Issue 7.13
The last week of February this year is National Eating Disorder Awareness Week. Bulimia is a serious eating disorder that usually affects teenagers and young adults who secretly purge food as a way of attempting to control their body image.
As a prosthodontist, which is a specialized dentist with advanced training beyond dental school in oral rehabilitation, I am usually the first health care practitioner to recognize the classic dental signs of Bulimic acid erosion. Part of my training as a prosthodontist was in recognizing the different patterns of tooth wear which included the acid erosion pattern of food purging from Bulimia that results in a “filed-down look” to the front top teeth or worn down “sharp teeth” smile.
One out-of-the-box technique used to rehabilitate smiles wrecked by Bulimia is the Dahl technique. This technique is unique because it creates the space need to make crowns on the damaged teeth without having to perform root canals on them to do so.
You can watch a story of a Bulimic patient treated with this technique by going to the website of the American College of Prosthodontists, www.gotoapro.org and clicking on “Allison’s Story”. It might remind you of someone you know who needs help.
Dr Rodney Andrus is a prosthodontist (an ADA recognized specialist in oral rehabilitation) and provides expert solutions to challenging dental problems at St George Center for Specialized Dentistry in St George, UT. For more information you can call his office at 435-674-3100.