Help - Crown came off (teeth, implants, pain, dentist)

[Info Guy]

My crown came off and I did bleed a little bit, not anymore though. There was a really small tooth inside that broke also.

My doctor is aware of this and the doctor is going to put a bridge there on the 22nd of June. Any suggestions for now? Do I throw away that crown and the broken tooth there?

[AnonChick]

You should ask your dentist for instructions about that crown. It might be possible that you can use it to protect the bit of tooth that's still in your gum with a tiny (I mean TINY - the amount that would fit on the head of a straight-pin) amount of Fixodent.

But you'd really need to speak with your dentist, especially if there's a piece of that tooth that's broken off. If it's a crown covering a root canal post, you'll probably be okay as long as you remember not to try and chew on that tooth or eat any popcorn til after your visit. If it's not covering a root canal post, you might have some pretty severe and significant sensitivity, bad enough that even inhaling can be painful. If that's the case, then that tooth really -needs- to be protected, and waiting almost a month is not good idea.

[Info Guy]

I am waiting for the on call doctor to call me. I don't think this crown will stick with the OTC cement. It has half tooth in there. Is it going to cause any problems if I eat and drink without the crown there for a week or two?

I don't have any pain right now. No bleeding. I drank a cold soda and no issues. Inhale has no issues. I think root canal on this 26th tooth was done in 2008 and then Crown.

Originally Posted by AnonChick

You should ask your dentist for instructions about that crown. It might be possible that you can use it to protect the bit of tooth that's still in your gum with a tiny (I mean TINY - the amount that would fit on the head of a straight-pin) amount of Fixodent.

But you'd really need to speak with your dentist, especially if there's a piece of that tooth that's broken off. If it's a crown covering a root canal post, you'll probably be okay as long as you remember not to try and chew on that tooth or eat any popcorn til after your visit. If it's not covering a root canal post, you might have some pretty severe and significant sensitivity, bad enough that even inhaling can be painful. If that's the case, then that tooth really -needs- to be protected, and waiting almost a month is not good idea.

[AnonChick]

If it's no issues, then the nerve is either dead or was removed. So on -that- end of things, it's all good. The fact that the tooth broke off, is not a good thing. And you probably will want to still protect whatever's left of it. I don't know what you mean by cement. You really should probably just stick with fixodent or other denture adhesive, instead of crown cement, UNLESS the dentist recommends the cement. You can keep the crown in your mouth overnight with just a single pin-head's worth of fixodent, or you can remove it -easily- at night when you sleep and put it back in when you get up in the morning.

The reason I say probably the fixodent, is because a longer-term cement on a ground stub of a tooth that's already started crumbling, might break off even worse when they try and pry it off to give you the bridge. Fixodent is designed to be temporary and -short-term- (meaning, usually 12-24 hours at a time), and is much more easily removed, with less trauma to the tooth under the crown.

Removing it daily also ensures that you didn't cement the crown onto the tooth with dirt or food trapped between the two, which can cause decay very rapidly on a tooth that has had its enamel ground off (which is the case for you).

And regardless of which you do, rinse your mouth well before putting the crown on. Use a little listerine, swish well, spit out. If you don't have any listerine, you can use a teaspoon of vodka in a little dixie cup of tap water (just remember to spit out!)

[Info Guy]

I got the appointment for 10:30 am this Monday.

A Bridge is more stronger then a Crown?

I can't use adhesives because there is some tooth in the crown. It won't stick?

I am not using the crown so it is a empty space. What can happen from now till Monday morning?

Originally Posted by AnonChick

If it's no issues, then the nerve is either dead or was removed. So on -that- end of things, it's all good. The fact that the tooth broke off, is not a good thing. And you probably will want to still protect whatever's left of it. I don't know what you mean by cement. You really should probably just stick with fixodent or other denture adhesive, instead of crown cement, UNLESS the dentist recommends the cement. You can keep the crown in your mouth overnight with just a single pin-head's worth of fixodent, or you can remove it -easily- at night when you sleep and put it back in when you get up in the morning.

The reason I say probably the fixodent, is because a longer-term cement on a ground stub of a tooth that's already started crumbling, might break off even worse when they try and pry it off to give you the bridge. Fixodent is designed to be temporary and -short-term- (meaning, usually 12-24 hours at a time), and is much more easily removed, with less trauma to the tooth under the crown.

Removing it daily also ensures that you didn't cement the crown onto the tooth with dirt or food trapped between the two, which can cause decay very rapidly on a tooth that has had its enamel ground off (which is the case for you).

And regardless of which you do, rinse your mouth well before putting the crown on. Use a little listerine, swish well, spit out. If you don't have any listerine, you can use a teaspoon of vodka in a little dixie cup of tap water (just remember to spit out!)

[AnonChick]

First, you say you lost a crown, with a piece of the tooth.
Then, you say there was a root canal.
Now, you say there's just an empty space.

Crowns cannot be cemented to empty spaces. They need a tooth, or a root canal post, or an implant post, to attach onto. A crown is something that *crowns* something else. Just like a crown on a king. The king has to have a head, or else there's nothing for the crown to sit on. That's why it's called a crown.

