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Any dentists on here?

4 replies

nennyrainbow · 13/10/2016 13:54

I have a gold crown on a bottom molar which has had its nerves removed so is a slightly grey colour. A couple of months ago, I cracked a bit of the dead tooth (thanks to some gritty Dorset cereal muesli) below and to the side of the gold crown. Since there is no nerve supply to the tooth, the tooth doesn't hurt, and I didn't bother making an appointment. The only inconvenience is that I can feel a slightly jagged edge with my tongue and my toothbrush sometimes catches on it.

I had a routine check up yesterday and the dentist said the crown had moved slightly and would need to be replaced. She wants me to book an appointment straight away and said it would be £233 for a metal crown or £450 for a white one ( they no longer offer gold). When I said that the crack didn't bother me, she said if left untreated it could crack further into the gum and they would have to extract the tooth. She also said she didn't know without taking the crown off whether or not the tooth had already cracked below the gum line, in which case they would extract it anyway. In that case, she said she didn't recommend a bridge so I would just be left with a gap between the premolars and the back molar.

Is this pretty standard for a cracked tooth with no nerve? I just feel I'm being rushed into an expensive treatment for something that isn't bothering me. Also, if I have it recrowned, any recommendations for metal or white?

Thanks

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MillyMollyMardy · 14/10/2016 22:02

Hi Nenny,
The advice you've been given sounds pretty comprehensive. Although it's not giving you any pain what can't be seen is why a bit of the tooth has come away. The tooth may have cracked and if it has may be unsaveable. The advantage of investigating is is that if it has part cracked a new crown can stop more cracking.
The real risk of leaving it is a partial crack may increase to an unsaveable crack.

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nennyrainbow · 14/10/2016 22:44

Thanks, Millymollymardy, you have helped reassure me. I was a bit worried in case I was being pushed towards an unnecessary procedure ( and as well as the financial cost of it, dental procedures aren't generally enjoyable!)

Just another question please. If the tooth has to be extracted, will the teeth either side eventually move in and close the gap, particularly if they are already crowded? I had my teeth straightened as a teenager but over the years the bottom incisors have become misaligned again due to overcrowding ( one is set back behind the other two). I was wondering whether if a back tooth was taken out, it might alleviate the problem and improve spacing at the front. I'm guessing that would probably need braces though.

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MillyMollyMardy · 15/10/2016 06:27

Sorry, taking the molar out won't make any difference to the crowding.
It depends on the way your back teeth meet ,as to whether there is a chance of the teeth either side of the space tilting and also the risk of any teeth above moving into the space. Your dentist will be able to answer that one.

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nennyrainbow · 17/10/2016 23:12

Oh well, not to be. Thanks anyway Millymollymardy. It was just an afterthought that I might be able to find a silver lining if I had to have it extracted. I hadn't even thought about the teeth above. I am hoping that most of the tooth underneath is still intact when I go back in 2 weeks time.