Creating beautiful smiles to last a lifetime.
Full Mouth Reconstruction – Getting the Bite Right – Part 1
Peter before.
Peter was unhappy with his smile and was having trouble with crowns that he had done (and redone) in the past. Like many of us, Peter turned to the Internet to find his new dentist. Peter thought that Dr. Adler’s website was comprehensive and discussed several issues that he wanted addressed. When Peter came to our office, his teeth were fractured, worn, discolored, crowded and filled with metal fillings that were leaking. He also had bleeding and inflamed gums. His bite was over closed and he had alignment issues. Peter complained that he had pain in his front teeth constantly and had for many years. He also felt that his smile was crooked, discolored and felt stubbly. Peter had spent enough time in the dental chair fixing one tooth at a time. Peter wanted his teeth and gums to be healthy, look great and last a lifetime.
Peter’s fractured teeth, constant pain, over closure and alignment issues were all indications to Dr. Adler that Peter’s bite was not right and would continue to cause problems with his teeth until the issue was resolved. Dr. Adler recommended that Peter have a full mouth reconstruction that would consist of neuromuscular dentistry in conjunction with cosmetic dentistry to insure that his smile would not only look good but be functional and pain free. The phase 1 of Peter’s treatment was to find his ideal bite. The ideal bite places the patient’s plan of occlusion, which is an imaginary line that runs horizontally through the bite, at a 90 degree angel to the patient’s axis of gravity to insure that the forces of gravity and the bite force are distributed equally and don’t cause undue stress or stain on joints and muscles that can effect the entire body.
Before retracted view.
A bad bite caused Peter’s muscles to become overstressed and fatigued due to the constant strain of working in the wrong position. TENS or Transcutaneous Neural Stimulation was used to send electronic pulses to specific muscles in the face, neck, and back that allowed these overstressed muscles to elongate and come into their ideal resting positions. Peter had several TENS sessions during the course of his treatment to insure that the muscles were relaxing into their ideal positions for the best bite. In addition to the TENS, a K7 evaluation was used to help determine exactly where Peter’s ideal bite was and to monitor the progress of his treatment. The K7 evaluation entailed a) taking diagnostic casts of Peter’s mouth, b) running EMG (Electromyography) that measured his muscles at rest and during function-clench, c) CMS (Computerized Mandibular Scan) that displayed joint function, habitual freeway space, swallowing, and range of motion, d) Sonography measured joint sounds, and finally e) Myobite registration, which was an impression of Peter’s bite in its ideal position after TENS has been done. From the myobite, an orthotic was made to keep Peter in his ideal bite. TENS and any needed adjustments were made to the orthotic to make the bite as comfortable and functional as possible. Once Dr. Adler and Peter were satisfied with Peter’s bite, phase 2 of treatment began.
Boulder Cosmetic Dentist Attends Annual International Aesthetics Meeting for IACA
Top Dental Professional Attends the 2009 International Association of Comprehensive Aesthetics (IACA) Fifth Annual Meeting
August 3, 2009, San Francisco, CA – Dr. Michael Adler attended the fifth annual International Association of Comprehensive Aesthetics (IACA) conference in San Francisco, July 30- August 1, 2009.
The annual conference provided Dr. Michael Adler the opportunity to learn and interact with the most progressive leaders in aesthetic dentistry and its related professions. Also, Dr. Michael Adler was introduced to the latest techniques and materials available today.
Dr. Michael Adler was proud to present two of his full mouth reconstruction cases that incorporated the latest in cosmetic and aesthetic dentistry as well as neuromuscular dentistry.
Dr. Michael Adler in attendance at IACA.
The IACA was established to foster dental education and is steadfast in its commitment to be a progressive, non-political, dynamic organization that is always on the cutting edge of clinical, practice management and technological advances in Aesthetic Dentistry. The organization is inclusive to all philosophies and ideas enabling professionals to determine what is best for their respective practices.
The IACA prides itself on being a scientific academy that affords its members the opportunity to become a leader in the health care community, while providing the best care possible for their patients. No other organization provides such a broad range of educational opportunities in advanced aesthetics.
This is just one of the many important ways Dr. Michael Adler has demonstrated a commitment to provide exceptional patient care.
Please visit www.AdlerDentistry.com or call 303-449-1119 for more information.
Contact
Name: Heather Ramsey
Email: heather@adlerdentistry.com
Phone: (303) 449-1119
Adler Cosmetic and Family Dentistry
1810 30th Street
Boulder, CO 80301
Tags: boulder, cosmetic dentist, Cosmetic Dentistry, dentistry, IACA
Neuromuscular and Cosmetic Boulder Dentist to Present at Conference in Japan
Nationally recognized Boulder Colorado based cosmetic and neuromuscular dentist Dr. Michael Adler makes contribution to the advancement of science by presenting at convention of medical and dental professionals in Japan.
