Question (Well, Three) About Dental Work I had Done.

In My Humble Opinion
1

I know you are not my dentist. I am interested in opinions of some work I had done. Perhaps someone else has experienced a similar situation and can relate their experience(s).

Question 1) I recently had an old crown replaced. I believe I heard the new crown make a cracking sound while it was being fitted. The doc grumbled and the manipulation was (and had been) hurting me. I told her it hurt, that it felt like electric shocks, so she gave me another injection and left for a while.

It’s very subtle, but I believe I see a crack in this new crown. The tooth is a molar. It has the 4 points that a molar has. In the valley between the front peak and the rear peak, I believe I see a thin line that is darker than the rest of the tooth. It seems to start at the middle of the top of the tooth and progress part way down, maybe one third of the way, down the side. I do not see this line on the other side. I believe this tooth is cracked but not all the way down.

So, is it acceptable to repair a crown prior to installation if it were to occur that the crown developed a small crack at installation? If something like this happened, would the dentist sealed this small crack with something? The old crown was removed because it was old and had a crack. I’m thinking I just paid a lot of money for a new (cracked) crown but would be willing to accept it if this was something that ‘can happen’ and it is acceptable to seal or repair the crack at installation.

Question 2) While having the crown done, I had other stuff done, too including a couple of fillings. One filling doesn’t feel right- like it is too big; like my teeth don’t fit together right anymore. I presume I will get used to this.

Question 3) The doc also removed some cavity or decay or something from the valley of another molar, the cross shaped groove between the peaks or points of the molar. But, she removed a lot of tooth. This tooth feels like it has a very deep valley, perhaps a deep valley with a bit of a hollow or hole at the bottom. And it also appears that at least one of the peaks is now very thin (and also a bit sharp). Initially, she told me she thought this tooth would need to be crowned also, but I guess she just decided to remove the damaged area. I feel like that while the area is now clear of any decay, I’m concerned that the depth of the valley and the thinness of the peak will have left this tooth prone to food and saliva collection and also thin and fragile.

Any opinions?

I’m planning to see another dentist I trust later in the month for a second opinion. If there are problems, this dentist won’t be able to make repairs because he is not on my insurance plan, but it is a dentist I know and saw for years until I was unable to see him anymore due to insurance issues. He actually made the crown that was just replaced about 35 years ago!

2

Dentist here. Not having seen anything so can’t know for sure.

  1. first I am assuming the old crown was porcelain with a metal substrate v. an all metal or all porcelain crown. It the old porc. was cracked as opposed to broken off there probably was no need to replace it unless it an aesthetic concern. If the crown was all porc. then the structure would have been compromised and it needed replacing. If it looks cracked in the new porc. it may very well be, can you feel a crack with your tongue? Prior to cementation a broken crown can be sent back to the lab for repair, afterward not much can be done short of replacement. There are some porc. repair kits on the market and I’ve tried them all, they are adequate at best and a more for replacing a chunk of lost porcelain v. a structural crack.

2)sounds like the filling is a bit high and usually just takes a few seconds to adjust it. Get the adjustment if needed. Getting used to it isn’t a good thing. Every time you bite you pound the tooth and over time can be traumatic for the tooth.

  1. probably no big deal. Everytime a fill is replaced one has to take away more tooth. They can get quite thin but if the fill holds great, if not than a crown is usually indicated. Sounds like that one is close and the doctor opted to try the more conservative approach. As for the deeper valley, probably just didn’t get the shape of the fill the same as the previous one.

Hope this helps. PMs okay but don’t guarantee quick responses.

3

Thank you for your opinion.

Yes, the old crown had a metal substrate. I know this because it leaned a little grey toward the bottom. I was not aware that it had a crack. It was not giving me any trouble. I replaced it at the dentist’s recommendation and I presumed she was correct as it was elderly.

If I return, I will ask her to modify the large/uncomfortable filling.

The “well” on the other tooth- well, she didn’t fill it. She just removed a lot of the top. It seems to catch food and bothers me for a while after I eat.

I do apprectiate your opinion and will be seeing a different dentist soon to have him give me an opinion, too. I think I don’t trust this dentist right now and may transfer to another.
Another thing that bothered me about these last two visits was that she basically chewed me out for not taking care of some problems sooner, but I have been going to this clinic and seeing her for a couple of years now. I go there twice a year to get my teeth cleaned and every other visit I get xrays done.

She lectured me about not having two small cavities that were next to each other on one tooth filled. I just said “Well, I’ve been coming here for years. I saw that spot but relied on you to tell me if something needed to be done. I presumed that if you saw something that needed treatment, you would have mentioned it.”

I was aware that they were there but though ‘well, maybe they have to be some certain size before they get treated.’ I dunno. I’m not a dentist.

4

Definitely time for a new dentist if you have no confidence in her.