Dental ?

brandywine2010 · December 2010

I'd love to hear from some dental hygienists, dentist or dental assistants.But all opinions are welcome.

I have a crown on my 5th tooth on the left. It is about two years old and has had to be re-cemeted 3 times since I got it. At my last check-up the hygienist found decay under the crown through the x-ray. I asked to have the crown taken off and re-cemented again, but the dentist said he didn't want to damage the post by removing the crown. He told me to come back when the crown becomes more loose or comes out. GRRRR! I am terrified that they won't be able to re-cement the crown a 4th time and that they will have to pull the tooth.

My dentist recommends a 3 unit bridge. He is going to refund me the cost of the root canal and the crown, since this crown is defective. However, I don't want him to do any more work on my mouth. So I told him I was going elsewhere to get it fixed. He vowed to still reimburse me. My plans are to get a permanent implant in place of the tooth. I also don't want a bridge as they will have to mess with two other teeth to do the bridge.

Over the weekend the crown has started to get more loose. It wiggles back and forth a little bit. I want to call the original dentist to see if he will re-cement it as I don't have the money for a permanent implant at this time. My insurance will not cover the implant either. I don't know if I should just go ahead and go to someone new, or stick with this dentist and see if he can re-cement one more time. Argh!

WWYD? Also, if you have a permanent implant, please tell me about it.

FyreFry5 · December 2010

I don't fit your qualifications , but my 2 cents anyway: Get another dentist. You shouldn't have that much trouble with a crown so soon, and if there is decay underneath it, it would seem to me that it would need to be addressed instead of sitting around continuing to decay.

But again, I have no expertise in the field of dentistry, besides just haven't a boatload of work done to my mouth.

Ugh - I hate tooth problems. I hope you get this solved soon!

brandywine2010 · December 2010

Thanks Fry Fry! I have a small fortune invested in my mouth as well.

busybeegirl1976 · December 2010

I have 2 permanent implants and they weren't too terrible. 'Course I was 18 at the time and that was, ahem, quite a few years ago. But if memory serves, you'll be put under for the procedure and have some pain for a few days afterwards. My implants were on my eye teeth so I couldn't bite directly into things for a while. I've already had to have the crowns/caps replaced but that was painless. I still have nightmares though that my crowns/caps fall off so I'm constantly checking them.

GL with whatever you decide.

MrsSonny24 · December 2010

A crown shouldn't be coming off that easy and surely shouldn't have decay under it already. With that being said, if you go to a new dentist they will charge you to examine the tooth and crown and then they will charge you to recement the crown, so you will be looking at money if you don't have insurance. I would say less than $150 for both, but depends on the dentist. vs. You could go back and have them recement it for free.

Dman85 · December 2010

I'm in dental assisting school so I can sort of help lol. If the crown has been faulty that many times are you following the restrictions of when to eat after the procedure has been done? Not following it doesn't allow the crown to harden properly and adapt the way it should. I would NOT go for an implant if I were you. That just leads to more dental problems in the long run and more $$$ that you don't need on only 1 tooth. I would get a removable bridge if that is was the dentist is offering. Hope this helps...if you have any other questions you can PM me.

brandywine2010 · December 2010

Dman85:
I'm in dental assisting school so I can sort of help lol. If the crown has been faulty that many times are you following the restrictions of when to eat after the procedure has been done? Not following it doesn't allow the crown to harden properly and adapt the way it should. I would NOT go for an implant if I were you. That just leads to more dental problems in the long run and more $$$ that you don't need on only 1 tooth. I would get a removable bridge if that is was the dentist is offering. Hope this helps...if you have any other questions you can PM me.

YGPM in a minute

WeWearCombatBoots · December 2010

I am a Dental Assistant. If the crown has come off that many times, a new one needs to be made. It sounds like the tooth needs to be re-prepped, a new impression needs to be taken, and a whole new crown that actually fits to your tooth needs to be made. Your tooth will never have to adapt to the crown, the crown should fit exactly to your tooth. A good crown will fit perfectly with no movement, and should sort of "suction" to your tooth in a way. I would not just cement the old crown onto the tooth, because it obviously no longer fits your existing tooth structure if it keeps coming off, a completely new crown needs to be made, I would definitely go to a new dentist, because the fact that he left the crown with decay under it scares me. I am used to my doc taking care of things like that immediately, but then again I also work at a military dentist, so money is usually not an issue and things get taken care of right away. Not to scare you, but now that your enamel is gone, which I assume it is since you have a crown, the rest of the tooth decays very quickly and you will lose even more tooth structure the longer the decay sits. No matter what, if he takes care of the decay, it will change the shape of your tooth, so if he tries to re-cement the same old crown, that is another red flag to me.

As far as an implant, I would not recommend it, it is a very long process. It takes a year to a year and a half of work and if you are sick of getting work done, an implant is not the way to go. And if you are TTC, all work will have to stop once you get pregnant. Dentist WILL NOT take radiographs on pregnant women, and there are several other things that can't be done, only emergency work can be done once you are KU.

brandywine2010 · December 2010

busybeegirl1976:
I have 2 permanent implants and they weren't too terrible. 'Course I was 18 at the time and that was, ahem, quite a few years ago. But if memory serves, you'll be put under for the procedure and have some pain for a few days afterwards. My implants were on my eye teeth so I couldn't bite directly into things for a while. I've already had to have the crowns/caps replaced but that was painless. I still have nightmares though that my crowns/caps fall off so I'm constantly checking them.
GL with whatever you decide.

