dental crowns and food traps

debbocar

Hi there. Just hoping for a bit of advice really. I had a crown a couple of years ago with a mixed private/nhs dentist and it created a really painful food trap - the dentist just said that food traps were 'one of those things' and I just needed to clean it with a little brush every time I ate. I do this, but it is no fun getting half way through a steak and having to rush off to the loo to brush because you are too uncomfortable to finish it! I've just stopped ordering steak (but I still have problems with any fibrous food)!

Since then my dentist became fully private and I reregisted with a different nhs dentist. I had some general discomfort in the area of the crown and the new dentist ended up filing some of the crown off as he said I had some high spots. Since then I have deregistered with that dentist as I wasn't particularly confident with him and have now moved house anyway. At the moment I haven't registered with a new dentist but bits of my crown have begun to break off (usually while I am asleep so maybe I am grinding?). Should you file a crown?? - is this why it's breaking?

My big worry now is that I am due to go on holiday in 1 1/2 weeks and don't know what to do about the crown - is it likely that it can be fixed? Is it likely to be toxic now it is broken? Will I need a replacement? I am worried if I have to have a new one that it can not be completed before my hols and I don't really want to go away with a temp one as I have done this before and it fell out on holiday!

Also am I destined to have a horrible food trap forever? Someone please help, I'm not sure what to do next!

Thanks so much.

Valley's_girl

Hi Debbocar welcome :hello: there is a dentist on here called Toothsmith hopefully he will be along later this evening and he will be best to advise you.
Have a good holiday
Ally x

Toothsmith

debbocar wrote: »

Hi there. Just hoping for a bit of advice really. I had a crown a couple of years ago with a mixed private/nhs dentist and it created a really painful food trap - the dentist just said that food traps were 'one of those things' and I just needed to clean it with a little brush every time I ate. I do this, but it is no fun getting half way through a steak and having to rush off to the loo to brush because you are too uncomfortable to finish it! I've just stopped ordering steak (but I still have problems with any fibrous food)!

Since then my dentist became fully private and I reregisted with a different nhs dentist. I had some general discomfort in the area of the crown and the new dentist ended up filing some of the crown off as he said I had some high spots. Since then I have deregistered with that dentist as I wasn't particularly confident with him and have now moved house anyway. At the moment I haven't registered with a new dentist but bits of my crown have begun to break off (usually while I am asleep so maybe I am grinding?). Should you file a crown?? - is this why it's breaking?

My big worry now is that I am due to go on holiday in 1 1/2 weeks and don't know what to do about the crown - is it likely that it can be fixed? Is it likely to be toxic now it is broken? Will I need a replacement? I am worried if I have to have a new one that it can not be completed before my hols and I don't really want to go away with a temp one as I have done this before and it fell out on holiday!

Also am I destined to have a horrible food trap forever? Someone please help, I'm not sure what to do next!

Thanks so much.

Hello!! :wave:

Food trap bit is hard to advise on without seeing it. A better fitting crown might be better, or it could just be the way those two teeth touch together. If a tooth has got so broken down that it needs a crown, then it suggests that there might always have been a bit of a problem in that area (whether you noticed it or not).

If a bit of porcelain has broken off the crown, don't worry, it's not toxic! The tooth is still covered up, so nothing is being harmed. Especially if it's not sharp enough to be scratching your tongue or cheek.

It could well have been the filing of the crown that weakened the porcelain, but if you do grind your teeth, hen that can damage porcelain bnded crowns as well (Gold crowns are much better, especially if they're not in a too visible spot.)

I don't think the chipped crown will spoil your holiday, and I think that if you go and see a new dentist, he may well not do anything until you come back from holiday if the chip isn't that bad.

I do think you need to go and see a dentists ASAP though, just to make sure everything is OK, as I said earlier, it's not easy to give any specific advice when I can't see the problem.

debbocar

Thank you. That's really put my mind at rest. I'll try to get an appointment with a new dentist before I go away.
x