Published at http://campisechiropractorfresno.blogspot.com/2016/06/my-dental-nightmare-before-you-get.html Wednesday, June 29, 2016
Please also read:
Dentistry Part 2: What was underneath my crown, and other updates
The Dangers of crowns, Root canals and Pulling teeth
MY STORY
I’m happy to report that I am currently doing very well dentally. However this was not the case for the past 7 months!
It all started last June when a molar that had an old filling in it cracked in half! And of course, my dentist was out of town. There was no pain, but both halves were still attached and I couldn’t chew on that side without food packing into the crack, spreading the tooth pieces apart. It was difficult to clean as you can imagine. I was at that time flying to Michigan every 2 weeks to help my chiropractor friend who had broken his back, so I had to get the tooth patched up before my plane left to go back to Michigan.
So I naturally went to another dentist who could get me in right away.
He did an amazing job extracting the broken piece and then patching the tooth. He said it needed a crown, but he wanted to wait 3 months to make sure the root wasn’t infected.
After 3 months I returned to the new dentist and he started the crown prep.
(I could have gone to my dentist at this point, but this new guy had done such a good job with the temporary patch, and he got me in right away for the emergency cracked tooth, I figured the least I could do was to let him do the crown),
Life lesson reminder:Follow your gut instinct.
It usually keeps us out of trouble.
I had never had a crown before so I didn’t know what to expect, though he did explain things as he went.Let’s take a time out here with a short FYI on Dental Crowns:
A dental crown is a tooth-shaped “cap” that is placed over a tooth to cover the tooth to restore its shape and size, strength, and improve its appearance.
The crowns, when cemented into place, fully encase the entire visible portion of a tooth that lies at and above the gum line.
A dental crown may be needed in the following situations:
* To protect a weak tooth (for instance, from decay) from breaking or to hold together parts of a cracked tooth.
* To restore an already broken tooth or a tooth that has been severely worn down.
* To cover and support a tooth with a large filling when there isn’t a lot of tooth left.
* To hold a dental bridge in place.
* To cover mis-shaped or severely discolored teeth.
* To cover a dental implant.
* To make a cosmetic modification.
Crowns can be made of:
All metal
Zirconia
Porcelain
fused to metal (PFM)Porcelain
fused to zirconia
All ceramic
So he ground down the tooth, put some liquid rubbery stuff on it, had me bite down for 2 minutes as the rubber hardened into a mold of my bite, then sent the mold away to a crown-making company. He put on a temporary crown and sent me home. A few days later he called me back to put the permanent crown on. He gave me a shot to numb the tooth, pulled off the temporary and put on the permanent.
It was the wrong color.
So he put the temp back on, sent me home to wait for a new crown with the right color to be made. A few days later he brought me back in, tried the 2nd new crown, but when I closed my teeth, it broke. So he took another mold, and sent me home to wait.
In the meantime, the temporary crown didn’t feel right… it came loose, so I went in to get it re-glued. Then the 3rd new crown came in, this time it was lined with metal underneath to make it stronger. This one too cracked the corner when I bit down.
More waiting, more loose temps, a broken temp, more jaw pain, headache, fatigue from the bacteria that must have been trying to get in the irritated gum around the tooth stub.
Several permanent crowns were not snug enough next to the adjacent teeth and had to be remade (the dental floss didn’t “snap.”)
A patient of mine is a retired dental assistant. I told her the story in the middle of the process and she said I should count myself lucky because in her experience many dentists will just leave a permanent crown that isn’t right, then you get problems with it down the road and end up needing a root canal because of the crown not being right all that time.
Finally, after countless shots and office visits, and 5 months later, the final permanent crown was glued in place.
I should have been relieved, but the tooth and gum were very sore still. So I patiently waited for the soreness to subside, because now there was no reason for it to be a problem. 6 weeks later it was still substantially sore. I figured out that if I flossed it after EACH meal and snack, it didn’t hurt so much.
So I made an appointment with my original dentist (the one who had been on vacation) to have him examine the crown to see if it looked okay.
He has a dental camera and video screen that he used so I could see what he was seeing. The crown had a slight gap on about 10% of the line between it and the adjacent tooth. He said I was packing food between the teeth causing microbial growth and irritation of the gum and tooth.
He also used an electrical meter to test if there was any electrical current coming off the tooth. He explained that a battery consists of metal and an acid or electrolyte solution that interact together. He said that any metal in the mouth, surrounded by the electrolyte solution called saliva, can sometimes give off an electrical current. He said his wife had once had an electrical current of -4 mV coming off her crown that was causing chest pain and left sided facial droop. Once her metal lined crown was replaced with a non metal crown, her chest pain and facial droop went away!
