Potential Complications With Dental Crowns

Dental crowns, just like other dental procedure, have their risks. Before you have a dentist insert a dental crown in your mouth, you should know what these risks are to make an informed treatment decision and prepare on how to prevent the risks. Below are some of the potential problems of dental crowns.

Preparation Complications

Before the dentist places the dental crown over your tooth, they have to prepare the tooth to increase the crown’s fit. The preparation typically involves removing some enamel, the outermost layer of the tooth. The dentist has to do this so that the crowned tooth does not become too big relative to the other tooth.

Unfortunately, some complications may arise when the dentist trims away some enamel. These complications include:

• Sensitivity – Your tooth may end up with extremely thin enamel after the preparation. The thin enamel increases your risk of tooth sensitivity to hot and cold air, food, and drinks.
• Nerve Damage – Repeated trauma on a tooth may damage its internal tissues, which contain the pulp and nerve tissues. 
• Punctured tooth surface – If your tooth was weak before the preparation, the preparation process may damage or even pierce the surface of the tooth. The perforation may make the tooth susceptible to future damage and diseases.

The damages may arise because your tooth may have hidden weakness that the dentist might not notice before treatment. Most people don’t experience these issues, but a few do, so knowing the risks beforehand is important.

Crown Damage or Detachment

Potential complications do not end with the treatment. Afterward, your dental crown may experience damage or even detach itself from your tooth. An accidental blow to the mouth, often due to a sports injury or a fall, may fracture or chip the crown material.

Detachment is particularly possible with temporary crowns. Your temporary crown may fall off if you subject it to harsh treatment. For example, the crown may detach if you eat extra hard or sticky foods or if you grind or clench your teeth too much.

Bite Issues

Metal crowns are relatively thin, but they still have some thickness that may increase the coverage of the tooth after treatment. This increase in thickness may happen despite removing some of the tooth enamel.

You may end up with bite issues if your treated tooth ends up longer than the adjacent tooth. The bite issue arises if the crowned tooth hits the adjacent tooth when you close your mouth or eat. This often results in sharp pain for your crowned tooth every time you close your mouth.

Allergic Reactions

Dental crowns are available in a variety of materials such as metal, zirconia (metal-free crystal), porcelain, and resin, among others. A few people are allergic to some of these materials, particularly the metal crowns. If you get the treatment without an allergy test, you may develop allergic reactions to the crown material after the treatment.

Gum Irritation or Recession

Your dental crown may irritate your gums or even increase your risk of gum recession. Gum irritation arises because the crown material terminates just above the gums, which means the crown may rub on your gums.

Gum irritation increases the risk of gum disease, particularly if you do not maintain good oral hygiene. Due to this, your gums may recede away from your tooth and expose the tooth roots.

The best way to prevent dental crown complications is to get your treatment from an experienced dentist and follow their aftercare instructions carefully. Contact Vanyo Dentistry whether you need a dental crown or want us to help you with post-treatment complications. We are happy to help you in any way we can.