Frequently Asked Questions
What is Bioesthetic Dentistry?
Why choose an OBI Dentist?
How is an OBI Dentist different?
What is the difference between Bioesthetic Dentistry and cosmetic dentistry?
How can Bioesthetics help improve my smile?
How many appointments does Bioesthetic treatment require?
What can I expect from Bioesthetic Dentistry?
My dentist said I have "TMJ." What is that and can Bioesthetics
help me?
What is Bioesthetic Dentistry?
When it comes to something as important as your teeth, you want to be sure they
remain beautiful and healthy for life. In simple terms, a healthy mouth looks great,
feels great and chews great. Bioesthetic Dentistry provides you with all of the
above: a beautiful natural-looking smile that is comfortable, functional and lasting.
Bioesthetics is the study of the human chewing system in its natural form and function.
It is based on years of scientific research and observation of healthy natural dentitions
where little or no dental repair has been needed to preserve the teeth. In these
chewing systems, jaw joints are stable, muscles are relaxed and teeth are practically
unworn providing excellent esthetics, function, comfort and longevity.
You may be surprised to know that the beauty of your smile may affect the health,
function and longevity of your teeth. The natural form and function of your teeth,
bite, muscles and jaw joints, collectively called the chewing system, was ingeniously
designed to protect the mouth from harm.
Why Choose an OBI dentist?
The foundation of comprehensive dentistry lies with the dentist understanding the
biologic basis of how all parts of the chewing system work together to provide stability
and harmony. If any one part is out of balance, the entire chewing system will suffer.
For years it was thought that tooth wear was part of the normal aging process and
unavoidable. We now know that is simply not true. An 80 year old person, for example,
may have a natural, healthy smile of someone 25 to 30 years old. As chronological
age progresses into maturity, the dental age remains young and vibrant. Dentists
who have completed advanced training in Bioesthetic Dentistry through OBI understand
that the progression of tooth wear with age is preventable. Today, with Bioesthetic
Dentistry, it is possible to stop the destructive pattern of tooth wear and restore
form and function to the chewing system.
How is an OBI dentist different?
OBI trained dentists recognize that successful and predictable esthetic dentistry
must be functional and in harmony with all parts of the chewing system. OBI dentists
are uniquely trained to accurately diagnose problems with the chewing system and
provide the most conservative dental therapies necessary to correct the underlying
causes of tooth wear, not just the symptoms. Thus, Bioesthetic Dentistry can help
you preserve the function and provide lasting natural beauty of your teeth and smile
for a lifetime. Bioesthetic Dentistry may help you if you have any of the following
concerns:
- Unattractive smile
- Worn, chipped, cracked or broken teeth and dental work
- Headaches or migraines
- Painful facial or neck muscles
- Upper back or shoulder pain
- Jaw joint soreness or pain
- Difficulty or pain with chewing
- Grinding or clenching of the teeth
- Jaw popping or clicking or grating noises
- Loose teeth or receding gums and bone
- Shifting bite
- Ear pain, congestion or ringing in the ears
What is the difference between Bioesthetic Dentistry and cosmetic dentistry?
Bioesthetic Dentistry differs from cosmetic dentistry by diagnosing the cause of
tooth wear and other chewing system problems, rather than just treating the symptoms.
Cosmetic dentistry, by definition, serves to beautify the teeth or smile and can
be decorative rather than functional. Bioesthetic Dentistry can restore damaged
teeth to their original, youthful shape and provide long-lasting natural-looking
results. An OBI trained dentist can help restore and preserve the function, health,
comfort and lasting natural beauty of your teeth and smile for a lifetime.
Click here to view more before and after cases.
How can Bioesthetics help improve my smile?
Bioesthetic Dentistry is a recreative art; its goal is to emulate the natural beauty,
form, and function of healthy chewing systems that have lasted a lifetime. Bioesthetic
Dentistry is based on biologic principles designed to return health to the chewing
system. In many cases not only does the patient's smile improve but dramatic changes
in the face frequently occur. These facial changes are a result of nerves and muscles
being allowed to return to their healthy functions of chewing and facial expression.
When biologic systems are restored to harmony using Bioesthetic diagnosis and treatment,
the results are truly amazing! An OBI-trained dentist is uniquely qualified to provide
biologically based therapy to restore natural beauty, function, comfort and health
of your entire mouth. Bioesthetic Dentistry can help restore and preserve the function,
health, comfort and lasting natural beauty of your teeth and smile for a lifetime.
Click here to view more before and after cases.
How many appointments does Bioesthetic treatment require?
Bioesthetic Dentistry focuses on restoring harmony and balance to the chewing system
by correcting the causes of tooth wear, bite misalignment, temporomandibular joint
dysfunction (TMD) and muscle pain, rather than just treating symptoms with superficial
cover-ups. The time it takes to diagnose, stabilize and rehabilitate an unhealthy
chewing system may take several weeks or months, depending upon the severity of
the problems. Many of these problems did not occur overnight, and they often cannot
be corrected with the instant and simple treatments that are often advertised. If
you are interested in improving your smile with predictable, long lasting results
that will help restore and preserve the natural beauty of your teeth for a lifetime,
then Bioesthetic dentistry may be right for you.
Click here to view more before and after cases.
What can I expect from Bioesthetic Dentistry?
