Occlusal Reconstruction with Implants

• 
  A few decades of old dentistry and bite collapse. Notice the lack of a confident smile!
   
   
• 
  A new and vibrant smile with the best of today's modern implant and prosthodontic technology. Notice the improvement in facial features and confidence!

• 
  Before
• 
  After

Our 50+ business executive had visited our office several times in the past few years inquiring about options to improve her smile and chewing. The majority of the dental work that she had performed over the last few decades was failing, along with several teeth that had become hopeless. Her biggest fear was that she no longer had any teeth that were strong enough to “survive.” She was not prepared to undergo implant procedures due to fear of the extent of the surgery involved. She had visited many local area prosthodontists, general dentists, and oral surgeons in order to get as many opinions as possible about her situation. Most of the dentists she saw did not feel comfortable treating her problems due to the complexity involved. Several oral surgeons indicated the need for sinus surgery and bone grafting in order to provide support for her back teeth. She could not envision undergoing such care. She came back to our office with a desire to find the most conservative approach to her care.

After consulting with our implant surgeon, we decided to implement the easiest and most conservative approach to her care. As extensive surgery was out of the question for our patient, we decided to see what alternative approaches could be used.

Transcranial XRs and EMG analysis were used to accurately determine the optimal position for her muscle and jaw function. Without these tests, such cases can be destined to fail. Our Myotronic testing equipment allows us to provide the best possible analysis and blueprint for the most important part of all major reconstructive procedures: diagnosis and planning!

Our analysis continued with a “mock-wax-up” analysis of her tooth and jaw alignment, which was based on the result of our EMG study. This laboratory procedure is a key component that is crucial to starting the nuts and bolts of the architectural blueprints for any major dental reconstructive work, especially the ones that requires bite rehabilitation. Our final analysis indicated that we could provide a minimum 4-fold increase in her bite efficiency without having to perform extensive surgical approaches. The patient was ecstatic about our analysis, especially considering that her existing bite was failing.

Immediately, 4 implants were placed in one visit and without the need for major surgery or bone grafting. The position of these implants was optimized by the previous “mock” study. A surgical template guide was made for our surgeon in order to guide the proper placement of the implants and insure optimal position.

4 months later, we proceeded to fabricate 22 new crowns and a cantilever bridge. The cantilever bridge replaced the need for other surgical procedures that would have been required to place more implants in the back of the mouth (which lacked proper bone support.)

In the patient's own words: “I am only upset with one thing right now…and that is that I should have listened to you many years ago when you gave me these options and not run around to so many other dentists looking for answers. I should never have waited so long. I wish I could have had this new bite and this attractive smile years ago. I just love it! I am a new person and I can't believe how good my smile looks and how well I can chew. Just incredible!”