I often looked at this case and pondered how I missed the signs of an occlusal collapse. I was in my auto pilot mode and have been seeing this patient for many years. I never thought of this patient as a rehab patient. He was a patient I inherited from the previous owner.
This patient lost his anterior stop from a failed bridge that lasted for many years . I didn’t think much of it and just planned another implant bridge. Then he started having tooth ache, root fractures and unexplained tooth pain on the posterior teeth. Then I realized I was witnessing the effects of a bite collapse and he needed occlusal intervention.
As soon as I worked him up by providing an occlusal relationship that gave him anterior guidance and evenly distributed occlusal contacts, he became stable again.
I shared this story because I realized occlusal disease will manifest so differently in each patient. I’m still learning how to treat these patients effectively.
#Prosthodontics #fullmouthrehabilitation #occlusion #anteriorguidance
