I had a dental crown but it broke. I needed a super quick fix because I needed to leave town for a conference. I looked up CEREC dentists because I knew that could get me a same day crown that way. I did, but it doesn’t feel right. I mentioned that to the dentist and she tried to shave down the uneven parts, but now it is rough and my tongue hurts when it is on it. I’ve even been biting my tongue which is causing some pain and swelling. I can’t do anything about it until I get back. I thought CEREC crowns were supposed to be better. What do you recommend?
Callie
Dear Callie,
Because CEREC crowns are milled by a computer, they usually fit more accurately. So, you’re right that they are better in that sense. It sounds like your dentist may be new to this technology. Normally, it could map a tooth and create the restoration to fit over it. She didn’t have that advantage because you had a broken dental crown. It’s still possible to do this correctly, though. The software used for CEREC makes it fairly easy to create a correctly shaped crown even without the tooth as a guide if you know what you’re doing. Your dentist didn’t.
You need to insist this dentist fix this. A properly fitted crown is not noticeable at all. The correct overlap between the upper and lower teeth should keep you from biting your tongue. I’m concerned about this. Obviously, there is unnecessary pain you are experiencing as a result, but you’re also at risk of developing a tumor as a result.
One other thing which concerns me is the fact your other crown broke. These are actually meant to protect teeth from breaking and shouldn’t be breaking themselves unless they’re quite old. For some reason, though you didn’t say so, that is not the impression I got from you.
When you get back from your conference, I want you to see the dentist who did your CEREC crown and tell them this needs to be re-done completely. Then, when you have that perfect crown, I’m hoping you’ll tell your original dentist about how the crown broke and you had to go elsewhere for an emergency visit for the sake of time. They need to know their work failed.
This blog is brought to you by Hilton Head Cosmetic Dentist Dr. Bonnie Rothwell.
