you are going through exactly what I am needing. I am in my early thirties and am so afraid of crowning or veneering healthy teeth, but I need a total mouth reconstruction for my bite to be healthy.
who is your dentist and what state are you in? You sound very pleased with your temps so far. Did you see many before/after photos of his work?
My dentist is in Chicago. I'll check with him to see if he would be comfortable having me post his name here. TMJD treatment is not really an emphasis in his practice, so I'm not sure how much he wants to promote it.
If you are looking for someone in your area who may share his treatment philosopy, he is PAC-live/Hornbrook trained, and he uses NTI. It's not the same kind of treatment that an NM dentist would likely use.
I did look at many before/after pictures, and I've seen his work close up. He is very skilled aesthetically. In my case though, we had to compromise aesthetics somewhat. I wanted to close my anterior open bite without surgery, so we had to make my teeth unnaturally long. I really don't think that anyone notices it but me.
Thank you for your information. I would love to hear who your dentist is. I am very familiar with PAC-Live and Dr, Hornbrook's work. He is a really great aesthetic dentist. I travel to Chicago often for work, and if your dentist would allow you to give me his name, I would love to consult with him.
I haven't come across too many people who are familiar with PAC-live and Dr. Hornbrook. Most people are more familiar with LVI.
I'll check with my dentist to see how he feels about having me post his name. He does use NTI though, so if it is not something you want to try, you probably wouldn't be comfortable with him.
I already had several crowns in my mouth, so that helped ease the trauma for me. When I was a kid, I didn't have dental work done until I was really in bad shape. Ironically, going through all of that as a kid made it easier for me to make this decision.
It is nice to get more use out of my incisors. I'm hoping the permanent ones will be even better. It was really my main motivation to go ahead with it.
I remember at a project lunch at work where they brought in pizza. I tried to bite through a piece of pizza with green peppers, and I couldn't. I just sat there holding the pizza in my hand trying to think of a graceful way to pull it out of my mouth. One of the managers was watching me like he couldn't figure out what I was doing, and he just wouldn't turn away. I finally was able to tear part of it off and suck the rest into my mouth. I should have just spit it out. It would have served him right for watching me.
I'm supposed to get my crowns Thursday. It's weird to be really looking forward to a dental appointment. The United Way is having its taffy apple sale now where I work. I've got one waiting here for me. I hope I can control myself. I just keep picturing myself walking into my dentist's office with a taffy apple that has 8 teeth sticking in it.
I already had crowns on 3 of my incisors from when I was a kid. I really liked my canines though, and I was sad about grinding them down. I had to pick the basic shapes I wanted my teeth to be from a book. My dentist seemed like he wanted me to pick more rounded shapes, but I chose the ones that I thought looked most like my natural teeth. I picked a very natural shade too. It will be interesting to see how they turned out.
Good Luck on Thursday with your new crowns! I will be thinking of you. I am in my early 30's and am terrified to have front crowns, but it is necessary. If your dentist wouldn't mind posting his name...I would be so very appreciative. I am interviewing for sales jobs right now and am not confident at all with my teeth and smile...and TMJ. I look forward to hearing how your day went and I will keep you in my thoughts.
Thanks for the well-wishes. My crowns are beautiful. My jaw isn't feeling very good though. I'm cycling ibuprofen and acetaminophen. It has been a long time since I have had pain like this. I had my teeth cleaned right after my crowns were seated, and it seems like it was a little too much for me.
I asked my dentist if I could post his name, and he said I should spell it right. It's Sheldon Seidman, and as I said, he's in Chicago. I'll give you a little background information. He's a graduate of Northwestern University Dental School, and he's been in practice for about 25 years. He taught fixed prosthodontics at Northwestern for about six years, and he also taught at PAC-live. He currently teaches with the Hornbrook Group. He's also a very nice person.
I hope you will keep me posted if you decide to see him. If you have any other questions I may be able to help you with, please let me know.
michelle99 
