Crowns and Pulsating Pain

[kid_twist]

Last November I had a root canal on my lower left middle tooth. Afterwords I had a temporary crown put on the tooth. No pain or toothache post root canal.The tooth was tender after the procedure so I didn't chew on that side. In December, I had the permanent crown placed on the tooth. The crown immediately felt tight and gave me the sensation it was pressing on the gums around the crown. I continued to eat on the right side until the soreness went away. After about 7 days, I could chew on the left side and everything was fine for 4 weeks.  In the last few days, I'm feeling a tightness around the crown and pressure around the gum area. Yesterday, I went back to the dentist. He checked around the gums but saw no sign of the crown digging into the gum area. A gum specialist in the office also said the same thing. They took an xray and it looked fine. No cracks, abcess (abscess), or anything. However, the dentist said my gums on the side of that tooth were a little thinner. He said I may have irritated that area while brushing. So use a smaller brush and be very gentle. I don't know why for 4 weeks the crowned tooth felt fine and now its bothering me. I have a crown on one of my upper molars and it never bothered me. Question: Is it possible for the crown to really be too tight and just needs adjustment? Or would I need a new one? Tonight I'm feeling a slight intermittent pulsating sensation toward the surface of the crown. I don't feel any pain down near the root. Thanks!

[Jerome Bogin, D.D.S.]

This sounds like a tough one--one clue that I am getting is the "thin gum tissue" this might be the culprit.I would think that if a periodontist looked at it and saw no inflammation around the crown that you might have irritated it somehow.I don't think the crown is too tight, but i would be concerned if the discomfort persisted for a few weeks. At this point I would rinse with very warm salt water as often as you like and go easy in that area with the brush. As I said if the discomfort remains you would have to seek some help.

[kid_twist]

I just spoke to my brother and he had a crown that felt too tight and his dentist replaced it with a new one and now his is fine. He also said its possible the crown is too high causing the discomfort.

[kid_twist]

The crown also feels scratchy and I'm puzzled by the intermittent pulsating sensation. I'm afraid to chew on the left side of my mouth. My brother said he had a crown that was too tight and they just had to replace it with one that fit better. Last Saturday I was chewing some JuJyFruit candy on my left side and I felt like it pulled on the crown. Since then I've had discomfort. Is it possible its just not secure causing the pulsating feeling?

[kid_twist]

Is it possible for food particles to get stuck up underneath the crown?

[kid_twist]

Update:

A few days ago I went back to my dentist because of the pulsating pain around the crowned tooth. I did have a root canal on the lower bottom tooth. The dentist did a series of diagnostic tests. The xray on the crowned tooth looked totally normal. No cracks, dark spots or anything. He tapped each tooth on either side of the crowned tooth. No pain for me there. He applied cool air around the area. No discomfort. He applied that cool gel to the crowned tooth and to the teeth in the front and back of the crowned tooth to check the nerves. I felt no pain. Of course the crowned tooth felt no sensation because of the root canal that was done on it. He poked around the ridges and gumline and no breaks or leaks were evident. The dentist said this was a real enigma. The first month the crown was on it felt perfect. I get a quick pulsating pain, and itchy feeling around the crown. Near the gums. It feels like the crown just isn't a perfect fit. If I chew on the left side, my gums feel a burning sensation. Like the crown is digging into it. Could I be allergic to this crown? Could there be too much cement under the crown pushing on my gums? Any idea on what the problem could be? Help!