Bioesthetic Dentistry is a comprehensive diagnostic and therapeutic approach to
restoring health to the entire chewing system. It regards the teeth, jaw joints,
bones, nerves, muscles, lips, tongue, mouth and the face as a collective system
rather than individual parts. Equilibrium between all these oral structures allows
the creation of a natural, youthful looking smile and promotes the maintenance of
a healthy chewing system that will provide a lifetime of optimal comfort, function
and beauty. Bioesthetic Rejuvenation is achieved by the following steps:
A thorough analysis of the function of your chewing system is the first step in
diagnosis. A maxillary anterior guided orthotic or "MAGO" is used to temporarily
correct the bite, relax the muscles and stabilize the jaw joints. This removable
upper jaw appliance, made of clear, hard plastic, is necessary to help stabilize
the jaw joints. It is designed to stop the destructive effects of clenching and
grinding of teeth, and to correct harmful chewing movements. The MAGO is also used
to alleviate jaw joint and muscle pain caused by these problems.
Using sophisticated instruments and computerized diagnostics, an OBI trained dentist
can record the center of rotation of your jaw joints in their natural biologic position
and measure how the upper and lower teeth fit together when the jaw joints are aligned
properly in their sockets. A functional analysis, using models of your teeth mounted
on a jaw movement simulator reveals if and why you have a chewing system disharmony
and how this problem may be corrected.
Radiographs of your jaw joints, facial bones, cervical vertebrae, sinuses and airway,
along with photographs of your teeth, face and smile, assists the dentist in diagnosing
problems before beginning any treatment. In the case of severely crooked teeth and/or
skeletal orthopedic problems, consultation with an orthodontist and/or orthognathic
surgeon may be necessary to insure the best overall treatment result.
Once the ideal form and function of the teeth are designed in wax this blueprint
is then transferred to the mouth using bonding or provisional crowns to change the
shape of the teeth and to test the esthetics, comfort and function of the diagnostic
wax up.
When the diagnosis is completed, the proper overlap and arrangement of the front
teeth is reestablished to protect the back teeth during jaw movements, such as chewing,
talking, and swallowing. The original genetic form of the front and back teeth is
restored to allow for efficient chewing and to create natural-looking esthetics.
When the diagnosis is completed, the proper overlap and arrangement of the front
teeth is reestablished to protect the back teeth during jaw movements, such as chewing,
talking, and swallowing. The original genetic form of the front and back teeth is
restored to allow for efficient chewing and to create natural-looking esthetics.
Bioesthetic Dentistry allows the most conservative dental treatments possible to
eliminate the destructive pattern of occlusal disease and tooth wear.
Some cases may involve only minor reshaping of teeth and bonding, while more complex
cases may require full mouth rejuvenation to correct a destructive bite and reverse
the damage caused to the teeth.
By using state-of-the-art diagnostics, instrumentation, techniques and materials,
worn teeth can be repaired to their original length and shape and the biologic function
of the chewing system can be rehabilitated to provide a healthy, lasting, natural-looking
and youthful smile.
My dentist said I have "TMJ." What is that and can Bioesthetics help me?
TMJ is an abbreviation for the jaw joint, called the temporomandibular joint. Two
temporomandibular joints, one on each side, connect the lower jaw (the mandible),
to temporal bones of the skull. Between these two bones is a thin cartilagenous
disc which acts to cushion the bones when the muscles open and close the lower jaw
during chewing, talking and swallowing. When the lower jaw is centered in its most
stable position, the muscles are relaxed and all the teeth touch together at the
same time. This harmony allows the joints, muscles and teeth to be protected during
chewing function.
When the chewing system is out of balance, caused either by a misaligned bite, trauma,
dental work, or artificial tooth movement (orthodontic treatment), the joints must
be pulled by the muscles away from their ideal, stable biologic position to make
the teeth fit together. Early on, the jaw joints may be able to adapt to this position
without any joint or muscle pain or visible damage to the teeth. Over time, however,
this biomechanical and physiologic imbalance may result in severe damage to the
chewing system, leading to a wide range of symptoms known collectively as Temporomandibular
Joint Disorder (TMD) or TMJ dysfunction.
When the teeth do not fit together properly and TM joints are unstable, the chewing
system begins to breakdown, causing the teeth, bone, muscles, joints and face to
age prematurely. As with any chronic diseases, TMJ dysfunction may take years for
a person to develop and become aware of its damaging effects. Many people suffer
from headaches, neck pain and jaw joint problems associated with an improper bite
relationship of their teeth, but never make the connection because the symptoms
seem unrelated to a bite problem. There are many more people, however, who experience
no pain and are thus often unaware of the progressive damage their teeth, joint
and muscles are suffering because of their TMJ dysfunction.
Bioesthetic Dentistry focuses on diagnosing TMJ dysfunction as early as possible
and restoring harmony to the chewing system by correcting the causes of tooth wear,
joint imbalance and muscle pain, rather than just treating symptoms.
If you have any of the common complaints listed below, Bioesthetic Dentistry may
be of help to you:
- Unattractive smile
- Worn, chipped, cracked or broken teeth and dental work
- Painful facial or neck muscles
- Upper back or shoulder pain
- Jaw joint soreness or pain
- Headaches or migraines
- Difficulty or pain with chewing
- Grinding or clenching of the teeth
- Jaw popping or clicking or grating noises
- Loose teeth or receding gums and bone
- Shifting bite
- Ear pain, congestion or ringing in the ears