Baton Rouge Dentist

Will Crown Lengthening Stop My Dental Crown from Falling Off?

Posted on by .

My dentist wants to remove some of my gum tissue to give my crown more tooth area for bonding. Last Tuesday was the fourth time the crown fell off. My dentist returned the crown but said I may need the gum procedure if it falls off again. Is this extreme? Shouldn’t she try to figure out why the crown is falling off? If my gums are in the way of the crown, why didn’t she know that before bonding the crown last October? Also, the tooth’s base is dark, but it wasn’t like that before the new crown. I’m concerned that I will need a new dentist and crown and won’t be able to afford it. – Thanks. Andrej from Brooklyn, NY

Andrej,

Yes, your dentist should have ensured she knew how to bond your crown securely and prevent it from falling off.

What Is Crown Lengthening?

The bottom of a hollow dental crown with a dental stick holding it
Crown lengthening can help a dental crown stay in place

Crown lengthening is a procedure to trim gum tissue and perhaps some of the bone supporting your tooth to expose more tooth structure and retain a dental crown. A dentist may perform crown lengthening for a secure bond and prevent a dental crown from falling off.

However, a dentist may secure a crown on a short tooth without doing crown lengthening by preparing the tooth with a very slight taper and cutting grooves in the sides of the tooth. Still, a dentist must perform crown lengthening if most of a tooth’s structure is missing from wear, trauma, or decay.

Get a Dental Crown Second Opinion

Although your dentist plans to alter your gum tissue and do a new crown, we recommend consulting a cosmetic dentist for a second opinion. Your dentist should willingly refund you and your dental insurance company if applicable. Your crown is not functional, so your dentist should not charge a fee. Still, you can talk to your new dentist’s billing office about getting affordable dental care with payment plans.

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.

My dental crown keeps falling off

Posted on by .

My dentist did a root canal on an upper right tooth about 12 years ago. Two years ago, the crown fell off, and my dentist replaced it. Since that time, the crown fell off three times, and my dentist cemented it back on. But my crown still feels a little loose. Not much tooth is left beneath the crown. Is this recementing something that I need to accept? The next time it falls off, I’m tempted to find a completely different dentist who takes urgent appointments to see if they can do any better than my dentist.

Thanks. Rebeka from Virginia

Rebeka,

When a crown keeps falling off, the problem is usually the design of the crown preparation. If that’s true in your case, you might need a new crown.

When a Root Canal Tooth Is Badly Broken

When a root canal tooth doesn’t have much structure left, a dentist can’t prepare the tooth properly. Some dentists use this method to improve crown retention:

  • Remove some of the root canal filler material
  • Place a flexible fiberglass post about 2/3 the tooth length into the canal and cement it in place
  • Bond core material to the post and tooth
  • Bond the crown to the built-up tooth

A flexible post in a rooth canal tootth to build it up in preparation for a dental crownIt won’t help to see another dentist for an emergency appointment because your situation can’t be corrected that quickly. The resolution takes forethought, time, and skill. The photographs on this page, courtesy of Dentistry Today, are an example of a treatment option that might work for your case.

If a dentist builds up your tooth with a post and composite, the tooth should retain a crown. But you need some remaining tooth structure for this to work. If crown retention only comes from the post, normal function and twisting stress will break the post, and the crown will fall off.

Bonding built up a tooth and postLook for an experienced dentist, schedule a consultation, and ask about treatment options.

 

 

Ryan Perry DDS, a Baton Rouge family dentist, sponsors this post.