I recently had a new porcelain crown placed. The dentist needed to do some grinding in order to get it all the right shape and size for my mouth. When she did that, I kept swallowing the porcelain powder. They never even irrigated out my mouth with water. I’m worried because I think that is glass, right? Will this harm me?

Evie

Dear Evie,

First the good news. Everything in your crown is biocompatible. You won’t have to worry about getting sick from the porcelain powder. Though it is not the same as glass, it does have some glass in it. What most people worry about with glass, is getting cut while swallowing. Fortunately, that is not a concern when it comes to porcelain powder.

All that being said, your dentist should not have left you to swallow any of the powder. It’s just not a pleasant experience for the patient and thoughtless on the part of the dentist. The dentist should be using suction and water to keep all the debris cleaned up as you go with the procedure. Then, at the end, they should rinse your mouth with water and again use suction or some other means to rid you of the debris.

If this behavior continues on the part of your dental office, my suggestion would be to switch to a dentist who also advertises themselves as a holistic dentist. This is not a specialty. Instead, it is a philosophy of care, that places concern for the whole body over that of just the teeth.

This blog is brought to you by San Antonio Dentist Dr. Tostado.