Any Dentist's on the DIS????

[karenbaco]

Help.....went to dentist today due to a chipped molar. This tooth has a very large occlusal composite filling. One of the cusps of the tooth chipped off and now my tooth is VERY cold sensitive. Upon examining the tooth, my dentist told me I had a cracked tooth and need a crown. There is no pain upon chewing on this tooth at all. Only cold and hot sensitivity. Do I really need to get a crown for that? I'm scared because my teeth never anesthetize very easily so I'm afraid of the pain.

 

[Wonders10]

Help.....went to dentist today due to a chipped molar. This tooth has a very large occlusal composite filling. One of the cusps of the tooth chipped off and now my tooth is VERY cold sensitive. Upon examining the tooth, my dentist told me I had a cracked tooth and need a crown. There is no pain upon chewing on this tooth at all. Only cold and hot sensitivity. Do I really need to get a crown for that? I'm scared because my teeth never anesthetize very easily so I'm afraid of the pain.

I'm not a dentist and not pretending to be one, but I wouldn't think you need a crown just because you have a sensitive tooth - if that were the case I'd have 30 crowns in my mouth But maybe he was able to see something you can't on an x-ray/exam? And even though its okay now, a crown would be preventative from infection and further damage?

Just some thoughts - I am a serious dental-phobe. Horrified. So scared of them I can't even believe I replied to this thread.

 

[DebbieB]

I would post over on DVC Mousecellaneous. WebmasterDoc is a Dentist.

 

[HeatherH]

I'm not a dentist either, but I have had a cracked molar much like yours, where there was already a large filling...and I needed a crown. There is just no other way to fix it, there isn't much tooth left if the filling is that large.

It was really no big deal at all, the worst part was dealing with a temporary crown while waiting for the real one to be made (I just had to be careful with it since it was not as strong as the permanent crown). Once the real crown was in all was good.

Seriously, you need a crown. The crack isn't going to heal itself. You will feel MUCH better after you get it.

 

[MK2thcleaner]

I'm a hygienist. Any time you fracture a cusp, you undermine the strength. The best thing is to do a crown to give the tooth back its strength, especially if there is also a crack. Monitor the temperature sensitivity. It's probably only due to having exposed dentin, but if it gets pressure sensitive too, let the dentist know. A tooth that has had trauma can start to die. It may not show up on an xray right away, but the nerve could be slowly abscessing. However, as I said, it's probably just the exposed dentin, since enamel normally keeps out the temperature sensitivity.

Save the tooth. Get the crown. You'll feel better.

Good luck!