As he spoke, I remembered having a “potato” clock as a child. It was a clock with four metal probes, each attached to the clock by electrical wire. You just cut a potato in half, put two of the probes into each half of the potato, and the clock would turn on. It would run until the potato dehydrated which was usually weeks later. You could also use an apple or a lemon.
So he tested my new crown (that had a metal underlayer) and it had an electrical current coming off it of -32 mV!
Yikes!
He was surprised I didn’t have migraines or anxiety or other really bad symptoms.
So needless to say, he said I needed a new crown! I had mixed feelings, as you might expect. As I sat there, like a deer in the headlights, he kept talking. I wasn’t really hearing what he was saying, then off in the corner of my brain I heard him say,
“So it’s a one day procedure…,” I was confused.
I asked him how it was possible to redo the crown in one day?
Now he looked confused and asked me if I didn’t know about their in-office crown making machine?
It turns out that they have a laser scanner that digitally puts a 3D picture of your tooth stub and surrounding teeth into the computer, the computer generates a suggested new crown, the dentist tweaks the 3D crown so it looks just perfect, then a machine in the back room (a CNC machine) cuts an exact replica out of a “blank tooth” of the computer generated model of the crown that you need!
Again, mixed emotions.
Anger that I didn’t know about this and do this the first time, saving me 7 months of misery; joy that I’m gonna finally get my life back once he fixes this, and fear about how much this is gonna cost.
This has got to cost 3 times the price of the crown I just had put in, right?
Nope. Same price!!!
So I immediately scheduled for him to redo the crown. It took about 4 hours, but was completed same day. Immediately I felt like the rain cloud that had been over my head for the past two months was gone (was this from getting rid of the -32 mVs?). I had two other visits with him the next week to “readjust” the new crown so my bite was just right (no extra charge and no shots needed for this.) And about a week after, the crown feels like a normal tooth again!
And just because you like your dentist, trust your dentist, and hate starting with a new doctor or dentist, i strongly consider going to a dentist who has a CNC crown making machine with a laser scanner so you can get your crown done right and done the same day.
The thing to try and keep in front of your mind is that if you have had some very bad experiences, dentists have evolved, not only themselves but their equipment.
Also, there’s little reason to use metal lined crowns nowadays. Remember that most crowns today, though white on top, have a lining of metal underneath. And, it’s not worth getting a crown that isn’t perfect, because it can increase your risk for needing a root canal later on.
If your dentist is using metal crowns or not using a CNC machine to do same day crowns, likely they will have good sounding reasons why they do what they do and why metal is harmless and so forth.
I’m not a dentist, so I guess I don’t know for sure who is right, but all I can do is share my experience with you.
Now that I know about this, I have begun to find a few of my patients with lingering health issues who may need their metal crowns replaced. I’ll keep you posted with their progress.
If you live in the Fresno area, I’d be happy to share the name of the same-day-crown dentist above so that you can have a consultation with him if you are interested, just let me know.
A word about replacing metal fillings: Please be careful if you choose to remove metal fillings.
These are 50% mercury by weight. The mercury is relatively stable while in the filling, but when removing it from the tooth, the grinding process puts lots of mercury vapors into the air. If you breath this in, you are getting poisoned more than you were before removing it. So please, don’t put any new metal fillings into your mouth or your kids’ mouths, and be very careful when choosing a dentist to remove metal fillings. I can refer you to safe removal dentists if you want.
A word about root canals:These are not a good idea.
They can sometimes harbor toxic anaerobic bacteria in them, slowly releasing their poisons into your body, causing a mild background inflammation.
The underlying ever-present component of all modern diseases (cancer, heart disease, autoimmune disease, mood disorders, digestive disorders, chronic pain) is inflammation. Toxins are one cause of inflammation.
The alternative is a dental implant.
These are more costly but my pay off in the long run if your health is better as you age, as a result of the implant vs. the root canal. Again, don’t just go anywhere for a dental implant. Educate yourself. Again I can give you referrals if you wish.
But most importantly, lets get you to the best dentist possible who can help keep your teeth and crowns and fillings healthy so you never need a root canal.
Honestly, if you are living right, and you need a root canal, it’s your dentist’s fault because he either didn’t do the right dental corrective procedures with the right dental materials, or he didn’t educated you on how to protect you teeth properly.
Lessons learned – and hopefully my experience will help you avoid such a nightmare!
And, lets get you to the best alternative doctor (like me) so that you can learn how to eat the best diet, avoid the common exercise pitfalls, and take safe and effective supplements to prevent gum and tooth disease from the inside out.
Looking Forward!
