I have crowns on both my front teeth. They have been in for about five years. One cracked awhile back when my dentist was on vacation. I went to another less seasoned dentist who packed my mouth quite substantially when making the impression for the replacement crown. The tooth to the left of the temporary crown seemed to be bruised and has subsequently become quite discoloured. When the replacement crown was ready it was the wrong colour and seemed to me too high in the gum with a bulbousness to the side. I went back in a week to complain and my bite seemed off. The dentist sent me to the lab where they said they would need to do another impression and replace this crown. In the meantime my regular dentist returned. I went to visit him and showed him the crown which lies higher up in my gum line. I am not comfortable with the new dentist redoing the work. I expressed this to the office and asked for a reversal of the fees and have the lab send the replacement crown to my old dentist. They were unmoved said they had not done anything wrong and would not do anything except resolve the work themselves. I feel that the tooth next to the crown sufferred some trauma in this work and also experienced significant bruising along the gum line. Do you think it was unprofessional of the new dentist to simply shoo away my concerns and refuse to provide any financial compensation? My gut instinct is that if the impression was done so wrong the first time why would she do it any better in a second round? I have decided to just bite the bullet and pay for my dentist to do it properly as the tooth next to it requires a crown and I do not want to traumatize the gums anymore. Any advise or response?
Thanks

Hi anne,

It is not uncommon to redo impressions for crowns. It is also difficult to determine a good shade match for the two front teeth because they will never match the natural teeth on either side. But I think your case is more involved than any of that.........

Crowns should never be pushed up into the gum causing the gum to become bulbous. This only serves to cause a trap for plaque and other bacteria. Crowns are suppose to be "supra gingival" which means the crown margin along the gumline should be at the gum, not underneath it. The gum could also puff up if you are sensitive or reactive to the material that the crown is made out of.

In your case, the situation with the crown being too high in the gum may be irreversible because if the tooth was prepped with the drill below the gumline then there is no reversing that preparation. Any part of the tooth that has been drilled down, needs to be covered with a new crown or it will decay. To avoid the gum tissue from being puffed up by the new crown, you may need to have some surgical recontouring of the gum tissue prior to the new crown being made. This will make this tooth appear longer than the one next to it, but it may be your only alternative.

The dentist should not have dismissed your concerns or complaints about this new crown. Since you felt that he mistreated you, you have every right to choose a different dentist to redo the work and you are entitled to a reimbursemt of your money. I personally would not allow someone to redo my dental work who had a negative response to my concerns about what had been done do far.

The other issue is........... was this second dentist the one who was covering for your original dentist while he was away? In the United States, it is illegal not to have a covering dentist for your patients when the office is closed for vacation.

If the second dentist was the one on call for your original dentist, then your dentist should either not charge you to redo this crown or he should speak up on your behalf and request a reimbursement for you from that second dentist. If the second dentist was someone you chose on your own, then you have to seek the reimbursement yourself.

With regard to the other tooth that is now discolored? Before you do anything, have that tooth x-rayed to make sure it is not infected or fractured. A tooth does not discolor unless something is wrong with it. It's different if your teeth were stained or something like that, but when one tooth looks discolored compared to the others, something is ususally wrong.

Please talk with your original dentist about how to remedy this situation before you go ahead and let him redo that crown. It is always best to get a clear understanding of what is going on prior to having it done.

I wish you all the best....... please keep us posted on how you are doing!

Bryanna

I just joined your community when I googled regarding my newly placed tooth crown. I just had 3 crowns placed in the back of my mouth next to each other. The two seem ok but the last one feels a bit high. The dentist tried to tell me that with time I will get used to it. But it pains me when I chew or bite on it. After he permanently put it and when I complained about its clicking sound against my top molar so he drilled little part of the top molar to make the top tooth I guess of the tooth . Does that weaken the top tooth? Is that a correct procedure to be done? and can a permanently placed crown be removed and replaced again or will it break when he removes it ? Appreciate your input..

Hi orayb,

It sounds like the new crown is either too high or doesn't fit properly.

A new crown should NEVER hurt to chew on or cause any other sort of discomfort with the exception of a slight tight feeling for the first day or two.

It is not unusual for a dentist to shave down the opposing tooth when trying to adjust your bite. If this is done minimally, no it will not affect that other tooth. If it is done in excess, yes, it could damage the tooth.

However, what you are describing is NOT ok and it is not something to just live with because it isn't going to get better on it's own. If the new crown is high when you bite down which means that you are biting into it prematurely, you could actually damage the nerve and cause the tooth to die. If the crown does not fit properly and that is why it is hurting to chew on, it needs to be removed an a new one that fits better needs to be made.

To remove the crown will jeopardize the integrity of the crown...... yes, it will ruin it and a new one will have to be made.

It is not a good idea to let this wait because it doesn't take long for the nerve of a tooth to die if it is constantly aggravated. If your dentist will not adjust the new crown so it is comfortable or remove it and make a new one that is better fitting, then I would suggest that you seek an opinion from another dentist (not in the same office).

Let us know how you are doing!!

Bryanna

What a great site. I never realized what an inexact science dentistry was – it's scary! I just had a crown done, and if I understand you right where you said above “Crowns are suppose to be "supra gingival" which means the crown margin along the gumline should be at the gum, not underneath it.”, mine would seem to be placed right. However, this means that my tongue can feel the edge there at the tiny crack where they meet. What’s to stop food from getting into that crack & decaying what’s left of my real tooth? It sounds like it must be very difficult to get them to sit exactly right!

Hi viennashade,

It's true, dentistry is not an exact science at all! Dental procedures are extremely technician sensitive and like all professions, not everyons is good at what they do. We instill so much trust in our dentists and doctors to always do exactly the best they can do. But they too are only human and not only do they make plenty of mistakes, but they may not be that talented to begin with. So it's a gamble no matter how you look at it.

It is common to feel the edge of the crown along the gumline. This does not mean that it was done improperly. In some cases, that edge is not felt but in others it is. The best thing to do is keep is very clean and not allow plaque to build up along the gumline. This does not mean you should scrub it with your tooth brush because scrubbing it can cause recession which can eventually lead to decay. Twice a day use a soft bristle toothbrush at a 90 degree angle against the gumline and brush in a circular motion rather than straight across. This will keep the plaque from accumulating.

Don't worry, it sounds like your crown was done ok!

Bryanna