New porcelain crown doesn't reach my gums (repair, permanent, problems)
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Update - I spoke with the dentist, and he said it can take "up to 6 months" for the crown to settle into place adjacent to the gum. A nice way to make me wait for 6 months..... I will see him in a couple months for my next cleaning, and push him then. Meanwhile, I have found another dentist, and I think I will see him before then to get an opinion first.
Thank you for all of your help and advice.
Waiting 6 months for the crown to "settle" is a bunch of hooey, IMO.
I think you should see the new dentist right away.....and if he says the crown needs to be redone.....I would go right back to the first one and tell him what the new dentist said.
In the meantime, make sure to keep that tooth extra clean so food doesn't settle in the gap and start decay.
Agreed with Annie, see the new dentist about this immediately because 6 months is bonkers. My front porcelain crowns were good and ready to go the same day they were put in so that doesn't sound right to me.
Last edited by cyberphonics; 10-16-2013 at 09:52 AM..
I saw another dentist, who came highly recommended. He was very "careful" in his criticism, but said the crown is sealed well but it isn't great cosmetically because of the gap. He said that if he had put that crown on and noticed the gap, he would have taken it off immediately and simply sent it back and had another one made. He disagreed that the gap would "fill in" over time.
He also told me the crown is porcelain over metal instead of solid porcelain, and that the gap looked particularly dark because we can see the metal underneath. I hadn't realized that, as the dentist had told me it was a porcelain crown. Another strike against me for not stopping him and doing more research so I would ask him the right questions. The new dentist actually said he only uses porcelain crowns now and is surprised that some dentists do not, as they are not much more expensive.
Unfortunately, the new dentist told me that the only solution is taking the crown off and putting a new one on. He said insurance wouldn't help pay for this until after 5 years. He didn't **say** the original dentist should do this now for free, but agreed it was reasonable to go back and show the current condition to the original dentist. He did agree with me that I am lucky this is my 4th tooth from center, as it is less noticeable, as it would be very unfortunate if it was more towards the front.
I will probably not try to force the first dentist to re-do it. No way is that a good idea at this point. I will see him next month for my next cleaning, and will be curious what he says/offers, and I will tell him about my 2nd opinion. Then I will ask for copies of my records and xrays and tell him I wont be back, and will post my review of him on Yelp and Angie's list.
I am glad the crown is "technically" sound and your tooth will be OK. I would still be extra vigilant keeping the gap clean.
Glad you found a new dentist who knows what he is doing.
Please let us know what the crappy dentist has to say for himself.
And.....I agree with your plan.....not worth going through a big hassle trying to get him to replace the crown......I wouldn't trust him to do it right anyway.
I had a good friend who had a crown done by another dentist. A year later, half the porcelain breaks off the crown and the dentist wants to charge him for another one at 20% off. If I do a crown that fails before 5 yrs (assuming the patient is coming in regularly for checkups), I redo them for free. I ended up replacing the crown for him and just charged him the lab fee so I basically discounted my service to him by $800-1000+.
I had a good friend who had a crown done by another dentist. A year later, half the porcelain breaks off the crown and the dentist wants to charge him for another one at 20% off. If I do a crown that fails before 5 yrs (assuming the patient is coming in regularly for checkups), I redo them for free. I ended up replacing the crown for him and just charged him the lab fee so I basically discounted my service to him by $800-1000+.
Smart move....you will keep patients.....instead of losing them and having them tell everyone they know that you don't stand behind your work.
That other dentist will never know how many potential patients he lost, and how much money.....because of the way he treated just this one patient.
I had a good friend who had a crown done by another dentist. A year later, half the porcelain breaks off the crown and the dentist wants to charge him for another one at 20% off. If I do a crown that fails before 5 yrs (assuming the patient is coming in regularly for checkups), I redo them for free. I ended up replacing the crown for him and just charged him the lab fee so I basically discounted my service to him by $800-1000+.
This is admirable of you.
The "new" dentist I visited (who I will also start using as my new dentist), told me a similar story. I'm sure my "old" dentist would not do this.... no way.
It is particularly admirable since, per my reading, the porcelain crowns are more fragile and you can break one by not being careful. I am "lucky" that the position of my crown is such that I can avoid chewing/biting with it... so I will do that.
Smart move....you will keep patients.....instead of losing them and having them tell everyone they know that you don't stand behind your work.
That other dentist will never know how many potential patients he lost, and how much money.....because of the way he treated just this one patient.
Very good points. I agree completely.
I work in health care, and it occurred to me that if he is willing to be so sloppy in his explanations, standards, and billing practices with me.... I suspect he is even worse with his other patients who were less pro-active.
The "new" dentist I visited (who I will also start using as my new dentist), told me a similar story. I'm sure my "old" dentist would not do this.... no way.
It is particularly admirable since, per my reading, the porcelain crowns are more fragile and you can break one by not being careful. I am "lucky" that the position of my crown is such that I can avoid chewing/biting with it... so I will do that.
Porcelain crowns have come a long way. If you get a porcelain crown called an E-Max crown, they are made of a stronger porcelain (lithium disilicate) which is twice as strong as a regular porcelain fused to metal crown as long as they are made thick enough (~1.5mm or thicker). Even at 1.0mm thickness they are quite strong. The typical crown most people will get has a thin metal coping/substructure with porcelain fused to it on top. The weakest area in this sort of crown is the actual bond of the porcelain to the metal. The "regular" porcelains that were more popular back in the day were feldspathic and were probably less than 1/4 the strength of a lithium disilicate and less than 1/2 as strong as a porcelain fused to metal crown.
Porcelain crowns have come a long way. If you get a porcelain crown called an E-Max crown, they are made of a stronger porcelain (lithium disilicate) which is twice as strong as a regular porcelain fused to metal crown as long as they are made thick enough (~1.5mm or thicker). Even at 1.0mm thickness they are quite strong. The typical crown most people will get has a thin metal coping/substructure with porcelain fused to it on top. The weakest area in this sort of crown is the actual bond of the porcelain to the metal. The "regular" porcelains that were more popular back in the day were feldspathic and were probably less than 1/4 the strength of a lithium disilicate and less than 1/2 as strong as a porcelain fused to metal crown.
Interesting. Thanks for this information. It helps me to be further educated before my next (last...) dentist visit.
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