Pain after dental crowns – is it normal?
Posted by Marek in 
Once you have decided to undergo the dental procedure of fitting new crowns, the possibility of a toothache is the last thing you have in mind. While your new crown is in perfect condition, that is not always the case of the remaining live root on which the crown is fitted ??dental caries is typically an outcome of bad dental care, not a bad dental technique of fitting an artificial crown. There are many possible reasons why your tooth hurts after crown has been installed. It may bad positioning of the crown, bad attachment which irritates the gums or badly done root canal treatment.
Fitting an artificial crown on your existing tooth includes dental preparation of the tooth by trimming it to around 2 mm in width and making an impression of your tooth. The impression is sent to the laboratory where an artificial crown is prepared ??that can be made from metal, metal with a thin layer of porcelain on top (so-called porcelain-fused-on-metal crown), full porcelain or zirconia. Before the installation of your permanent crown, the dentist will place an acrylic temporary one. Permanent crown is attached with a special cement sealing the crown over the remaining part of the tooth.
Pain after the dental crown procedure ??what is the cause?
The tooth crown pain after the procedure may be the result of the primary cause of the crown installation or of the installation procedure itself. If you experience pain, most probably it is a result of a crack, decay or break of the crown that further caused trauma to the living nerve located in the centre of the tooth or to the tissue around the nerve called pulp which contains sensitive nerve endings. Pain is usually the result of pulp irritation or inflammation.
A crack in the tooth will cause a low-grade inflammation of the pulp, the same result after breaking your crown. Dental caries is also the reason of pulp inflammation when tissue is attacked with a bacterial infection.
You may ask – is dental crown procedure painful? Well, the answer is obvious ??it is, and that is the reason why your dentist will use an anaesthetic to numb your tooth and the gum around it. The process of tooth?™s preparation for a tooth crown causes pain, as the tooth is being trimmed from all sides to later fit the crown on top of it, hence numbing the tooth and gum beforehand. This is necessary, as your artificial crown will be hold in place not only by cement but also because of the prepared tooth. Installation of the crown is a traumatic procedure itself for the tooth regardless the anaesthetic and pulpal inflammation may be developed afterwards.
On top of that, removing old filling and decay can make your tooth extremely sensitive. Adding the pretty invasive preparation for the crown installation can unsettle your tooth and cause soreness.
Below you will find most probable reasons why your tooth hurts after the installation of the dental crown:
- The tooth needs some time to settle after the procedure.
- The tooth will need revision root canal treatment.
- The crown is fitted too high and chewing after dental crown or biting will cause soreness.
How long does the crown?™s sensitivity last?
Every patient is different and the after-treatment sensitivity of tooth will vary. It is however very common and usually lasts from one to two weeks after the procedure until your tooth will settle finally.
The most typical symptom is sensitivity to hot and cold foods and beverages. Sometimes it also aches while biting food, especially after installation of the permanent crowns.
Straight after preparing the tooth for the crown, you can also experience soreness of the gum and some ache while biting. If your tooth was very decayed and you had big filling in it or the trimming needed to be very close to the pulp, you can be sure that your tooth will be sensitive for some time after the crown is installed.
If you suffer from bruxism, the tooth being a subject to extra pressure may also be oversensitive.
There are also some cases when sensitivity is caused by the adjoining teeth or by the tooth that the crown bites against. It is a good idea to have all teeth checked beforehand to rule out that possibility.
In few cases, the crown is fitted too high and needs to be adjusted, that can be the reason for pain while biting.
The most important thing to have in mind is to visit the dentist if the tooth crown pain is persistent and does not recede, as it will not go away on its own. You should make an appointment, explain all the symptoms and what measures you took to alleviate the pain.
At the dentist
After the full examination of your jaw, the dentist will ask you to bite down on articulating paper to determine the height of the grooves as they may cause the pain while biting. If they are too high, the dentist will file them down to provide better bite alignment.
If you suffer from bruxism, the dentist will provide you with a custom-made mouth guard to wear at night that will create a protective layer between your upper and lower teeth.
If caries had developed under the crown and caused pulp infection, it may be necessary to perform a revision root canal treatment which sometimes may require removal of the crown. There are cases when the dentist is able to drill a hole in the crown to gain access to the root without removing and replacing it – which is an ideal situation – as in most cases the crowns cannot be refitted after removing them.
Dental tourism in Poland
Considering installing cheap dental crowns, you should think about having dental crown abroad. Dental crown in Poland is half the price compared to UK or Germany and Polish dentists have years of experience working in best clinics of the biggest Polish cities.
Our medical advisor company takes great pride in helping foreign patients travelling from around the world to have the dental treatment in Poland. With more than 1000 satisfied customers from abroad, we are the leader on the Polish market.
+44 748 315 53 11
contact@clinichunter.com
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