 |
 | Home | Contact Us | FAQ | Search & Site Map | Link to Us |
 | Sign In | Join | Other 45 Sites in Network |
Medical Forum / General / Dentistry / December 2004How to evaluate a new crown? What to ask beforehands?
What should an educated patient (with a dental mirror) look for after a new crown is finished. What's normal. What should not happen? What are some obvious signs of poor or great work. What are some questions to ask before the work is done and possibly evaluate if it'll be done correctly? > What should an educated patient (with a dental mirror) look for after > a new crown is finished. What's normal. What should not happen? > What are some obvious signs of poor or great work. > > What are some questions to ask before the work is done and possibly > evaluate if it'll be done correctly? You are not going to "smoke out" a lousy dentist by asking questions about specific procedures. Neither are you going to be able to judge the quality of a crown by yourself. You will know if it looks lousy, you'll know if it hurts. You'll know if food gets caught between it and the adjacent teeth, you'll know if the bite is grossly off. But you have to trust your dentist, or find one you can trust. You can start with a good referral, from a patient who has been treated by the dentist for a while. You can look for a friendly, well-run office that is clean, where patients are seen pretty much on time (allowing for emergencies). The dentist should not be rushed, especially during examinations, and should be interested in preventing (insofar as possible) further dental problems down the line. But you aren't going to be able to judge all the possible problems with a crown on your own. Steve >> What should an educated patient (with a dental mirror) look for after >> a new crown is finished. What's normal. What should not happen? [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] >you'll know if it hurts. You'll know if food gets caught between it and >the adjacent teeth, you'll know if the bite is grossly off. EXCELLENT REPLY Thanks! Joel > But you have to trust your dentist, or find one you can trust. You can >start with a good referral, from a patient who has been treated by the [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > >Steve >What should an educated patient (with a dental mirror) look for after >a new crown is finished. I would get the mirror into the pocket where my wallet is .... see if it feels lighter. > What's normal. What should not happen? >What are some obvious signs of poor or great work. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder .... literally true! I have seen so many crappy crowns that an excellent one really stands out. But its like the Mona Lisa ..... in words, too tough. By sight?? I can really appreciate it. Joel >What are some questions to ask before the work is done and possibly >evaluate if it'll be done correctly? Can quality of a crown be judged via an x-ray by the patient or a dentist. >>What should an educated patient (with a dental mirror) look for after >>a new crown is finished. [quoted text clipped - 15 lines] >>What are some questions to ask before the work is done and possibly >>evaluate if it'll be done correctly? >Can quality of a crown be judged via an x-ray by the patient or a >dentist. Yes and no! I can determine cheezy countours or chickletitis by the x-ray alone, but imprefect margins can slip through ..... Chickletitis is where the replacement tooth resembles a Chicklet ~ way too big for the size of the other teeth. Joel >>>What should an educated patient (with a dental mirror) look for after >>>a new crown is finished. [quoted text clipped - 15 lines] >>>What are some questions to ask before the work is done and possibly >>>evaluate if it'll be done correctly? Is it ok if there is a small vertical space between the bottom of the crown and the gum on buccal.e.g. your finger nail catches under the crown if you run the nail up from gum to tooth. What about if the floss catches at the bottom of a molar on distal. How would you test for good margins? >>Can quality of a crown be judged via an x-ray by the patient or a >>dentist. [quoted text clipped - 28 lines] >>>>What are some questions to ask before the work is done and possibly >>>>evaluate if it'll be done correctly? > Is it ok if there is a small vertical space between the bottom of the > crown and the gum on buccal.e.g. your finger nail catches under the > crown if you run the nail up from gum to tooth. No. plaque will accumulate there. Check between teeth with dental floss. Ideally, it should be redone if this is true. > What about if the floss catches at the bottom of a molar on distal. Overhang on the filling. Get if filed, with anesthesia if necessary. > How would you test for good margins? Dental explorer, which is like a sharp pin. HTH SP  SignatureNot a real Addy, yet >> Is it ok if there is a small vertical space between the bottom of the >> crown and the gum on buccal.e.g. your finger nail catches under the >> crown if you run the nail up from gum to tooth. >No. plaque will accumulate there. Check between teeth with dental floss. >Ideally, it should be redone if this is true. What is the definitions of margins? Is it this kind of space underneath the tooth I am asking about? i.e there should be no space between tooth and