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Crown troubles, is this normal?


Rachel
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I recently got my first crown, I'm experiencing a lot of pain! 800 mg of ibuprofen wears off in about 5 hours.

 

It is my very back molar on the bottom. It had a filling on the top surface and the dentist said it had fissures that would cause it to eventually crack completely and break off. I was experiencing no pain but agreed to the crown anyway thinking it would prevent future pain. Boy, was that a mistake.

 

About a month ago the prep work was done and I got a temporary crown. About 10 days later I was experiencing a lot of sensitivity to cold, the permanent crown was completed so it was fitted to my tooth and put on with temporary cement. It continued to hurt, so the dentist prescribed methyprednisolone to help reduce inflammation. I took that for a week or so and felt better for a couple days.

 

Then the pain came back with a vengeance, and was even making my other teeth on the same side hurt. I put up with it a couple days and went back to my dentist. She says I was hitting hard when I bit down so she buffed it down. They did another set of X-rays and it didn't show anything. That was Monday. She wrote me a prescription for antibiotics in case the tooth kept throbbing and ibuprofen quit helping. Well yesterday I got it filled. I've had three doses now and ibuprofen isn't helping. I attempted to find a different dentist to see me today but 10 different offices are closed!

 

This can't be normal, can it? What's the next step?

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Not normal.

If the pain is excruciating (I sat crying at the dentist's door step when they opened) and pain meds don't help, there might be an infection. Take the antibiotics. ETA: But an abscess should usually show up on the Xray.

 

If the pain is there, but not that bad, it is entirely possible that the crown height needs to be adjusted again; if you are hitting it wrong when biting down, that will hurt not just that tooth, but may affect the entire side of the jaw. It might need to be filed down a bit more; the dentist can detect that by having you bite on the foil with the colorant on.

Hope it gets better soon.

Edited by regentrude
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NOT normal!!!!! Sounds to me like the crown was done badly and/or you will need a root canal! Go back to the dentist immediately, as the longer you wait, the more likely it is that you'll have irreversible nerve damage that WILL necessitate either a root canal or an extraction +/- post placement. 

 

If the dentist who did the crown can't fix it promptly, then I'd advise going to a new dentist to get it fixed ASAP -- and choose that one very carefully.

 

I had 4 crowns done badly (too high, thus inflaming nerves) at a new-to-me dentist in 2005. I had to have them ground down and all but one were salvaged. The fourth one injured to root nerves too much, and I had to have a root canal . . . I actually drove 200 miles to my "old dentist" (I had recently moved) to have the messed up crowns assessed (after several tries over a couple weeks at the dentist who did the crowns) . . . and after his assessment and his small amount of further adjusting on the worst crown . . . I then had to wait 6 months to "see if the inflamed nerves would heal" . . . before accepting that, no, that one tooth was too injured . . .

 

I'm so sorry.

 

PAIN IS NOT NORMAL for a crown that didn't hurt before it was placed!! NOT NORMAL!

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It's a good thing she put the permanent on with temp cement.  That means if it needs further treatment, they aren't going through that brand new crown.  

 

If you are in such severe pain, it is a dental emergency.  They are supposed to have an on-call number for the weekend for patients of record.

 

Have you tried an ice pack on the area?  Since it's the bottom, the entire mandibular nerve can be inflamed along with it, especially since working back in that area requires you to be open a little wider for it to be reached.  At least it may help provide some relief until you can reach someone. 

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Not normal.

If the pain is excruciating (I sat crying at the dentist's door step when they opened) and pain meds don't help, there might be an infection. Take the antibiotics. ETA: But an abscess should usually show up on the Xray.

 

If the pain is there, but not that bad, it is entirely possible that the crown height needs to be adjusted again; if you are hitting it wrong when biting down, that will hurt not just that tooth, but may affect the entire side of the jaw. It might need to be filed down a bit more; the dentist can detect that by having you bite on the foil with the colorant on.

Hope it gets better soon.

 

I was crying in the dentist office as well when I had an infection. I needed a root canal and the pain was gone immediately. I had never been so happy to see a needle as when the endodontist numbed me!

 

I got a crown in November and the bite was a little off. It took a few days after the dentist adjusted it to fully feel better. 

 

Feel better soon!

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Thanks guys. Ibuprofen is taking the pain away, but it's only lasting half as long as it should. It's pretty painful, not quite tear inducing, but close.

 

I haven't seen my "baby" brother in a year and I had to cancel him coming to dinner tonight. I'm really bummed. If it was just him I could have handled it but he was bringing 4 people I've never met and just couldn't deal with the additional guests. Hopefully we can meet up tomorrow morning.

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I ans sorry! This sounds like a damaged/dying nerve. I'd rather go trough childbirth again than another round of that kind of pain. A good Endodontist is worth his weight in gold.

 

Following a root canal, I've had to have a round of steroids to settle things down, that was very effective.

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this is not normal. 

 

I got a new (4th?/5th?) crown on wednesday- also back molar. also to replace a filling that was failing. (he was concerned waiting until jan would require a root canal.  it's fine - until it isn't, then it's too late.) my son makes jokes about me being coronated . . . . (he likes puns.)

 

usually issues are temp or bite.  what you're describing really doesn't sound like either.  did he use temporary cement with the crown???  why?

 

 

have you called your dentist?   over christmas  is the pits to get through - I had a temporary come off over christmas several years ago (different dentist.  he wasn't very good.) - and I'm allergic to the otc temp cement.

the pain you are describing I would call the emergency # if you have to.

 

eta: I agree with stephaniez this is NOT normal and you need to call the emergency dental #.  it is friday - christmas weekend.  it will be a long weekend.  it's unreasonable to expect you to wait when you are describing such pain.   I've had badly placed crowns (don't go to him anymore) - but nothing like you're describing.

Edited by gardenmom5
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When I had an abscessed tooth it was not obvious on x rays at first. But I was in excruciating pain (and I've had pitocin induced labor without pain meds). I sobbed at the dentist after dealing with the pain for a weekend. I was in pain Wed or Thursday. Got an xray that did not show an obvious abscess (saw 2 dentists and neither were sure). By Monday my whole jaw was swollen and I was crying at the endodontist. I had to have a root canal (redone from a poorly done one from childhood). I have a lot of sympathy for you! I hope you can get it fixed asap! Oxycodone is the only thing that even touched the pain.

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