The disorder caused by excessive clenching of the teeth, consciously or unconsciously, is called teeth clenching disorder. Teeth clenching, which can happen to most people, may appear for many reasons. Another name for teeth clenching disorder is bruxism. Bruxism, that is teeth clenching disorder, is a condition that has a treatment. However, the cause of this condition may not be only dental or jaw-related. Teeth clenching is usually seen in stressed and anxious people. People of all ages can suffer from bruxism due to hereditary, psychological and stress-related causes. The best approach is for the treatment to target the cause.

How can you tell if you clench your teeth?

• Pain in the temples, jaw, neck and facial muscles,
• Difficulty chewing,
• Difficulty opening the mouth,
• A clicking sound from the jaw,
• The jaw shifting to the right or left when opening.

What other problems can teeth clenching cause?

1. It can cause pain in the jaw joints, gums and teeth.
2. It can cause wear of the teeth.
3. It can cause enamel fractures and changes in tooth colour.
4. If left untreated for a long time, it can lead to gum recession and bone loss.
5. It can damage the facial and jaw muscles. If left untreated for a long time, a square-looking jaw may develop.
6. It can cause severe headaches.

How is teeth clenching treated?

First of all, a night guard can be used to minimise the damage to the teeth and surrounding tissues during clenching. However, the best approach is to reduce the clenching. For this, treatment targeting the cause is carried out. If teeth clenching has a psychological cause, psychological treatment is provided. Antidepressants and muscle relaxants can help reduce clenching. In addition, Botox can be applied to the masseter muscle to reduce the contraction of the muscles that contract excessively and cause clenching. If clenching is caused by improper tooth contacts, the dentist will check the bite of your teeth and apply treatment according to the degree of the contact problem. If there is a minimal contact problem, light reshaping of the teeth may be enough. However, if a serious problem in the bite causes clenching, fillings or prosthetic restorations may be applied.

How are dental crowns made?

Dental crowning is a dental treatment method that can be completed in 3–4 sessions. After the crown material and type to be applied to the diseased tooth are decided and the prosthesis is planned, the tooth or teeth that will be crowned are prepared (the teeth are shaped and reduced) and impressions are taken. On the impression sent to the laboratory, laboratory procedures are carried out according to the type of prosthesis to be made for the tooth, and the material for the try-in comes back to the dentist; after being tried on the patient, it is sent back to the laboratory for finishing. In the last session, the dental crown application is completed.

What are the types of dental crowns?

It is possible to make the artificial tooth that will replace the tooth from various materials (gold, metal, biodent). Today, porcelain, an aesthetic material, is preferred. However, since porcelain is not sufficiently resistant to chewing pressure, a resistant material must be applied underneath as support. The types of crowns are classified accordingly.

In order for the patient to decide on the right crown technique they need, the dentist must clearly explain all the types of dental crowns that can be applied to the patient and help them make the right choice. Below we have listed some types of dental crowns, but a proper examination by a dentist is essential for a sound choice.

• Zirconia crowns: Zirconia is a white substance found in nature. The application commonly known as a zirconia crown is actually not the coating of the tooth with zirconia, but a zirconia-supported crown. In other words, zirconia-supported porcelain teeth are made. Zirconia is preferred because, in addition to being a very strong material, it is close to the natural colour of the teeth.
• Porcelain crowns: A type of crown made by covering a tooth that has lost tooth structure with porcelain. It can be metal-supported, and there are also types made entirely of ceramic. Porcelain crowns, which are very resistant to fracture, can be matched to the colour of the patient’s own teeth.
• Metal-supported crowns: The most widely known type of crown, which has become traditional. Metal-supported crowns are the most affordable in terms of price. A metal alloy is used as a support material inside the porcelain crown. However, because this metal causes some reflection under the porcelain, it is the most disadvantageous method aesthetically.
• Empress crowns: A type of crown made from a mixture of glass and ceramic without the need for a support. Its durability has been increased compared to porcelain. In addition, a thicker restoration must be applied to provide the necessary resistance to chewing forces. With its structure that transmits light very well, the Empress crown, also known as the E-max crown, is frequently used in prosthetic procedures with aesthetic goals.

Dental crown prices

Dental crown prices vary according to the physical condition of the tooth to be crowned, the material to be used and the type of crown. By law, we cannot give prices on our website; however, to find out an exact dental crown price, it is necessary to be examined by a dentist.

What is a dental prosthesis?

Dental prostheses are artificial teeth applied to replace missing teeth and tissues and to restore lost function and aesthetics. While the gaps in the teeth are being eliminated, the aim is on the one hand to restore the missing functions of the mouth, and on the other hand to achieve as natural and beautiful an appearance as possible aesthetically.