gums? How difficult is it to redo? >Overhang on the filling. Get if filed, with anesthesia if necessary. >> How would you test for good margins? >Dental explorer, which is like a sharp pin. Is this considered poor work also i.e. the crown should have been lower and no overhang necessary. Is the cement or overhang just going to erode away, etc? >> Is it ok if there is a small vertical space between the bottom of the >> crown and the gum on buccal.e.g. your finger nail catches under the [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] >HTH >SP I asked the dentist about this and she feels it's fine and she is comfortable with it. She did 2 crowns, an upper bicuspid and a lower first molar. I said that the floss does not catch on the mesial of molar or on either side of bicuspid. She then used the floss on the bicuspid and said: "see it catches there, too. If you maintain good hygiene, it'll be fine." Now I am worried. I guess I should get a second opinion? I did get that office as a referral from a neighbor who has been going there for a while, however they do charge about 2/3 of the cost of others. Should the floss not catch whatsoever? >>> Is it ok if there is a small vertical space between the bottom of the >>> crown and the gum on buccal.e.g. your finger nail catches under the [quoted text clipped - 29 lines] >>HTH >>SP > I asked the dentist about this and she feels it's fine and she is > comfortable with it. She did 2 crowns, an upper bicuspid and a lower [quoted text clipped - 12 lines] > > Should the floss not catch whatsoever? This is an ideal, but it is not always achievable. For that matter I sometimes catch floss between teeth that have never been filled or decayed, much less crowned. It's probably fine, but by all means get a second opinion if you have any doubts. Steve SignatureMark & Steven Bornfeld DDS http://www.dentaltwins.com Brooklyn, NY 718-258-5001 >Is it ok if there is a small vertical space between the bottom of the >crown and the gum on buccal.e.g. your finger nail catches under the >crown if you run the nail up from gum to tooth. That usually indicates night-time parafunction- .. Stephen Mancuso, D.D.S. Troy, Michigan, USA Writing on a tablet PC,so forgive me if the PC misreads my poor handwriting. >>Is it ok if there is a small vertical space between the bottom of the >>crown and the gum on buccal.e.g. your finger nail catches under the [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > >Writing on a tablet PC,so forgive me if the PC misreads my poor handwriting. Tablet PC? That's a step back. I personally like Cuneiform on a clay tablet but its way too slow for me! Joel Darn, Are you referring to both buccal and distal areas? Have you seen the gum improve once parafunction situations are resolved e.g. with NTI. Is there anything else that can be done to make the gum go over the tooth. Should the area be cleaned/brushed/flossed etc in some other way or best left alone? >That usually indicates night-time parafunction- >.. > Darn, > > Are you referring to both buccal and distal areas? Buccal > Have you seen the gum improve once parafunction situations are > resolved e.g. with NTI. It should stop the progresion of the recession (as long as the device dontinues to be used) > Is there anything else that can be done to make the gum go over the > tooth. Surgical grafting > Should the area be cleaned/brushed/flossed etc in some other way or > best left alone? All areas of the mouth need to be clean. >>That usually indicates night-time parafunction- >>.. Could parafunction cause something like that immediately or would it take time. If a splint is worn can this still happen. This was noticed on a new crown within 2 weeks. I don't know if it was there immediately or not. The original tooth had nothing like that before the crown. Another crown was done on a bicuspid and no space between the gum on any side is present. >>Is it ok if there is a small vertical space between the bottom of the >>crown and the gum on buccal.e.g. your finger nail catches under the [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > >Writing on a tablet PC,so forgive me if the PC misreads my poor handwriting. A properly done splint should prevent this occurrence. I doubt it could occur in a period of only 2 weeks. Signature~+--~+--~+--~+--~+-- Stephen Mancuso, D.D.S. Troy, Michigan, USA .................................................... This posting is intended for informational or conversational purposes only. Always seek the opinion of a licensed dental professional before acting on the advice or opinion expressed here. Only a dentist who has examined you in person can diagnose your problems and make decisions which will affect your health. ...................... > Could parafunction cause something like that immediately or would it > take time. If a splint is worn can this still happen. [quoted text clipped - 16 lines] >>Writing on a tablet PC,so forgive me if the PC misreads my poor >>handwriting. |
Reply to this Message |
 Sign In
 Join
 My Latest Posts My Monitored Threads My Blog My Photo Gallery My Profile My Homepage Start New Thread Enable EMail Alerts Rate this Thread
|
©2008 Advenet LLC Privacy Policy - Terms of Use
This website includes both content owned or controlled by Advenet as well as content owned or controlled by third parties.