Question:
I have spent a fortune (unemployed now and no dental insurance) trying
to keep these teeth and now more trouble...
Problem: #31 was crowned many years ago. Last February, I sheared off
2/3 of the crown and needed a new crown. Now, I think that there may
be decay under the new crown. The tooth is not sensitive to heat or
cold, but it hurts when I bite or when I use my finger to put pressure
on the tooth.
It may require root canal therapy ......
Related issue: #30 was crowned years ago when #31 was originally
crowned. #30 was root canaled a month ago and, since then, my bite on
#31 has felt off. I went for a permanent filling of #30 last
Thursday. Because there was decay underneath, the dentist said he had
to remove the old crown, clean up the decay and do a prep for a new
crown. #30 has a temp crown now. Two days later, the pain with #31
started.
Questions: Does this sound like decay or is a root canal needed on
#31?
Can the dentist drill through last year's crown, remove the
decay, then put in a permanent filling without my having to buy YET
ANOTHER new crown?
Answer:
Dental health-related material
is provided for information purposes
only and does not necessarily
represent endorsement by or an official
position of the SciMedDentistry gang
or any other official agency either
actual or fictitious or Steve Mancuso.
Advice on the treatment or care
of an individual patient should
be obtained through consultation
with a dentist who has examined
that patient or is familiar with
that patient's dental history.
If there is absolutely no sensation, that is often a bad sign. In
fact, we dentists often place a thin tube of ice on the tooth or use
an aerosol ice thinggie to see if it responds.
At this point x-ray is important.
With discount plans one must beware of bait-and-switch so go slowly. I
will check this plan a little later for better advice.
