I’ve had dental crowns before but this is my first CEREC crown. It hurts when I bite down. My dentist keeps shaving it down, but I’m afraid he’s going to run out of stuff to shave and it still look normal. I’ve been back three times. The last time, he said it’s likely the way I’m chewing. If that were the case, wouldn’t it have hurt when I chewed before I got the crown too? Aren’t crowns supposed to feel better than the damaged tooth? Is this a CEREC issue?
Lao M.
Dear Lao,
I don’t think the problem is your bite or the fact that you got a CEREC Crown. In fact, a CEREC would be less likely to have this problem. They’re supposed to fit better because they’re computer milled. Blaming your bite is a cop-out. I’m thinking the problem has more to do with your dentist’s diagnostic skills than anything else.
There are two main reasons for pain when biting with a dental crown.
- The Crown is Too High
When a crown sits too high, you hit down on it before your other teeth. The constant extra pressure on that tooth makes it sensitive. You’ve had three adjustments on this crown, so I’m finding it challenging to think this is your particular problem.
- An Infection
The more likely case is that an infection has developed which is causing you pain. It would normally be easy to detect that on an x-ray, but if your dentist lacks sharp diagnostic skills you may be better served going elsewhere to locate the source of this pain. In fact, you might look for a root canal specialist.
If you can’t get into a specialist quickly, I’d see an emergency dentist who should also be able to diagnose your infection, if that’s the problem. Having another set of eyes look at this won’t hurt either.
I get frustrated when I hear of a dentist blaming a patient for persistent pain that they can’t fix. If someone’s in pain, something is wrong. Stick to your guns on this until you find out the underlying cause. You don’t want to end up losing a tooth because of a lazy or unskilled dentist. Then you’re stuck with the added expense and hassle of replacing a tooth that could have been saved in the right hands.
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