A bridge is exactly what it sounds like. A device that connects point A to point C, bypassing point B in the middle.

[Info Guy]

Originally Posted by AnonChick

First, you say you lost a crown, with a piece of the tooth.
Then, you say there was a root canal.
Now, you say there's just an empty space.

Crowns cannot be cemented to empty spaces. They need a tooth, or a root canal post, or an implant post, to attach onto. A crown is something that *crowns* something else. Just like a crown on a king. The king has to have a head, or else there's nothing for the crown to sit on. That's why it's called a crown.

A bridge is exactly what it sounds like. A device that connects point A to point C, bypassing point B in the middle.

Root Canal was in 2001 with 26 I think then Crown in 2008.

Empty space because the crown fell off and tooth is broken. Some part of tooth is in the Crown.

The tooth on the empty space is so small. Very little left. So if there was no tooth or very little left then Crown will not work out right? The only option is bridge?

[AnonChick]

No. One option would be to make a new crown that is designed to fit whatever is left. That is -if- that tooth can be saved. However, since it broke off, this indicates that the tooth has already been compromised badly enough that it won't hold a new crown even if it fits perfectly.

A second option would be a bridge. This is would require that the root canal itself be refilled and redrilled, OR that the entire device and whatever tooth is left be removed entirely (you don't want a bridge put over something that's in the process of falling apart, that just leads to decay and bone loss). Then, the teeth on either side of #26 (25 and 27) be shaved down so that the bridge would fit properly.

A third option would be to pull out the post of the root canal, and do an implant. This -might- involve bone grafting (that's common) but you might be lucky and not need grafting.

The implant and the bridge would be nearly the same price. The pros and cons of each:

Bridge Pros:
Bridge is less invasive to your mouth and bone, and costs somewhat (but not significantly) less. Less recovery time, less pain, shorter period of time needed from start to finish.

Bridge Cons:
Fitting for the bridge can actually take longer because you're not fitting just one tooth space, you're fitting a minimum of three.
You have to partially destroy a minimum of two teeth that might have been in perfectly healthy shape, just to fit the bridge over them, because they are now anchors for the bridge.
If one of those two anchor teeth need a root canal in the future, or develop a cavity, you might have to get the whole bridge yanked off, just so the dentist can get to the tooth (in some cases, the dentist can drill right through the bridge but that isn't always the case). Every time you pull off a permanent bridge and replace it with a new one, you risk the new ones' fit being off, your bite being not perfect, alignment being wrong, and the anchor teeth being jarred and risking damage to them.

Pros of implant:
It's just one tooth being completely extracted and replaced with a strong, permanent hard-metal post and covered with a cap.
No side teeth need to be shaved or shaped, at all.
Price is only marginally higher than a bridge.
If there's no bone grafting, there are only a couple of visits needed, and only one of them (the implant itself) takes any significant amount of time (less than an hour).
There is no risk of needing to remove it, should one of the side teeth need any work done.
Implants are -much- easier to clean than bridges (with a bridge, you need to get special flossing threaders so you can push the floss between the bridge and the gum, to get the empty space clean of food and stimulate the gum. With an implant, just brush and floss as usual).
The crown over an implant post is less likely to come loose or fall off, than the bridge coming loose on shaved teeth.
An implant can last much much longer than a bridge. Bridges, if treated right, shouldn't need to be replaced at all, but the risk of that need is higher than the risk with the implant.

Downside to the implant:
If it needs a bone graft, this requires a pretty intense visit to the dentist or oral surgeon (it is absolutely positively considered oral surgery and not all dentists perform it). The recovery process for this is painful for several days, so you need to be prepared to be out of work for some of it.
Some insurance companies cover bridges, or cover parts of the procedure, or return $50-250 for the procedure to the patient. Implants are generally not covered at all. You'd have to check in advance with your dental insurance, but chances are, the answer is a flat-out no, even if it's medically necessary.
Implants involve a long-term commitment to the process, of up to a year. First is the extraction and the grafting and then you wait around 6 months to make sure the grafting "takes" and absorbs and grows bone. Then they drill a brand new hole in your gum, down into the new bone, and place a titanium post. That has to sit there for a few months to make sure it stays put and heals properly to fill that hole. Then you get the crown placed over the post.

So you have to weigh your options. Personally, if I could have afforded it, I would've gotten an implant on every single tooth I've had bridged, instead of carving up perfectly good teeth to place bridges on them just to cover up an empty space in the middle of them.

But my bridges were -somewhat- covered, and bridges are -somewhat- less expensive to begin with. Implants cost more, and aren't covered at all. So in my case, with my insurance, it would've been around $2000 more, and I just plain didn't have it.

I totally recommend them though, IF your dentist feels it is an option.

[boop_1016]

I already have the implant posts but the crowns (teeth) cracked and broke off. How much to replace teeth I had the dental implant procedure done 15 years ago

[BLAZER PROPHET]

Originally Posted by boop_1016

I already have the implant posts but the crowns (teeth) cracked and broke off. How much to replace teeth I had the dental implant procedure done 15 years ago

Start a new thread and explain yourself better. I have no idea what you are saying.