Boulder, Colorado, July 24, 2009 – Dr. Michael J. Adler of Adler Cosmetic & Family Dentistry will be presenting two papers at the prestigious ICCMO (International College of Cranio-Mandibular Orthopedics) conference on November 14 – 15, 2009 in Fukuoka, Japan. Dr. Adler will be discussing the importance a millimeter can make in the treatment of neuromuscular dentistry and present a case study of his father to highlight this point. He will also present his research on the connection between neuromuscular dentistry and cadmium induced lesions of the Gasserian ganglia and dorsal root of the trigeminal nerve. Dr. Adler believes that continuing education is an important part of keeping up with the latest in dental and medical advancements and enjoys sharing his own knowledge and expertise to help others in the field.
Adler Cosmetic and Family Dentistry is open weekdays by appointment. Additional information about the practice and services offered is available at www.adlerdentistry.com.
About Adler Cosmetic and Family Dentistry
The cosmetic and family dental practice of Dr. Michael Adler is based in the Colorado community of Boulder, a convenient and scenic drive from most locations in the Denver and Front Range areas. Boulder, Colorado is also an inviting destination location for visiting out-of-state patients seeking Dr. Adler’s specialized attention. Dr. Adler is nationally recognized for his work and is committed to providing his patients with the highest level of care in both cosmetic and family dentistry. The practice maintains a website at www.adlerdentistry.com and regularly publishes information on its blog at www.adlerdentistry.com/blog.
Contact
Name: Heather Ramsey
Email: heather@adlerdentistry.com
Phone: (303) 449-1119
Adler Cosmetic and Family Dentistry
1810 30th Street
Boulder, CO 80301
Tags: Cosmetic Dentistry, dentistry, Japan
Cosmetic Dentistry | Complete Makeover | Sarah Part 2
After temps.
Sarah underwent a very dramatic change the day she came in and had all of her teeth prepared for restoration. Every tooth was fitted for all porcelain crowns. The procedure was completed in a single day, thereby reducing the number of visits the patient needed to make and insuring the correct bite. Due to the extensive nature of the case, the crowns were sent to a lab for fabrication. The lab was then able to custom craft the entire mouth instead of trying to piece together and match the teeth had they been done separately over a period of time. The lab insured that her smile was not only aesthetically beautiful but also functional and in the proper bite. While waiting for the porcelain crowns to be custom fabricated, Sarah was had temporary crowns placed that looked almost as good as the real thing and kept her in the correct bite. Once the case was returned from the lab, Sarah had all of her temporary crowns removed and had the new permanent crowns chemically bonded to her teeth with a strong clear cement. Now Sarah is pain free and has a beautiful smile that will last a lifetime.
Sarah after smile.
Sarah after face.
- Sarah after teeth.
Tags: Cosmetic Dentistry
Cosmetic Dentistry | Complete Makeover | Sarah Part 1
Sarah before face.
- Before smile.
Sarah came to our office in need of a complete mouth makeover. She was having muscle spasms on her right side, felt like her bite was off, and had TMJ pain. In addition, she was complaining of jaw pain and pain when chewing. Sarah was concerned about having healthy teeth and gums and a comfortable bite.
Dr. Adler saw that Sarah had several problems that needed to be addressed. Her upper arch had crowding, wear, and large silver fillings that needed to be replaced to avoid fracturing the teeth. Her lower arch had cavities, wear, and crowding. She also had alignment issues, variations in gum height and tooth shade, a deep bite, and her midline was off center. The wear, deep bite, alignment issues, and off center midline concerned Dr. Adler because these along with her symptoms of neck and jaw pain are often signs of TMD (temporal mandibular disorder).
Just as house needs a level foundation, your mouth also needs a level foundation called the plane of occlusion to work properly. When the plane of occlusion is properly aligned with the forces of occlusion (your bite force) then the forces are evenly transferred through the maxilla (upper jaw) to the rest of the cranial bones of the skull. If this alignment is off, then the force is not evenly distributed and can cause muscle strain, headaches, and the body becomes unhealthy due to the constant stress. If muscles must strain to get your teeth together you set up a muscle vs. tooth war in your mouth. If your muscles win, you have rapid tooth wear. If your teeth win, you have muscle tension and stress along with headaches and other TMD problems, or worse you will experience a combination of both. Sarah showed a combination of both wear and jaw pain with headaches. 
Fixed appliance.
Sarah’s treatment began by doing a K7 evaluation. This involves taking diagnostic cast so we have an accurate model of her mouth and bite. The K7 produces scans that measure the muscles, range of motion, and joint noise among other things. EMG or electromyography measures the muscles at rest and during function-clench. CMS (computerized mandibular scan) measures joint function, habitual freeway space, swallowing, and range of motion. Sonography measures joint sounds. TENS or Transcutaneous Neural Stimulation relaxes the muscles in the face and neck to find their true resting state and establish the occlusion at that position. Material is then placed in the patient’s mouth to capture that ideal position, known as the bite registration. Sarah’s scans showed dramatic improvement when preformed with the bite in place. The bite registration was used in Dr. Adler’s study of her bite and was used by the laboratory to fabricate a fixed orthotic that was bonded to her lower teeth to establish that ideal position. The orthotic was worn and adjusted for several months and gave Sarah a good trial run for how her bite would feel after permanent restoration was completed. The orthotic temporarily alleviated pain symptoms associated with TMD and ensured that her neuromuscular occlusion was correct before undergoing more advanced treatment.
Tags: Cosmetic Dentistry
Creating beautiful smiles to last a lifetime.