I needed a root canal treatment and dental crown. I wanted to do a CEREC crown, but my dentist doesn’t have the machine. I considered going elsewhere, but felt guilty about going to another dentist. So, I thought the traditional crown would have to suffice. After he made the temporary, I had to go out of town for work. While I was gone, the temporary crown broke. I called my dentist and he said it would be fine, though to try and eat on the other side of my mouth. I was super careful. When I got back, I immediately went to the dentist but he told me that a crown would no longer work. First, the crown would no longer fit and we’d have to start over. But, that part of my tooth broke and the rest was brittle, so he’d have to do an extraction. Is this really my only option? Now what? I’m over $2000 into this crown which I can’t even have and now I’m losing the tooth. Should I have gone to a CEREC dentist?
Minnie W.
Dear Minnie,
There are some things that bother me about what you’re saying. I’d like you to get a second opinion to see if your tooth can be saved. Preferably to a dentist who does provide CEREC crowns. Some dentists will even do free second opinions. While certainly, a CEREC crown would have saved your tooth, because it would have been protected from day one, there’s more at issue here.
If he’d have suggested you see an emergency dentist when your temporary broke, this would also have protected your tooth. It would also have allowed your permanent crown to fit. When you leave the space empty, it doesn’t always take very long for your teeth to shift leading to the crown not fitting properly. This was your dentist’s fault.
Something else which bothers me is how quickly the tooth became brittle. That’s uncommon.
If You Can’t Get a CEREC Crown and Lose the Tooth, What then?
If it turns out you can’t save the tooth, I’d first ask for a full refund from your first dentist. Then it’s time to decide on a tooth replacement. The two best options are dental implants or a dental bridge. A dental bridge would make more sense if either of the adjacent teeth need to be crowned.
If they don’t, then a dental implant would be a better option. It’s a great tooth replacement, but you don’t want just any dentist to do it. It’s an advanced procedure. Be sure to ask the dentist how many they’ve done and what their success rate is? It needs to be at least 98%.
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