Yours in health,
Dr. Campise
Fresno Chiropractor
559 930 1034
P.S. If you have the time, kindly give us a review in Google Maps – https://goo.gl/73Kz2R. Thanks!
#fresnochiropractor #neuroemotional #hyperbaric #lighttherapy #homeopathy #chelation
Please also read:
Dentistry Part 2: What was underneath my crown, and other updates
The Dangers of crowns, Root canals and Pulling teeth
In addition to keeping the body well, dental care should be taken.
Ugh . . .dentists! Dentists are much of the reason for my current dental issues. This past year i hoped to get some cosmetic work so i could go in public with out feeling totally embarrassed. A cosmetic Dentist AACD accredited dentist said she could help me and then dragged me through a 4month process of X-rays and exams. I told her i could not afford full mouth restoration and that i wanted just bonding to change ugly color. She spent all those months doing studies etc. I told her from beginning that money was the issue. She had agreed to bonding, then she said you will probably need veneers and then at the last appointment she makes the great reveal . . .a model of the plan. Full mouth Crowns at ….$60,000. Seriously???? then i asked her/her business manager, to lower the price. They lowered some, but still out of the question for me. I said cant you do veneers? cant you do bonding. She said no. I said why did you tell me you could probably do the bonding. Why do you have to put crowns on every tooth. She said because all your teeth are decayed . . .what???? I spent the whole year going from Dentist to Dentist to see if any other dentist would agree that all my teeth have decay or any tooth has decay. Not one out of probably 15 said i had decay. In the mean time i have many more “stories” of what some of the other dentists said. Even the ones that i have been considering chose different teeth to address with significantly varying prices. One dentist insisted i go to an orthodontist and another insisted i go to a prosthodontist. I have gum recession due to braces and bite . . .too many dentists shaving and grinding. I hate dentists!!!! In the mean time here i am, late in life, just want to look reasonable and it’s all so difficult and exhausting….and expensive
Angel,
Thanks for sharing your experience with us! That sounds so frustrating – to want to improve your health, but to have been slowed down by so many others in the process. Please feel free to contact our office, and we can share a referral for Dr. Larsen, who specializes in non-toxic dental care for all ages!
Also be cautious of unscrupulous oral surgeons o tooth extraction and bone grafts. Spicules may form. Sometimes just a side affect of the process but evidently easy to cause growth by pushing bone graft splinters through the gum and in the dentin below the enamel. My story is a long one. But I had an opportunity to talk to two of the few assistants post surgery. One said the doc seemed to have lots of patients grow them. The other told me he causes them. A week later at my next appointment I asked where they. They no longer work for us the dentist replied. Hmm?
I’m just so confused right now. My son is autistic and 3 different dentist said 3 different things. The last said 8 CROWNS under sedation in a hospital. 😭 My gut is SCREAMING NO! My son is predisposed to decay. He is 5 non verbal and recently started saying phrases. I’m so scared. He also has SPD. I’m going back to the first dentist but they wanted 4 caps and in office. I’m at a complete loss
When I was 6 my Dad INSISTED on taking me to THE Dr. Frankenstein of Dentists. By the time I was 12 my mouth was PERMANENTLY ruined–nearly every tooth. I have had nothing but bad luck with Dentists. My Current dentist has put 3 crowns on in 2 months and has had to redo each crown multiple times–which I was to see her again today and was really questioning it. I decided to google crown (though I know a lot about dental procedures because I pay attention to everything and ask a lot of questions, but this article confirms my fears. (She had the crown too high and decided to grind down the other tooth so as to keep from grinding down the crown???). Time to fire her. Problem is, finding a reliable Dentist here. (Foreign, formerly communist, country…)
I just had two new crowns and one of them does not meet the gum line on the outside of the tooth but does on the inside and I was thinking that maybe it is because I have some deep gum recession until I read this. On the other crown (my bottom wisdom tooth) the dentist drilled down my top tooth to fit the permanent crown. The tooth now fr=eels rough and I am wondering if the enamel is gone from the drilling and if I will have future cavities there. Is this normal?
I just found this post. I usually go to a biologic dentist. I moved to a new state. This dentist was listed under biologic dentist. He used great technology for xrays less radiation Whatever. Now he put a temporary crown on my tooth had broke off a fling he placed. Thr temporary crown on today. I can taste the chemicals constantly in my mouth. At first I thought it would go away. Now I am getting a stomach ache and feel ill. It’s all toxic. And I feel suckered into getting the crown. With every swallow I csn taste chemicals. This isn’t right.
I’m having a metalic taste in my mouth for a few months now. I thought it was bad generic meds causing the bad dry taste in Mt mouth, but was flossing my teeth last night and saw my back crown that was once a silver metal, with a front covering that matches the tooth color, has turned a copper red!! That explains why my mouth tastes like metal all day long!!
