Baton Rouge Dentist

Why Does Cool Water Relieve My Toothache Temporarily?

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I got four fillings 12 years ago, and two fell out. The fills that fell out don’t hurt, but one of the remaining fillings causes severe pain when I chew on that side of my mouth. Swishing my mouth with cool water relieves the pain but only briefly. Why would a stable filling hurt? Thanks. Braxton from OK

 

Braxton,

The tooth with the filling that hurts when you chew has symptoms of dying tooth pulp. You will need root canal treatment to save the tooth. Bacteria may have seeped beneath the filling, causing decay. As the tooth pulp dies, gases from bacteria increase pressure inside the tooth and cause a toothache.

Why Does Cool Water Decrease Tooth Pain?

Cool water decreases the gases released from bacteria inside a tooth and temporarily eases tooth pain. It is like the relief from applying an ice pack to reduce swelling in a sprained wrist or ankle.

You can get relief from root canal treatment to remove the infected tissue inside your tooth. After the root canal, your dentist will seal the tooth after replacing the diseased pulp with dental filler material. A dental crown will protect the tooth from further weakening.

Your dentist will recommend replacing the fillings that fell out. Checking the remaining fillings can prevent future concerns.

Baton Rouge family dentist Dr. Ryan Perry sponsors this post.  Read how Dr. Perry strives to provide some of the best dental care in Baton Rouge.

Can I Switch Dentists in the Middle of Getting a New Crown?

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I have a temporary crown on my bottom right second molar. I’ve had problems with the temporary crown and am concerned that the permanent one won’t be much different. I’m scheduled to get the final crown in the first week of April. However, the temporary crown fell off two days after I got it. My dentist placed it back, but it fell off that evening, and I had to return the next day. My dentist made a new temporary crown, but a piece fell off over the weekend, so I returned for another one the following Tuesday. My dentist took a new impression of my tooth at the dental lab’s request. I’m nervous about the final crown and wondering if I should cancel it. – Thank you. Alejandro from Houston

Alejandro,

We are concerned about a dentist who could not properly take your impressions or bond a temporary crown. Also, the new temporary crown broke. The history of your temporary crown suggests that you will also have problems with your final crown.

Why Does a Temporary Crown Fall Off?

The bottom of a hollow dental crown with a dental stick holding it
A skilled cosmetic dentist can provide a crown that fits and functions well.

A temporary crown may fall off if a dentist tapers the circumference of your tooth aggressively or shortens it too much. In either case, it would be challenging for the tooth to retain the temporary crown. We are concerned that your dentist overprepared your tooth. Although a temporary crown is removable and replaced with the final crown, it should not repeatedly fall off.

The dental lab requests a new impression, which further increases our concerns. However, it is not unusual for a dentist to need another impression if the first gets contaminated with fluids that seep around a tooth. In that case, a dentist would catch the mistake when examining the impression and retake it. The combination of your dentist’s mistakes is concerning.

Can You Switch Dentists in the Middle of Getting a New Crown?

You can switch dentists while getting a new crown, especially when there are multiple problems with getting your temporary crown right. Your dentist agreed to give you a crown that fits and functions well. Since your dentist has not proven that he can give you a functional crown, he has an ethical obligation to assist with your transfer to another dentist for your final crown and refund you for the payments you’ve made.

A dental crown that dislodges unexpectedly can aspirate into your lungs, or you could swallow it. Why risk the inconvenience when you have warning signs with a temporary crown that won’t stay on?

Schedule a second opinion with a dentist with advanced cosmetic dentistry training and experience.

Dr. Ryan Perry, a five-star dentist in Baton Rouge, sponsors this post. Read why so many patients think he is the best dentist in Baton Rouge.

My Dentist Can’t Get My Crown to Match

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My schedule is so tight that I decided to get a same-day crown at a local dentist near my job. The crown is for a right lateral incisor. The dentist was confident that she could make a perfect match, but the crown did not. She replaced the crown twice, each time with the wrong color. During my last visit, the dentist told me to be happy that I could get the tooth fixed in a day. But my tooth isn’t fixed. I want this obvious mismatch corrected. Am I asking being unreasonable? – Thank you, Lizette

Lizette,

We understand your disappointment. Your dentist made it seem like you are asking too much to have your crown match your other teeth. A match is essential for a front tooth, especially if you want to feel comfortable about your smile.

Matching a Dental Crown for A Front Tooth

Ten dental crowns for various tooth positions on black glass
A skilled cosmetic dentist will ensure your dental crown matches your surrounding teeth.

It takes skill and patience for a dentist to achieve a perfect match for a crown on a front tooth. It becomes more challenging to achieve the match with a same-day crown—especially if the dentist does not understand techniques for doing aesthetic touchups to the crown. It is normal to try in the crown two or three times to ensure a perfect match. However, a skilled cosmetic dentist will not give up and tell you to be happy with the results.

