|
Question:
New Crown Pain: I had some crown work down about a month and a half ago and from day one I
have had problems even with the temporary crowns. Pain when chewing down on the left side.
The permanent crowns were put on about 3 weeks ago and I have since gone back three times for bite adjustment. It has helped some all three times but the problem is still there. My dentist has even sent me to an endodontist (hope this is spelled correctly)to see if I needed a root canal. The endodontist has seen me on two different occassions and says that there is no evidence for a root canal.
The pain is not constant only when I chew down on these crowns which leads me to believe that it has to be these crowns. Emotionally I don't think that I can bear this much longer. I think that I should let you know that the fillings in the teeth prior to the dental work did not cause pain and I was able to chew fine before all of this crown work.
In your opinion do you (like myself) think that the problem here is with the crown (I think #19) and perhaps with the impressions that were made or the lab when making the crown. I was at my dentist's office for the third attemp to adjust these just this morning and needless to say I am at my wits end. He has suggested that I wait one more month to see if it gets better but he has got to know that this isn't just going to go away.
Like I said it is not a constant throbbing pain, it only happens when I chew (or try) to chew on the left side. Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. ...Visitor from NC
Answer:
Right off the bat you need to know that not all teeth read the textbooks. Which is to say they do not always behave the way we collectively think they should and that they normally do. Every time you work on a tooth it is a trauma and once in a while the teeth just take the final insult before they "talk back". This is like the straw that broke the camels back. Having said that, her are some thoughts that might lead to you to an answer.
It is possible you have a crack in one of these teeth. The pressure of biting down opens this crack enough to cause pain. A crack is almost always a diagnosis by default as they can not be seen. What I mean by this is everybody in the world looks at a tooth, everyone gets aggravated at everybody involved and no one can find the answer. Only out of desperation the patient gets the tooth removed and the oral surgeon shows you the crack in the extracted tooth. This is not likely the case but it is possible.
Another more possible scenario is the insult I mentioned above could be enough to cause the tooth to "die" slowly in which case the endodontist can not make this determination early on as the tooth still responses normally to their tests. Only later in the process is this found to be the case. In between times, as in all situations in life, one of three things can happen; it stays the same, gets better or gets worse. Option one stinks, option two is great and option three at least leads to a good diagnosis and a plan of attack.
The most probable scenario is trauma from your biting habits or the different directions we all can move our teeth in the movements of chewing functions. This especially true if you clench and grind as the vast majority of us do as a result of everyday stress. Sometimes another set of eyes is a good thing. This is not, I repeat this is not, a slight to your attending dentist. If you have not completely lost confidence in your dentist, ask him for a referral to either a periodontist or prosthodontist. Both of these specialists have great knowledge in some of the finer and finickier aspects of bite issues.
The next more drastic step would be to remove the crowns, re-temporize them, inspect them and give them a chance to cool down. It is possible the cement used COULD have an influence in the problem.
Editorial Staff
Return to Crowns FAQ - Part B
| Metropolitan Area Crown Doctors: |
|
Return to FAQ Index
You also have the option of using Google search technology to conduct a specific search within our databases to find more specific information. Use key words or short phrases:
|
|
