When my mouth is just relaxed, you can’t see my teeth at all. Even when I am trying to smile, I have to work super hard to get my lips up enough for them to be visible. I hate the way my smile looks and want to fix it. Plus, my jaw is starting to hurt. I do wear a night guard and when I do that my jaw hurts less. It’s even easier to see my teeth when I smile at that time. Would porcelain veneers be a good option to fix my smile?

Christie

Dear Christie,

Bear in mind that I have not examined you. However, based on your description, it sounds like you are dealing with a combination of a collapsed bite along with some TMJ problems that complicates things further.

You mentioned that you wear a nightguard. I am assuming that is because you have some teeth grinding going on. This will lead to the collapsed bite if the teeth are ground down quite a bit. That could explain why you are having a hard time seeing your teeth. It would also complicate your bite and lead to TMJ Disorder, which would explain the jaw pain you have been experiencing.

Porcelain veneers will not be the solution for you. They will only cover the surface of your teeth and it sounds like you may need more than that. I would first suggest seeing a TMJ Dentist. This is not a recognized specialty, so you will want to find a dentist who has invested in post-doctoral training.

A TMJ dentist can give you options. If your teeth are as small as I suspect, you are likely to need a full-mouth reconstruction, which is placing a crown on every tooth. This shouldn’t be a problem if you get a dentist with real training, but make sure they do it completely built up with temporary crowns first. They need to feel completely comfortable and natural in your mouth and you should have no problems speaking. Only then should the permanent crowns be made. Then, have them placed with a temporary try-in paste one more time, just to make sure. If they’re still good, go ahead and have them bonded in.

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