I had a dental crown placed on an upper tooth. I think it was made too big because it hits the bottom teeth before any other teeth do which is causing some pain. My dentist said it is just that I am not used to it and to give it some time. I have and it still bothers me. Would it damage the crown to ask him to file it down?
Casey
Dear Casey,
When a dentist says, “Give it time. You’ll get used to it,” that is code for “I don’t know what is wrong or how to fix it.” Here is the thing. You should not have to get used to a dental crown. When it is done properly, it is completely unnoticeable, just like your natural teeth. You don’t go around thinking something is off about one of your teeth unless there is a problem. With a crown, if you are noticing it there is a problem.
Occlusion between upper and lower teeth is both complicated and important. Without the teeth meeting together in the right position, you will not only have pain when you chew, but you could end up with TMJ Disorder, which is a problem with the moveable joint in your jaw. If your bite throws that off, you will have a whole host of problems.
A dentist should know how to make adjustments to the crown. He should start by having you bite down on some bite registration paper, which will tell him what parts are hitting where. From there he can make the adjustments. If he does not know how to do that, ask for a refund so you can get this done properly by a prosthodontist who has more training in reconstructive dentistry. They will know how to fix the problem.
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