Dental advice needed!!

megan050903

Hi, hoping there are some dental experts out there!!!

I had a crown fitted about two and a half years ago and today (after indulging on a pink refresher sweet!) I noticed that the tooth has come loose - its not hanging off but very wobbly all the same.

My question is, can my dentist fix the tooth with some kind of sealant or am I going to end up with a huge gap (the tooth in question is near the front) so am a bit concerned at the moment.

Secondly, will I be expected to pay for any repair work as I seem to remember at the time the dentist told me the crown should last a good ten years.

Any advice anybody can give would be appreciated.

Toothsmith

No-one can guarantee how long a crown will last, as everybody eats different amounts of pink refresher sweets!! Which has more of an impact on how long things last than anything the dentist can control!

It could be a case of simply recementing it, it could need replacing completely.

You need to get to the dentist ASAP to find out for sure.

megan050903

Toothsmith wrote:

No-one can guarantee how long a crown will last, as everybody eats different amounts of pink refresher sweets!! Which has more of an impact on how long things last than anything the dentist can control!

It could be a case of simply recementing it, it could need replacing completely.

You need to get to the dentist ASAP to find out for sure.

Thanks for that!! I don't eat a lot of sweets honest!!

I am going the the dentist first thing in the morning. Can you tell me - if they recement it do they have to take the crown off of can they do it whilst still in place?

Toothsmith

It has to be taken off, old cement cleaned out, and support checked, then recemented and the bite re checked.

Normally doesn't even need to be numbed up.

The fact it's loose, and not come off cleanly suggests to me there may be a post involved, which can be a bit trickier, but still nothing to worry about.

megan050903

Toothsmith wrote:

It has to be taken off, old cement cleaned out, and support checked, then recemented and the bite re checked.

Normally doesn't even need to be numbed up.

The fact it's loose, and not come off cleanly suggests to me there may be a post involved, which can be a bit trickier, but still nothing to worry about.

Thanks for that - put my mind at rest.

As I said, going to dentist first thing tom morning. Its a what they refer to as a 'sit and wait appointment' which is all I could get. I am a bit concerned about my dentist as I went for a check up two weeks ago and did mention that I occasionaly felt some pain there - she looked at it and said it was fine! Strangely though there is no pain there at all now its loose....

Anyway - one more question if I may??? When I go tomorrow should they take the crown off there and then are do any repair work or will they be able to say to me come back for a proper appointment. Its a bit like a cattle market at my dentist, just last week I had the quickest scale and polish ever - i think it was about a minute and a half.

Thanks again

Toothsmith

Can't say. Depends how much time they have & what's wrong.

Sounds like they don't have much time anyway!

Would I be right in thinking they still operate within the NHS?

megan050903

Yes still NHS at the moment.

And you're right they don't have much time. I just know that they will take a quick look and tell me to make another appointment for treatment (which will probably be a week or so).

Just don't want to be fobbed off tomorrow as surely there will be a risk of infection if left untreated?

Toothsmith

See what they say. It should be done pretty soon really.

This is why I always have a quiet chuckle when people say 'I'm lucky my dentist is still NHS'

Why not have a look round for what is available for a bit more money! Your teeth deserve it.

chilli_dog

Apologies for hijacking this post.

Can anyone recommend a good insurance company that will look after mine and my wife's teeth? I would like a good comprehensive cover (belt & braces) and one that pays the dentist directly ( is this possible at all).

I must point out that I am an avid Kickboxer and whilst i have not lost any teeth yet i have had many a jarred jaw, I do wear a gum shield.

apologies again for hijacking

Martin

margaretclare

Hi Martin

For comprehensive health cover, not only dental, I can't do better than recommend you to HSA. https://www.hsa.co.uk

We're a pair of wrinklies who have been in this as individuals for donkey's years. It covers a whole lot of things - have a look at their site. Normally you get paid 50% of the cost of dental, optical, whatever, but as we're both individual members we get 50% each, total 100% of whichever of us has had things done. We reckon we must have had back every penny-piece we ever put in, what with hospital stays at so much a night etc.

Aunty Margaret

Toothsmith

Bear in mind though that a good kick in the wrong place (Mouthwise!!) could cost thousands to fix to any decent standard.

50% of this would still be a lot, and I'm fairly sure there is an upper limit on HSA anyway.

Your best bet is to find your dentist first, and see which scheme they operate. The decent schemes all have accident insurance included, and most are unlimited, although I know Denplan's insurance will not cover replacement of teeth lost with implants, unless an extra implant 'bolt on' is taken out. This only costs an extra few pence a month though, and would be well worth it for a kickboxer! I think there is a condition that your gumshield is a proper dentist-made one though, and not a cheap mold-to-fit sports shop one. (These can actually cause more damage in certain accidents)