Is the tooth under a crown dead? (teeth, pain, molars)
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I am having a continued problem with my root canal and crown. I got a root canal and crown in late August of this year (upper canine tooth). The temporary crown felt great. But then I got the permanent crown. Soon after I got my permanent crown, it started feeling sore. It is sensitive to hot food. It is sore when I push against it with my finger, or pull on it with my tongue. It is sensitive when I am out walking in the cold weather with my mouth open. It is not painful. It's just sore. Not terribly sore. But the soreness worries me because it should not be occurring
I went back to the dental office, and a senior dentist examined my crown. He did a 3-D xray. He decided to give me a powerful antibiotic which I took 4X a day for seven days. He said IF my root canal still has an infection this antibiotic will make it feel better. Well, the antibiotic had no effect on the tooth. It continued to be sore. I went to the dentist yesterday to update him about outcome of the antibiotic treatment. He suggested I see an endodontist. I asked him if I would be responsible for the cost, and he said yes. (I don't have insurance).
Tonight I may have figured out what the problem is. But first give you this information: After getting fitted with my permanent crown, I attempted to put on my Hawley retainer, and it felt uncomfortably tight. I wore it for about a week, and took the retainer back to the dentist office and she did an adjustment. It was still tight. Brought it back again. Another adjustment. Still too tight. So I went and got a new retainer. The new one is an Essex retainer.
Tonight it dawned on me that when I put my essex retainer on, my tooth ceases being sore. The soreness vanishes. The essex retainer covers my entire crown all the way to the top. Is it possible that air has been getting into the crown, and the retainer is blocking air from getting inside? I told the dentist that I can put my fingernail at the top of my crown and feel the top edge of it. I asked if that was normal, but I didn't get a straight answer. I asked her if it was possible that air was getting into my crown, and she no. I think she also said that the tooth under the crown is dead. So I am here to ask you if, in fact, the tooth under the crown is dead? Are there any live nerves under a crown after someone has a root canal and the old tooth is ground down? Because I think air is getting into the crown and is causing the soreness I Thank you for your reply!
I have alot of root canals with crowns in my mouth and yes the nerves are dead after the root canal if its done correctly. Was it your general dentist that did the procedure instead of a specialist? And yes the tooth can rot under a crown over time. Its possible but I dont know how common. Maybe the crown doesnt fit correctly and is irritating the gum around the tooth, and causing the pain. Id go back and complain.
I have alot of root canals with crowns in my mouth and yes the nerves are dead after the root canal if its done correctly. Was it your general dentist that did the procedure instead of a specialist? And yes the tooth can rot under a crown over time. Its possible but I dont know how common. Maybe the crown doesnt fit correctly and is irritating the gum around the tooth, and causing the pain. Id go back and complain.
Yes it was a general dentist. The soreness is very minimal. I feel embarrassed to complain about it.
To answer your original question, not necessarily. Crowns can be put over teeth that haven't needed root canals. The pulp and nerve were hopefully still healthy when the crown was done. If they weren't, that's another story. FWIW, I have several crowns. Nothing was done to the pulp, root, or nerve of any of them during crown preparation because they were still undamaged. No discomfort before or since.
Last edited by Parnassia; 12-26-2019 at 01:55 PM..
To answer your original question, not necessarily. Crowns can be put over teeth that haven't needed root canals. The pulp and nerve were hopefully still healthy when the crown was done. If they weren't, that's another story. FWIW, I have several crowns. Nothing was done to the pulp, root, or nerve of any of them during crown preparation because they were still undamaged. No discomfort before or since.
Did you ever need a root canal after you got a crown? I have had root canals in 5 teeth AFTER they were crowned. I had huge fillings in most of my teeth, so large that the teeth were compromised so I ended up with crowns on most of my teeth but apparently the preparation of the crown inflamed the nerve and I ended up having root canals after I got the crowns. crying:
Did you ever need a root canal after you got a crown? I have had root canals in 5 teeth AFTER they were crowned. I had huge fillings in most of my teeth, so large that the teeth were compromised so I ended up with crowns on most of my teeth but apparently the preparation of the crown inflamed the nerve and I ended up having root canals after I got the crowns. crying:
Not yet. Both crowns are over 25 years old. I'm sure a lot depends on the health of the tooth before the crown was even put on.
Are you feeling sharp pain? Nerve pain is sharp. That could be a tooth with a nerve that hasn't been killed, with a crown that is not seated properly. A dull aching sort of pain is different. It might be a good idea to see an endodontist.
Has anyone ever had their crown start to smell? I had that happen to me recently and thought this might be a good spot to ask since we are already on the subject? I found this article about crowns smelling bad but what do you all think I should do?
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