Baton Rouge Dentist

Can Multiple Bite Adjustments Cause Hives and Ruin My Crowns?

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Last June, my dentist placed 10 zirconia crowns, which have been adjusted several times to correct my bite. After the second adjustment, hives broke out on my gums and inner lips. My bite still doesn’t feel right. I’m wondering whether grinding through the finished surface of the zirconia could have ruined my crowns and released something that’s now irritating my mouth. Will the adjustments eventually ruin my crowns? Thanks. Tyler from Kissimmee, FL

Tyler,

Zirconia is exceptionally durable, which makes bite adjustments difficult and sometimes uncomfortable. Grinding zirconia to adjust your bite can be a demanding process for both you and your dentist.

While it’s understandable to worry about an allergic reaction, true zirconia allergy has not been documented.  Sensitivity to zirconia dust would usually fade once the dust clears. If sensitivity to zirconia were the cause, symptoms would likely have appeared even before adjustments began. Your symptoms align more closely with burning mouth syndrome, which is often associated with stressful, intense dental experiences.

Consider Getting a Second Opinion

The bottom of a hollow dental crown with a dental stick holding it
Precise tooth preparation and quality impressions help crowns fit well.

You described having ten crowns and a bite that still doesn’t feel right. A healthy bite allows the teeth to meet evenly and the jaw muscles to stay relaxed. Disrupting the balance can cause muscle spasms, leading to headaches, jaw pain, and TMJ-related symptoms. Persistent bite problems can also trigger stress, which can manifest as hives.

Advanced bite analysis isn’t emphasized in general dental education, so dentists who focus on this area pursue additional training through institutes such as:

  • The Pankey Institute
  • The Dawson Academy
  • Spear Education
  • The Las Vegas Institute for Advanced Dental Studies

Finding a dentist with this specialized background for a second opinion may help determine the cause of your misaligned bite and how to resolve it. After a qualified dentist restores your oral health, the hives may improve as well.

Baton Rouge family dentist Dr. Ryan Perry sponsors this post. Please read about how he strives to provide his patients with the best care possible.

 

Will it ruin a new crown to grind down a high spot?

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I recently had a root canal and got a crown on a molar on the bottom and now my bite is off. It doesn’t feel like it used to. My teeth don’t fit together the same when I bite or clench my jaw. I think it needs to be ground down or something, but my dentist thinks I’ll get used to it and I just have to give it time. Will it ruin my crown if the dentist grinds it down? Is that why my dentist doesn’t want to fix it?

Kay, Denver, Colorado

Dear Kay,

That’s too bad that your dentist is asking you to be patient instead of trying to adjust your dental crown. Unfortunately, when dentists do that, it is often a sign that they aren’t comfortable or knowledgeable about the correction.

The way your upper and lower teeth meet when you chew, and how your teeth function together, is called occlusion. When you get a crown, the shape of the crown is similar to, but most likely not exactly like, the contour of the original tooth, and the occlusion may be different. Over time, you may get used to your new bite, but in some instances, when the bite is off, it can cause unusual stress on the teeth. This stress can lead to bone loss or contribute to TMJ disorders.

When a new crown feels off, most dentists will simply fix it so it isn’t so high. There is a special “registration paper” that the dentist would ask you to tap and bite your teeth together on. When there is a part of the tooth that hits before the rest of the tooth, the dentist will grind the tooth in that spot to fix it. It doesn’t hurt the crown to grind down small spots that may be causing discomfort. This is a common practice with crowns.

You have a couple of options. You can wait as suggested and see if your bite adjusts if you have had a good experience otherwise with your dentist. If you do go back and ask again to adjust the crown and he is hesitant, don’t push it. It may end up worse than leaving the crown as it is.

If you don’t have any ties that bind with this dentist, it may not hurt to get a second opinion.

This post is sponsored by Dr. Ryan Perry in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.