My dentist has left the building.....help!

[teb]

The dentist i've been seeing for yonks has moved on and a new chappie has taken his place. he's dead young and seems to be generally of a nervous disposition. (i dont mean nervous about doing the work, just as a person....cant look you in the eye, talks over your shoulder, stutters and just doesn't inspire confidence at all).

now im not downing this bloke for that, we're all different and lord knows i probably dont inspire confidence in lOADS of folk, lol.....but because hes new, i haven't had time to build up a relationship with him and he's obviously happier doing the work rather than talking about the work so it's hard having a conversation with him. i dont know if i can trust him to do the right thing for me or whether he'll just do the easiest thing or the most expensive thing, if you get me.

which brings me to my question....i've had a crown for around 15 years (upper mid side - dont know technical terms :rolleyes: ) which i'm now getting problems with. the dentist that did it was very good but i was always left with a tiny space between the edge of the crown and my gum. it's never bothered me until now but it's beginning to ache a bit, and i reckon there must be decay that started via this space.

I'd like to have some sort of idea about what my options might be now? My teeth are all heavily filled from childhood (yeah, one of my biggest regrets!!) so i dont have a pretty mouth but i am doing what i can now i'm an adult to salvage what i can.

any advice? even a rough idea of what might be done would be helpful.

[Toothsmith]

It could be many things, including the thing you suspect.

If caught early, replacing the crown maght be an option, it depends on how extensive the decay (If indeed this is the problem) has become.

It could also be the start of deeper problems, such as an abscess, which would require the tooth to be root-filled and then maybe the crown replaced as well.

It could also be something really simple like increased sensitivity due to a bit of gum recession, which may just need a bit of fluoride varnish painted on it.

Your dentist is 'the man on the ground' and the one who is best placed to diagnose and deal with it.

It is tricky taking on a whole new bunch of patients that have been looked after for so long by someone else. It takes a while to find your feet, and get a feel of what's going on in everybodies mouths. In that time, he is probably a bit reluctant to go messing about unnecessarily in patients who have probably been quite stable for quite a long time.

As a rule of thumb though, crowns have an average lifespan of about 10 years, so it could well be time for a change, but see what he suggests.

[teb]

Thanks for that, toothsmith. good to get your opinion. i'll make an appointment soonish with the new bloke and take it from there. cheers.