Your dentist may use a Vita shade guide and be frustrated because the shade guide isn’t achieving a match. However, an advanced cosmetic dentist would take these steps to achieve a match with a crown:

  • Work with a master dental ceramist to craft a highly aesthetic crown
  • Draw a color map for the ceramist
  • Provide written instructions that specify a basic shade
  • Draw areas where the ceramist would need to add tints to exactly match your natural teeth
  • Try in the crown when it arrives to check for color and take pictures of your teeth
  • Communicate discrepancies with the ceramist and send photos
  • Cement the crown only when the try-in is successful and you approve the crown’s appearance and fit

Get a second opinion

Although same-day crowns offer convenience and a metal-free alternative, if your dentist doesn’t know how to get a close match to your natural teeth with the crown, you are wasting time and money. Many dentists do not have much training in cosmetic dentistry beyond dental school. Don’t be surprised if a cosmetic dentist recommends a custom crown from a ceramist to give you beautiful results. We recommend that you find a cosmetic dentist to examine your crown and explain your options for matching a crown to your tooth shade.

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 Dentist’s Grinding Ruined My Crown

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Frustrated woman with her hands covering her faceIn October, my dentist placed crowns on my left first and second molar teeth. One of the crowns fell off, so my dentist cemented and ground it down to correct the bite. Within two weeks, the back side of the crown (closest to my tongue) broke. I think she was too aggressive with that grinding tool. Now I feel weird when I chew on that side of my mouth. My dentist had emphasized how affordably she could provide the two crowns, but now I might need new ones. Thank you. Milan from NJ

Milan

Thanks for your inquiry.

Should a Dentist Grind on Your Crowns?

Dentists commonly adjust a new crown to your bite by grinding or filing it down. But the dentist must check your bite in intervals to ensure that not too much—or too little—of the crown is adjusted. But these are minor adjustments. Your dentist will shape and smooth the crown to prevent it from feeling rough.

But we are concerned about several aspects of your experience.

  • Loose crowns – A permanent crown should not loosen or fall off. Your dentist might have aggressively prepared your tooth or bonded the crown incorrectly.
  • Adjusting your bite – A dentist should adjust your bite and crown when placing it. It is not expected to modify the crown after re-cementing it. Something went wrong in the process. Still, your dentist must explain why she adjusted it.
  • Broken crown – A crown should not break from conservative bonding. Dr. Perry would need to examine your crown, but it seems it is now dangerously thin.
  • Affecting your bite – The adjustments affect your bite, which can cause multiple issues leading to TMJ symptoms.

Your dentist should compensate you. We recommend scheduling a second opinion with a cosmetic dentist trained in occlusion and bite. You don’t have to sacrifice quality to get affordable dental care.

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 Insurance Won’t Cover a Tooth Post and Core

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My insurance won’t cover a tooth post for my right, even though my dentist says it will help save my tooth. My insurance will pay 50% for a crown but not the $740 post and core. Are a post and core necessary? How long could my tooth last if I declined the post and core? – Thank you – Tim, from SD

Tim,

Thank you for your question.

Insurance companies often provide benefits for the least expensive treatment. Your dentist is concerned about preserving your tooth.

What Are a Dental Post and Core?

A dental post is a small, thin post that a dentist inserts your tooth. A core is a filling material that builds up your tooth in preparation for a dental crown. The combination of a post and core stabilizes and strengthens a weak tooth.

Why Would a Dentist Recommend It?

A dentist may recommend a post and core after root canal treatment or if you lack healthy tooth structure for supporting a dental crown. The procedure will ensure the crown stays in place.

  • The procedure includes these steps:
  • Root canal treatment to remove decay and infection
  • Insert a post deep into the tooth
  • Fill the tooth with material to stabilize the post
  • Apply dental bonding to the tooth to shape it like a natural tooth that is ready for a crown
  • Bond the crown to the built-up tooth

What Might Happen If You Refuse the Post and Core?

Dental implant components, including the post, abutment, and crown
Many dentists try to preserve natural teeth before recommending an extraction and crown

If you refuse a dental post and core, these concerns may result:

  • Bonding a crown to a weak tooth can irritate or weaken the tooth and lead to infection.
  • The tooth may require removal.
  • Your dentist may need to replace the tooth with a dental implant and crown. Associated fees can cost up to $5,000. Get a pretreatment estimate from your dentist and ask your dental insurance company how much your plan will cover.

Your dentist’s approach protects your tooth for the future and saves you the time and expense of more costly procedures. If you are still unsure about your dentist’s treatment recommendations, you can schedule a second opinion with an advanced cosmetic dentist and ask for an examination of your tooth and x-rays.

 

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.

My Tooth Crumbled. What Do I Do?

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I had a root canal and temporary filling done. I’m supposed to go in for the crown on Wednesday, but it seems my tooth has crumbled. I was eating and suddenly I felt bits of tooth in my food.  My dentist warned me I wouldn’t be able to put off getting the crown, but this is sooner than expected. Do I need to see an emergency dentist?

Barth – New Mexico

Barth,

Of course, I can’t tell you with certainty without seeing you, but I suspect it isn’t your tooth crumbling, but the temporary filling coming out. Look in the tooth. Is there a hole in the center? That’s where your filling should be.

If that is the case, you won’t need an . Instead, you can just get some store bought tooth filling to tide you over until your appointment on Wednesday. It’s meant for situations specifically like yours.

However, if you look back there and the tooth is gone, then yes, you’ve got a problem. Call your dentist. They likely have a protocol for situations like these and may have you come in early.

This blog is brought to you by Dr. Ryan Perry.