The Gold Standard of Treatment
Q: Dr. Crapo: I am from Mexico. My husband and I moved to Canada forty years ago. We had a family and made a life here. My husband was a good father and provider. He was a very good man but sadly he passed several years ago. As I said, he always took care of us. About ten years ago we went to Mexico for a month visit. During that time, I had some problems with my teeth, so my husband said let’s get them fixed. He wanted the best for me, so he had the dentist put in gold fillings. I was happy to have what the dentist said was his best treatment. Shortly after my fillings were done, I had some pain, and I couldn’t bite my food properly. I returned to the dentist, and he said everything would be okay in a few days. We returned home but things didn’t improve. My bite didn’t fit, and my front teeth didn’t work like they had before. Since then, I had to have a root canal, and my teeth where he worked are breaking apart. One of the gold fillings fell out. I’m worried about getting my teeth fixed because my bite is so bad I have to chew only soft things. I know I’ve got decay under the gold fillings because I can see dark areas around the edges. What happened to my bite? Why are my teeth breaking and hurting? Can they be put right, or must I accept my problems for the rest of my life?
A: A number of years ago, I treated a couple from Mexico. He was a retired physician and she a mother of five. When I saw her, she complained of a similar situation – teeth filled in Mexico City with gold. She described problems of bite and lost teeth. In doing the work-up with a bite simulator, I discovered steering, balancing, and alignment problems. She too could not chew her food properly.
Her front teeth didn’t touch because the back teeth had been made too large, so she couldn’t bite off her food. The first thing we did was remake her mouth’s steering mechanism by ensuring her front upper six teeth functioned (touched) against her lower front six teeth (eyetooth to eyetooth) with crowns. The posterior (rear) teeth were adjusted with crowns and bridgework to put them in harmony with the steering mechanism of her front teeth. This eliminated her balancing and alignment mechanism problems. She had no more pain because her back teeth weren’t hitting improperly, and she hasn’t lost more teeth for the same reason.
There are always reasons why teeth hurt, break, get loose, and are lost. Your teeth problems are solvable, and you’ll not only have great comfort and function, but great appearance too!
If we can help, we’d like to. Call 778-410-2080 for a consultation or visit us today.
Based on actual patient cases
© Calvin Ross Crapo
Victoria Implant Centre 778-410-2080