How often do implant crowns need to be replaced? How much does it cost for the replacement crown? Thanks for answering!

brandywine2010 · December 2010

WeWearCombatBoots:
I am a Dental Assistant. If the crown has come off that many times, a new one needs to be made. It sounds like the tooth needs to be re-prepped, a new impression needs to be taken, and a whole new crown that actually fits to your tooth needs to be made. Your tooth will never have to adapt to the crown, the crown should fit exactly to your tooth. A good crown will fit perfectly with no movement, and should sort of "suction" to your tooth in a way. I would not just cement the old crown onto the tooth, because it obviously no longer fits your existing tooth structure if it keeps coming off, a completely new crown needs to be made, I would definitely go to a new dentist, because the fact that he left the crown with decay under it scares me. I am used to my doc taking care of things like that immediately, but then again I also work at a military dentist, so money is usually not an issue and things get taken care of right away. Not to scare you, but now that your enamel is gone, which I assume it is since you have a crown, the rest of the tooth decays very quickly and you will lose even more tooth structure the longer the decay sits. No matter what, if he takes care of the decay, it will change the shape of your tooth, so if he tries to re-cement the same old crown, that is another red flag to me.
As far as an implant, I would not recommend it, it is a very long process. It takes a year to a year and a half of work and if you are sick of getting work done, an implant is not the way to go. And if you are TTC, all work will have to stop once you get pregnant. Dentist WILL NOT take radiographs on pregnant women, and there are several other things that can't be done, only emergency work can be done once you are KU.

Thanks so much for your reply to my thread.

I think the reason this dentist hasn't replaced the crown already is because there isn't a lot of the natural tooth left. He is a jerk though, and I am going to get a second opinion on this tooth tomorrow. I also have a consultation scheduled with an oral surgeon on Thursday morning. I was under the assumption that they'd only have to sedate me once for the procedure. I was hoping to get this done asap, before we start a new TTGP plan with the new RE. I will be sure to mention all of this to the dentist(s) that I see this week.

If I could just get a new crown, I'd be all for that! I will definitely mention this to my new dentist tomorrow. Thanks for your help!

busybeegirl1976 · December 2010

brandywine2010:
busybeegirl1976:

I have 2 permanent implants and they weren't too terrible. 'Course I was 18 at the time and that was, ahem, quite a few years ago. But if memory serves, you'll be put under for the procedure and have some pain for a few days afterwards. My implants were on my eye teeth so I couldn't bite directly into things for a while. I've already had to have the crowns/caps replaced but that was painless. I still have nightmares though that my crowns/caps fall off so I'm constantly checking them.

GL with whatever you decide.

How often do implant crowns need to be replaced? How much does it cost for the replacement crown? Thanks for answering!

Honestly I don't remember how long they last but something like 15-20 years comes to mind (don't quote me). I only had mine replaced for cosmetic reasons; the first set were too short. I believe that each replacment crown was about $1000. I was able to use my HCRA to pay for it. After reading some of the responses above, I really don't think the process was as long and drawn out as it may sound but I know every person reacts differently to the implants.

Sorry I can't offer more information; it's just been 16 years since I had my implants put in and 2 years since I had my crowns replaced. I can barely remember what I did yesterday, let alone 2 to 16 years ago! HA!

WeWearCombatBoots · December 2010

Of all the implants I have seen, it is a series of procedures. First the extraction will have to take place, then usually the dentist will also make you a retainer, which is a partial removable denture with just one fake tooth to hold the place so you wont lose the space because your back teeth will move forward and close the space. Then the dentist will want to have the extraction site fully heal which can take a few months. Then the site may require bone graphing and tissue grafting. Then again you will need some time to heal and then the implant would be placed, and again, a few months healing time and also time for the metal to infuse with the bone and for the bone to grow around the metal. After that is when the permanent restoration is actually placed. And again, this can take up to a year. For just one tooth, its usually not worth it, our office doesn't even do it if its just one tooth. If you do end up having to get the tooth extracted, I would just let it heal and see how you feel about, see if it bothers you eating or cosmetically and see if you think you even need an implant or a denture of any kind. I am trying to figure out which tooth you are talking about, either #14 or #13 it sounds like. Is it a pre-molar or a molar? A molar missing would affect chewing, while a pre-molar would be more cosmetically unappealing.

And also to another poster, what's an eye tooth referring to? I have never heard that expression, lol.

busybeegirl1976 · December 2010

WeWearCombatBoots:

And also to another poster, what's an eye tooth referring to? I have never heard that expression, lol.

Sorry for my laymen's terms. Eyeteeth = canines.

WeWearCombatBoots · December 2010

busybeegirl1976:
WeWearCombatBoots:

And also to another poster, what's an eye tooth referring to? I have never heard that expression, lol.

Sorry for my laymen's terms. Eyeteeth = canines.

Oh, lol! I just never heard them called that, haha! I didn't know if you meant the 2 front teeth or what. Just not an expression I have ever heard said.

brandywine2010 · December 2010

It is the second tooth behind my left canine or "eye tooth." I call them eye teeth, too. It is definitely visible when I smile.

Is it true that sometimes you can have the procedure without anesthesia?

WeWearCombatBoots · January 2011

Yes, you could elect to be awake during the procedure. But you will still be given local anesthesia, which would just numb you. You won't feel pain, put you will feel pressure. People get their wisdom teeth taken out awake, its just most elect to be put asleep and that is the norm. Just voice the concern with your dentist or oral surgeon and they will definitely listen to your concerns if you don't want to be put asleep.

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