in Pittsburgh
Mary,
It’s a wise decision to think of a cosmetic dentist to help you with these problems. Bulimia is an appearance issue as far as your teeth are concerned. 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 the need for 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.
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. Lavacca
