Tooth Crown Pain

Question:

Help!!  The tooth under my crown is hurting.  What does this mean and what should I do?  I’ve only had this crown for one year!!

Answer:

Sorry to hear that your tooth is in pain.  This can mean a number of things.  Let’s take a look at the many reasons for pain under a tooth crown:

Carious lesion/cavity under your crown

Sometimes, bacteria are able to find its way under the margins of crowns if not cleaned properly (see article on brushing).  If this happens, it could result in a painful situation, especially if the tooth nerve still remains in the tooth.

Bacteria not completely removed while preparing tooth for crown

In order to prepare a tooth for a crown, alot of tooth structure must be removed.  However, sometimes bacteria may still remain on the tooth structure that cannot be visibly seen by the dentist.  If this occurs, pain will occur at a later time.

Crown not being correctly adjusted in mouth

It could be “too high”, which means your bite could be off, and may need to be reduced by the dentist.  It could also mean that the crown isn’t adjusted to tightly “hug” the tooth and seal off the margins.  If the margins aren’t tight and snug, bacteria could easily creep in and eventually cause tooth crown pain.

Be sure to visit the Dentist to fix the problem

Your best bet is to go to the dentist to evaluate your options.  First, make sure the dentist runs a couple of tests to ensure that the pain is indeed coming from that tooth.  Sometimes, pain in one area is projected to a nearby area, this phenomena is called referred pain and occurs quite frequently.  If the dentist identifies this tooth as the source of the pain, then you’ll have a couple of options.  The crown may just have to be readjusted, which will only take a few moments, or it may have to be removed and the situation assessed from there.  Depending on the extent of bacterial invasion, you may just need the crown re-prepped, a root canal, or even an extraction.  Also, depending on your dentist’s office polices, he/she may offer to re-do your crown for free.

Good luck!