Harry had a serious tooth grinding problem and despite being only in his late 20s was in danger of losing several teeth.
He had infections, decay and fractures under a crown, old fillings and root treatments.
His regular NHS dentist referred him for a last ditch attempt to save his front teeth and to follow up Harry’s interest in cosmetic dentistry. Ultimately, there was no need for extractions or implants in this case.
Dr Murphy felt that this case presented a rather unusual dynamic. The main challenge was to deal with Harry’s bite in such a way that we were able to lengthen the porcelain crowns and veneers slightly – without bite interference. This made them far more natural and was achieved by simultaneously replacing two old molar fillings at the same time as the fitting of all the porcelain.
“I’d say that this technique is fairly unheralded but it can dig us out of a hole at times. As long as I pick a filling on either side, not too deep, I can build them to required vertical height for the porcelain.
I need a very long appointment, usually open-ended, to ensure that all porcelain has been lengthened to the exact prescription.
Only then will I commit to replacing the fillings. The patient has been tested initially with a lower mouthguard to stop tooth grinding problem at night.”
Harry had three root treatments, three gold posts, three porcelain veneers, four porcelain crowns and a mouthguard fitted.