What are the types of dental prostheses?

The types of dental prostheses may vary according to the patient’s mouth structure and the size and position of the gap caused by tooth loss. That is why it is possible to come across dental prostheses that serve many different needs. The types of dental prostheses you may encounter can be listed as follows.

Removable prostheses

This is the type of prosthesis applied to patients who have lost all or most of their teeth due to tooth and gum diseases or for any other reason. Removable prostheses, commonly called dentures or palate dentures, are appliances with artificial teeth that patients can put in and take out whenever they want without the help of a dentist. Removable prostheses are applied to the patient in two different ways.

1. Complete dentures: Applied to patients who have no teeth left in their mouth. Since there are no teeth in the mouth, these prostheses are made by taking support from the oral tissues.
2. Partial dentures: Prostheses applied to patients who have few teeth left in their mouth and whose existing teeth do not provide a suitable basis for making a bridge. They are applied by taking support from the oral tissues and the remaining teeth in the mouth.

In addition to this main classification, there are also prostheses made for various situations. These include:

• immediate dentures, which are temporary removable dentures made to be fitted after a surgical procedure such as multiple tooth extractions
• precision attachment dentures, in which the metal parts are hidden when the metal parts of a partial denture would otherwise be visible
• overdentures, in which some teeth that are not planned to be extracted are left under the removable denture to support it
• implant-supported removable dentures, in which implants are used to support the denture.

Fixed prostheses

A fixed prosthesis describes the type of dental prosthesis that remains in the patient’s mouth after being fitted in the dentist’s chair and that the patient does not put in or take out themselves. It is commonly known as a dental crown. The best-known fixed prostheses can be listed as follows.

1. Bridge: A form of prosthesis that fills the tooth gap with materials harmless to human health, taking support from an implant placed in the bone or from existing teeth. The bridge is the most common type of dental prosthesis. As you can understand from its name, this application is designed to act as a “bridge” between two teeth. In some cases, bridges can bring together more than two teeth. How a bridge will be designed and applied is, of course, determined primarily according to the gaps in the patient’s mouth. Bridges are produced based on the person’s natural tooth colour, and for this colour the tooth at the end of the gap where the bridge will be made is taken as a reference.
2. Crown: A dental covering made on a single tooth. It is a prosthesis made on an existing tooth or implant to complete the tooth tissue, and it can also be made for aesthetic or functional reasons. It can be used to adjust the form and colour of an existing tooth. Crowns are at least as common a type of dental prosthesis as bridges. Thanks to new-generation dental prosthesis technologies, it is also possible to produce crowns in almost exactly the same form and colour as the tooth structure. The most basic difference between a crown and a bridge is that crowns are placed on a single tooth, while bridges are placed on two or more teeth. The materials used in crowns can be metal or ceramic. Materials that create an aesthetically near-natural appearance have also come into use by dentists.
3. Post crown: Prostheses that take support from the root canal, which may be preferred especially in root-canal-treated teeth when there is not enough tissue in the tooth to support a crown.
4. Implant-supported fixed prosthesis: Crowns or bridges supported by placed implants. It can be applied for a single missing tooth, and in cases where there are no teeth in the mouth at all, all the teeth can be made as a bridge on a certain number of implants. What matters here is the presence of a sufficient amount of bone in the mouth so that the implants can be placed.

For detailed information about implants and implant treatment, please click on our Implant page.

How should dental prostheses be cared for?

For dental prostheses to be long-lasting, durable and comfortable, care after the prosthesis is at least as important as placing it. In other words, at this point, at least as much responsibility falls on the patient as on the dentist. Patients who want their dental prostheses to be long-lasting and trouble-free should pay attention to the following points:

• Having dental prostheses means continuing tooth brushing and oral care habits as they should be. Dental prostheses require at least as much care as natural teeth.
• People with dentures or prostheses who come to believe that they do not have to brush their teeth run the risk of losing their dentures within a short time.
• Removable dentures should be cleaned outside the mouth with a brush and soap, without using toothpastes meant for natural teeth; any teeth and tissues remaining in the mouth should be cleaned separately with toothpaste.
• Since fixed prostheses are not removed from the mouth, they are brushed in the mouth together with the teeth. In particular, the underside of the prosthesis parts that replace the missing tooth should be cleaned with an interdental brush. Dental floss produced especially for these parts should be used.
• No matter how strong they are, you should always be careful and gentle with dental prostheses.
• Avoiding hard blows to the mouth and teeth and staying away from very hard or sticky foods and drinks are points you need to pay attention to for as long as you have dental prostheses.
• If the dentist has recommended a special care solution or device depending on the type of prosthesis, it is important that this product is used regularly and in accordance with the instructions.