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Archives for August 2023

Will I Need a Dental Implant If a Crown Keeps Falling Off?

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Will I need a dental implant if a crown won’t stay on my tooth? I am nervous about losing my upper teeth because I have already lost all my bottom teeth. Thank God for All on 4 and a good dentist who did the denture. I’m concerned about my top teeth. I have three dental crowns on my upper front teeth. The crown on the right center tooth won’t stay on. It is a root canal tooth with a crown on it since 2002. Within the last five months, the crown fell off six times. My dentist re-cements the crown, but why does it keep falling off? I’m afraid the tooth is too weak and will need another implant. My dentist doesn’t seem alarmed. I don’t understand it. Thank you. Jeri

Jeri

We understand your concerns.

Why Does a Dental Crown Repeatedly Fall Off?

A dental crown may repeatedly fall off based on the crown construction or how a dentist prepared your tooth for the crown. It is unlikely that the cement or bonding material is the problem. However, you’ve had the crown since 2002, so the problem may be that you have little tooth structure left to retain a crown. A dentist skilled in tooth restoration must examine your tooth and crown.

Will You Need a Dental Implant If a Crown Keeps Falling Off?

If a dental crown keeps falling off and you have enough healthy tooth structure life, you will not need a dental implant. However, if the tooth is broken off at the gumline, the following technique will not work.

A skilled cosmetic dentist may be able to build up your tooth and secure the crown with these steps:

  • Place a flexible fiberglass post deep into the tooth’s canal
  • Cement the post in place
  • Bond dental composite to the tooth and post
  • Shape the composite to resemble a natural tooth prepared for a crown
  • Attach the crown to the preparation

If your front tooth is weak or has little structure remaining, a dentist will recommend tooth extraction and a dental implant.

Consult with a Cosmetic Dentist

We recommend scheduling an appointment with an advanced cosmetic dentist for X-rays and an examination. If you need a dental implant, consult a periodontist to plan your treatment. You may need bone grafting after the extraction, but sometimes you can receive a graft and a dental implant during the same visit.

It’s good that your implant-supported denture is successful. All-on-4 dental implants have been life-changing for many people. We wish you success with your tooth and crown.

 

Atlanta periodontist Dr. David Pumphrey sponsors this post.

Can I Get a Refund for Dental Implant Failure?

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My upper left first premolar cracked last spring, and my dentist couldn’t save it. After four lidocaine injections, my tongue and palate felt like they were burning. My dentist gave me a mouth rinse prescription for the burning. In November, my dentist placed an implant, but it was painful. We waited four months before I got the final crown, and screwing that on hurt, too. Two months later, the implant crown fell off. My mouth has never stopped burning.

My dentist has caused me so much pain that I went to another dentist for a second opinion on the implant. He took an X-ray and said my gums and bone around the implant were infected. The dentist removed the implant and did a bone graft. Now I am waiting for a new implant. I have burning mouth syndrome that won’t ease up regardless of what I do, even with sedation. I probably need some PSTD therapy. This is a nightmare. Can I sue my first dentist or get a refund for dental implant failure, stress, pain, and suffering? I’m not looking for a bunch of money, but the principle matters. I don’t want this to happen to another patient. Thanks. Ahmed

 

Ahmed,

You’ve had some traumatic dental experiences! Your dentist had difficulty numbing your mouth due to your high anxiety level. Burning mouth seems to be associated with traumatic dental experiences. Your dentist’s prescribing a mouth for it is disappointing.

Did Your Dentist’s Procedure Cause Dental Implant Failure?

Dental implant model with separate components, with the implant screw in the bone and abutment and crown above, and the final implant

Precise planning and placement help dental implants fuse with the bone and prevent dental implant failure.

Dental implant failure can have several causes, but improper procedure is not always the case. Many dentists lack enough post-graduate training for dental implants or cannot manage challenging cases. Although you are experiencing burning mouth syndrome and your dental implant crown fell off, those factors don’t automatically mean your dentist was at fault. You would need a second opinion and a CT scan to identify the cause of your dental implant failure.

We hope you are in the hands of an advanced implant dentist or periodontist (gum, jawbone, and dental implant specialist). You didn’t mention whether your dental implant was loose before your new dentist removed it. Hopefully, a dentist would not have removed an implant that was not loose and possibly could have been saved.

If you want to ensure your new dentist’s treatment plan is on track for your oral health, we recommend consulting a periodontist for a third opinion. Based on the second and third opinions,  you may choose to ask for a refund or tell your previous dentist about the findings if they point to the dentist’s negligence or a mistake.

 

Atlanta periodontist Dr. David Pumphrey sponsors this post.

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