Tag Archives: Dental Crowns

Porcelain Veneers

Having Pain With My Porcelain Veneers

I got porcelain veneers. When my dentist put in the temporaries they felt okay. But, now that the real ones are in they’re giving me some pain. My dentist looked at them and said the bite is off just a bit. He adjusted them a few times, but it’s still hurting when I bite down. Do I keep going back or have them removed?

Sandy – Georgia

Sandy,

I don’t think what you have is porcelain veneers. If you had temporaries, and your dentist has adjusted them, and he’s saying your bite is off, that sounds more like porcelain crowns.

Your dentist needs to fix this or it will cause severe problems, including TMJ. If adjusting them doesn’t improve things, you may have an infection and that is what is causing the pain.  Have the dentist do the x-ray.

I’m a little concerned that you thought you had porcelain veneers. Was that what your dentist told you? Maybe have another dentist look at your bill and the work you had done.

This blog is brought to you by Dr. Mike Malone.

CEREC

Pain with a CEREC crown

I had four CEREC crowns put on back teeth. One of them is causing horrible pain when I bite. I’ve been back to my dentist a couple of times.  He shaved it, but it didn’t get any better. He thinks it is because of the way I chew.  Wouldn’t that have been causing pain before I had the crown put in? Isn’t it more likely that it is because I got a CEREC crown instead of a regular one?

Dennis L. – Maine

Dennis,

I don’t think it is because of your bite or because of the CEREC crown. In fact, because CEREC crowns are milled by a computer, there is less chance of the crown being a problem.  When you have pain when biting a crown, there are generally one or two reasons that is the cause:

1. The bite can be too high. I don’t suspect this is your case because you’ve already been back twice. Surely your dentist would have noticed that. I’m sure he’s adjusted your bite.

2. The other reason is an infection. Your dentist can do an x-ray and it will tell you if that is the case.

This blog is brought to you by Lafayette, LA Dentist Dr. Mike Malone.

 

CEREC

Pain with CEREC crown

I had a CEREC crown put on and am having persistent pain. I’ve been back two times for my dentist to adjust and do a little shaving of it, but it is still hurting quite a bit. I’m afraid to eat food that I have to chew for fear of irritating the nerve. My dentist thinks it might be the way I chew. I don’t think so, becuase I didn’t have this problem beforehand.

Jackson R.- Los Angelos

Jackson,

Generally when there is persistent pain after a crown it is because of one of two reasons. Either the crown is too high or there is an infection. I don’t think it is the bite placement for two reasons. One, you’ve already been back and had it adjusted twice. And second, with CEREC crowns the bite placement is designed by the computer that mills the crown, which makes it easier to place. The next step is to check for an infection with an x-ray. These can sometimes be tricky to find.

If you’re a little suspect of your dentist’s diagnostic skills, you may get an endodontist to look at it. The intensity of your pain along with the amount of time that has passed makes me wonder if that is the real problem.

This blog is brought to you by Lafayette, Louisiana dentist Dr. Mike Malone.

Uncategorized

Should I wait to fix my child’s broken tooth?

Last evening at t-ball practice my youngest daughter was hit in the mouth with a bat. One of her front teeth on the top broke right off, and the other one has a crack all the way across it. We took her to our family dentist first thing this morning, and he said he won’t have time to fix it for three weeks. Three weeks! That just seems crazy to me. Everything I’ve ever heard or read about damage to teeth says that you should “get to a dentist right away”. Well, what is the point of that if they aren’t going to fix it?

One of the reasons our dentist gave for the delay is that the root of the broken tooth needs time to “desensitize”. Is that customary? If it is, then I guess we will wait, but my instinct is to take her to a different dentist, one who will treat this with some urgency.

I hope you can answer this quickly. I don’t want to wait, but I’d like some expert advice about what to do.

Nora in Bar Harbor, Maine

Dear Nora,

Your instincts are correct – there is no reason to wait to address this.

If you have the piece of the tooth that broke off (and see this response promptly!), an expert cosmetic dentist might be able to reattach that portion of the tooth. If you don’t have the piece or it is too badly damaged, a likely procedure to repair both teeth is direct dental bonding.

For this reason, I strongly suggest you chose an expert cosmetic dentist for this procedure. Direct dental bonding requires more than excellent technical skills and training. It requires artistry. The bonding material must be color matched and placed with an eye to the gradients of color that comprise her natural teeth. Only truly gifted cosmetic dentists can do really beautiful direct bonding work.

You don’t say how old your daughter is, but because of your reference to t-ball I am guessing that she is under 10. Direct bonding is a great solution for younger patients. When she is older, she will probably need a single dental crown for the tooth that was broken, but your dentist will have to make that decision when the time comes. If the other tooth is severely damaged, both front teeth may need crowns.