I’m a paraplegic 34 years, and have had joint problems in my wrists, elbows, back,shoulders. Neck, and have been extremely weak. I though it’s old age with my injury.. That is unusual, being active and strong but now so weak at times.. I have really bad stomach problems and hard to eat with the feeling I get.. I do have constant migrains as well, but have them somewhat under control with Botox Shots. Have had them all my life.. Could this metal crown be what’s cause of the metalic taste with it discoloring to copper! And causing the joint problems. What do I do and where is the best dentist in Rome Ga I can go to get this fixed?
This also happened with me i am so mad why did he drilled it and he didnt even ask me i found it.later
Thanks for your story, sounds exactly like mine! 2 months going back to the dentist for temporary’s breaking and perm crowns not fitting. I live in NH but finally went to a dentist in Boston that my Uncle uses and he gave me the same day crown. I was in so much pain before this!
Thanks for your article Dr. Campise i stumbled on it researching crown shortening. I found your whole experience very educational and I hope others can learn from it!
Doesn’t an implant also have metal base?
I opted to remove my tooth without any implant. Just retainer to keep space from closing in.
Good read tho!
I he had a cap replaced by a new dentist and I noticed that the covering of the crown or cap does not go all the way down to my gum in one spot . I have been getting sick almost every day nausea and pain and no energy , could this be bacteria from this tooth that’s causing this this is been going on for a long time .
Hi Bonnie,
I’m afraid that crown needs to be re-done as the crown must be flush with the gum. If not, food, bacteria and plaque will eventually cause the gumline to recede making the problem even worse. Please contact a reputable dentist and have it re-done. This isn’t something you can really wait on and having it patched with white filling defeats the purpose of the crown.
BTW good article thanks!
Can I please get the name of the dentist’s office in Fresno that does the same day crowns?
Hi! Please email your inquiry to drc@drjohnusa.com
I had a similar situation. I was having severe pain from a cracked tooth, exposing a nerve. My dentist was on vacation, so I went to a immediate care type of dental office. They said I needed to come back for the crown, as I had to have a root canal. But, I went with my gut and went to my normal dentist for this. Your teeth are important and I honestly would have hightailed it out of there after the first error. It seems to me you prolonged your misery to give this dentist a chance? I’m not quite sure what you were thinking, but you are ultimately to blame for this experience, because each visit was worse than the prior, but you kept going back! Instead of going to someone you had history with, and knew the quality of work, you chose to suffer. Hopefully you learned a very valuable, and I’m sure expensive, lesson.
While I know this is an old comment, I must say on behalf of the author that you can’t blame anyone for naivete regarding their first anything, especially first dental crown. It’s such a confusing experience for those who are new to it, and yet it’s necessary that the patient get it patched quickly when it is needed. You become an expert in dental crowns by becoming a dentist, not a patient. Whoever gave this dentist a license is to blame, not any one of the patients who trusted a licensed dentist to work on their teeth.
I totally agree with you when you say go with your gut! some people are afraid of change but it is necessary last time! Glad you turned out making a good choice
Hello I just had my front 7 teeth redone. I had the temps infor 3 years! Took very good care of them. However today I finally got the finals put in and I was under the impression they were to be porcelain fused to metal but when I got there and was in the chair he showed me the teeth beautifully done perfect shade however the back are silver metal. He said that is a stronger tooth. However I don’t know if I am happy with this. I know it’s the first day but I have sensitivity to hot/cold drinks. Is this normal to half half silver crowns on the front tooth?
You had temporary crowns in for 3 years?! They are only supposed to be in for a few weeks! At any rate if you are having sensitivity issues it’s time to consult with another Dentist. Keep in mind good dentists don’t grow on trees!
Good Luck
I found your article while searching google for an explanation to why after seeing my local dentist to have a tooth extracted he convinced me other teeth needed drilled and filled last spring, now every tooth that was worked on broke exactly where it was filled or the fillings fell out. I too have been experiencing migraine headaches, sensitivity to hot/cold, difficulty chewing on both sides, and lower jaw swelling. Unfortunately, he is retiring and I have been having trouble getting in to get my teeth fixed as I live in a small town. After reading your article I am going to call around and see if Ican get in as soon as possible to try to get the pain and other issues remedied. Thanks for sharing your experience.
Thank you for sharing your experience! I’m sorry that you have to have the crown replaced so many times. It’s a little scary that dentists who put crowns on wrong with usually leave them on the patient’s tooth. I will make sure to check out an office that has a CNC machine in the future if I ever need a crown.