Rough surface on crown

jofe

Hi, just looking for some advice. I had a crown replaced recently because it seemed very large and now I wish I hadn't. A different dentist from the original replaced it for me for what seemed like a reasonable price here in Dublin but it feels very rough.The crown seemed to need a lot of filing to get it to fit and he said this was because of a large filling in the tooth behind but surely this would have been taken into account when the impression was made? Anyway the crown feels very rough and gritty to my tongue. I did go back and he polished it a bit but no improvement. The thing is I don't know what to do now. If it is polished more, surely it will just get rougher as it will be taking the glaze off. Is this common with crowns? I find I have to put chewing gum or tooth wax on it just to make it feel smooth. Any advice appreciated.

btkm8unsl0w5r4

Good crowns should feel smooth, if they have been adjusted too much they get rough. Ask it to be re polished ( its doable but takes a lot of time) of remake the crown. You are correct about the filling underneath.

georgieporgy

at least the price was reasonable.........

jofe

Thank you fitzgeme for the advice. Can I just ask though,if you polish the surface of a crown, does it not just get rougher depending on whats underneath?

btkm8unsl0w5r4

it depends, you can polish anything with enough effort ,will it stay smooth I dont know?. The surface glaze is smooth under that is ceramic which with most modern high fusing glass will polish well, under that is opaquer which will not polish then under that is metal which polishes nicely. They are much harder to polish once cemented.

The problem with these "reasonable" or "cheaper" crowns is the lab work tends to not be that great, they fit poorly and have to be adjusted a lot to fit them into the bite and against the teeth either side. The dentist cannot economically strive for excellence or take extra visits to get a crown reglazed or remade. This is the unfortunate side effect of choosing cheaper dental work. High quality and low cost rarely come together. You get what you pay for.

jofe

Thanks for the reply fitzgeme. I paid 700 euro for the crown at a local dentist, not at one of the chains. I consider this to be reasonable. I do not consider it to be cheap. Thanks again for your advice.

btkm8unsl0w5r4

Thats a pretty average price, I thought you were talking about one of the 3 for 2 350 euro ones, my apologies . 700 euro from a general dentist is a fair sum and you should expect a smooth crown that fits well and bites well.

Lucyn

Hi Jofe,

I had a crown badly fitted 10 years ago and I've regretted it ever since. It was a front tooth and like you, it felt like there was a 'lump' at the back of it. As a result, I couldn't close my bite fully which eventually slid my lower jaw to the right and this is noticable in photo's etc. I was young at the time and the dentist was very abrupt so I just put up with it. Last year, it cracked and I sourced a new (fantastic) dentist who replaced it and if I knew 10 years ago what I know now! She took loads of impressions, removed some of the gum, fitted a temporary crown for a few months (which looked perfect in my opinion) and then the premanent crown. She took lots of time to make sure my bite was right and polished it (and even the temporary one) for ages.

So my point is that I think you should go back and tell them you're not 100% happy with it. My bite was irreversibly changed due to bad dentistry and I regret that now. Thankfully, I have now got the best dentist in the country and she takes such pride in her work that I hate to hear stories like yours where some dentists do such shoddy work and think we should just put up with it!

jofe

Thanks Lucyn, interesting to hear your story. I did actually go back to the dentist yesterday and I suppose I am not very assertive but he said that he thought the crown was fine. I don't really know what to do now. Am trying to get used to it but it is a lot rougher than any of my other teeth.