My neuro said this might be an option for me for phase 2 of treatment because my back teeth wont touch. I would be interested to know as well if anyone has had this done.
Ive heard stories about how crowns done improperly can cause TMJ.
Hey Priscilla......long time no "see". How are you?
I haven't heard about crowns being used but I just had 2 put in on my back top molars (I needed them after root canal) and I can tell you that has eased alot of my TMJ. I know my TMJ was from a filling that was too high in one of them so the crowns were a welcome relief. I don't see why it wouldn't work. I'm interested to find out myself.
I am in the process of getting crowns on my front teeth now. (Actually, they are not all full crowns. He conserved some tooth structure.) I'm wearing the temporaries now.
I did it to help close my anterior open bite and to get some function out of my canines. We waited until my condyles had settled into place and my pain was well under control.
I won't know for sure if I'm really happy about it until I get my permanent restorations. My temporary incisors stick out a little more than I like, so the dentist has asked the lab to make my bite more edge to edge than the temporaries. It was also kind of a shock to see myself with longer teeth, but it doesn't seem that anyone notices. Only the people that know I did it even looked at them.
If you have any questions I may be able to answer, please let me know.
Just wondering how were the crowns put on improperly?
Usually a good tmj dentist should evaluate your bite and figure out the proper position of the teeth and then make sure that you are biting equally on all side of your teeth. My tmj dentist uses colored paper and he tells me to bite down and then he check to see if I am biting equally all around.
So you have gotten some relief from tmj from the
dental work ?
Michelle99:
It sounds like I am getting the same kind of work on my
front teeth. He wants to put in 6 crowns (including the eye teeth) which I have ground down from tmj and he wants to then equilibrate my bite again. In the meanwhile,
I am wearing a retainer type splint that kind of helps me bite more equally until I get the crowns done.
Well until I get my new chompers I'll be wearing this splint......yuk.....
Yes, it sounds like our treatments are similar. I'm getting 8 crowns. Four of the teeth already had crowns and one had an onlay, so that helped ease some of the trauma for me. I didn't wear my teeth down. My bite opened more after using NTI.
The temporaries feel weird. They are all connected together, so if I tap one tooth, I feel it five teeth away.
When do you think you are going to get your crowns? It's a long appointment, but your dentist will probably give you breaks like mine did.
My crowns were put on improperly in that a ridge was left between the base of the crowns and my gums(unsure of the technical term for this)also the dentist inserted the posts into teeth that were way too soft to hold them in place, which resulted in them falling off. This resulted in TMJD because of my jaw having to close differently due to these missing teeth.
Just wondering, Michelle you said that you have temporaries? and they are connected? Is this a "bridge"
Also was there anything wrong with you r teeth other than the open bite that required the crowns ?
I don't have a bridge. When I get my permanent crowns, I will have 8 separate units. When my dentist made the temporaries, he took a mold that the lab made and filled it with plastic gunk. He put the mold on my teeth and let the plastic harden. It comes out as one piece with 8 teeth in it.
I already had four crowns, and we replaced them. Three of them were about 25 years old, and it was definitely time to replace them. On three of the teeth without crowns, he didn't really do full crowns. He conserved some tooth structure in the back. They are more like crowns than veneers though.
We lengthened my teeth so they would function better. I don't feel like my temporary incisors are functioning well enough, so I talked to my dentist about it. He called the lab and asked them to make a change. I'll see when I get the permanents if it is any better.
Crowns on your front teeth that don't touch, to cure TMJ.......... I have never seen that suggested as a solution to TMJ. Especially if those teeth do not touch........... TMJ disfunction is cause from grinding excessively, clenching excessively or an uneven bite. None of those would apply to teeth that are not in occlusion, I would be very wary of this suggested method of treatment. Ask your dentist how he/she feels about a Therma-Flex splint that you can wear at night or in that day at times. There are new bite openers available too that hold your jaw open during the day and they sit on the back teeth, where you can't see them, and you can still speak clearly with them in. If your teeth do not meet in the front, inmost case there would need to be oprthodontic treatment to acheive occlusion, so the crown thing just makes no sense to me.
Crowns are recommended for some of us because of an open
bite in the front. Ideally you are suppose to bite all
around the perimeter of your mouth when you touch your teeth. Braces are an option to put back your front teeth, however, if your jaw is unstable it can open back up again. that is what happened to me I had braces put on and because the tmj situation wasn't addressed, my front teeth open back up again because my
jaw moved into an unstable position.
Burt Reynolds had to get all of his teeth capped because he didn't want to wear a splint forever. THe crowns,/or orthodontic work is used to correct your bite and therefore put your jaw in a better position.
THis should cure most of the tmj symptoms however, sometimes due to stress, clenching still might occur at
night and I may still need a splint at night.
I have temporaries over my front four teeth and they are all connected. My gums are so sensitive and they do not feel right. I am going to see a NM dentist next week to try and find a solution to all of my problems. I have been in so much pain for so long. I had to have crown lengthening procedure to allow room ofr crowns...and so that the crown would not hit my bone? Has anyone had terrible sensitivity like myself? I am so afraid that I am going to lose my teeth. I can't wear my retainer/with bite ramp at night because it causes pain up in ht egum area wherer my temps are. SO I do not get alot of sleep. I hope and pray that someone can the NM dentist can help. I am in my early 30's and cannot stand to go on with this pain!
I hope you all find the health and stability in your bite...that you deserve!
1. I have temporary crowns on right now with temporary cement.
2. I have had TMJ for several years and have recently had an MRI showing severe internal derangement of L TMJ and mild on R. So I need to find a confortable position for my bite, jaw, facial muscles...before I can begin with restorative treatment.
3. My sensitivity with the temps may be from irritation to cement, or problems with root canals, or gum problems...I am not sure...it is very sensitive up there though. But until I find the correct bite and jaw position, I cannot have final crowns made.
It is complicated. Who are you seeing in New Jersey? I have heard of Dr. Vocaturo in New Jersey for great restorative treamtent.
I got the crowns done because I needed them, the TMJD was the result of the crowns being done improperly. As I said, the 3 crowns fell off and I was left with missing teeth, I really beleive this is what threw my jaw out of whack, having to compensate for the gaps. Two attempts were made by a different dentist, to re-cement them but the insides were too soft to hold the posts.(Hence them being done incorrectly). My insurance would not pay to have them done a second time anyway. Now I am at the point where they need pulled and I have to have a partial made...not to mention finding a cure for this painful disorder...
I guess what you were really asking about was crowns to correct TMJD, in my case they CAUSED mine...
Take care,
CROWNS FOR TMJ? 
Four of the teeth already had crowns and one had an onlay, so that helped ease some of the trauma for me. I didn't wear my teeth down. My bite opened more after using NTI.
