I’m a little concerned about something and am considering going to a different dentist. I had a tooth that needed a root canal and crown. I wanted a CEREC, but my dentist doesn’t have that machine so I just stuck with the basic old traditional crown. He placed a temporary crown and then I left town on business. I was only gone one day when the temporary cracked and came off. I called the dentist and he told me not to worry about it. If I was careful the tooth should be fine. Well, it wasn’t fine. My tooth broke the next day even though I tried to avoid it. I went back to my dentist’s office as soon as I got back in town. He said the tooth was too brittle to be saved and I would have to have it extracted. Now I’m out all this time and money and I’m losing what I felt was a decent tooth. If he’d given me a CEREC crown like I’d asked, would that have helped? Should I go somewhere else to see if the tooth can be saved?

Missy L. – Missouri

Missy,

Something seems fishy to me. It’s very unlikely the tooth would have turned brittle after a root canal that quickly if it were healthy, viable structure. I think it would be a good idea to get a second opinion as to whether the tooth can be saved.

Your dentist shouldn’t have allowed the tooth to remain exposed after his temporary crown failed. That puts extra stress both on you and the tooth nub. It would have been much better if he’d had you go to an emergency dentist to get the temporary repaired and re-bonded. It’s not good for your tooth to be left that exposed.

Yes, a CEREC crown would have prevented this because even if the tooth was more brittle than normal, the crown would already have been in place. CEREC crowns leave less risk to the tooth than traditional crowns, though there are still times when a traditional crown makes more sense. All-porcelain crowns look better on your front teeth.

And while, yes, a CEREC crown is technically an all-porcelain crown, they’re milled from a single block of porcelain. This can make the color look flat. Traditional crowns can be done in several layers, allowing an artistic cosmetic dentist to create it as beautiful and varied as your natural teeth.

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