Do I need a Prosthodontist now?

[RoseyB01]

In June of '08 I started with a new dentist.  I had discomfort and very low grade pain in the upper right jaw for several months.  Mild pain--not requiring any pain medication and also a slight pressure sensation on the outside of my cheek in the area of these two crowns.   He said I should have the two crowns there redone. Teeth #3 & #2 (I beleive he called them)  He removed two amalgam fillings and replaced them with composites under the old crowns and put new crowns in.  The discomfort persisted.  I stated biting the inside of my cheek---like it was swollen a bit after the new crowns went in.  I went back.  He ground down the new crowns a bit making my bite somewhat better. He also said that I may be experiencing ligament pain  and that I had more than one bite.
     He tested both teeth to see if I needed a root canal.  The one was fine and the other I reacted to.  He sent me to an Endodontist who did the root canal through the new crown.  The discomfort and mild tooth pain persisted after that. The pain seems to be coming from the tooth that received the root canal.  It is also sensitive to cold but not heat.        I called him back and he said it might be an infection and gave me 10 days of Amoxicillan.   Nothing changed.
       I called back after the antibiotics and he said I might need a stronger antibiotic.  I said I didn't want to take a stronger antibiotic ---I WANTED A DIAGNOSIS!
    I searched the internet for an Oral Surgeon and found one who was voted one of the BEST in my area!  He took a panoramic x-ray.  Said "that the root canals looked good and my sinuses looked fine and we should go with the simplest possibility:  My bite is off and I should go back to the first Dentist and get a Night Guard and try that! "
   My sister said she had a similar problem at one time and JUST HAD THE TOOTH PULLED!  End of problem!
          On this forum I heard about another dental specialty--Prosthodontists.  Is that what I need?  And how do I go about finding a GOOD one???
I continue to have what feels like swelling inside my cheek , a ridge has developed there, constant minor pain in the #3 tooth,  my lower lip seems to be slightly tingly and the glands in my neck have been swollen on and off for the last month.  Help.   Rosey01

[kayla276]

I live in Ohio. I don't know where you live, but I found an excellent one in my state by calling another denstist who recommended him.   If you go on line and type in Prosthdontist, in what ever city and state you live in, it will give you a list in your nearby city.

I never knew what a Prosthodontist was either until this site and I looked it up. They have 4 more years of schooling than a general dentist has for putting on crowns, bridges, doing implants etc.  

They may cost a little more, but in the end it is worth it.  I am not saying General Dentists aren't good, but the one I had was definitely not good.  You just have to find the right one.    And definitely if your bite is off, it will start causing alot of things to go wrong. It is a horrible feeling and you try  to figure out why these things are starting to happen.     Jaws hurt, muscles tight in neck, jaw, chin, numbness tingling in lips
shoulder, arm.   this is how bad mine got.

I should have gone to a prosthodontist for my crowns, but I didn't know what one was until December on this site.

[kayla276]

Better start finding other options if he won't put a new crown on and quit procrastinating like I did.   I am mad at myself for not trying to find out the answers sooner and believing what he was telling me. I thought Mr. Bertolini was the greastest dentist.

Boy did I get a slap in the face!  His  office argued with me up and down that nothing was wrong with my crowns for months.   I even gave them a second chance and called them Jan 22, 2009 and stated, are you sure there isn't anything wrong with this crown he put on my tooth, she stated no.  That is when I started making my moves and went
to an endodontist  (Specialist who does root canals, he stated root canal was needed. Then I went to another endodontist because I wanted a second opinion on that also.   After got root canals done, just recently, crown still feels tight and hurts and I have a gap between crown and tooth. I think the crown is still too high also, but I have to have them both replaced.    It has also shifted my other teeth out of place.

I hope your teeth turn out fine.  Don't procrastinate any more than you have, like I did.

Notify your state dental board also about what you have been experiencing with this dentist.

They will not get your money back for you, but at least they will know what is going on and investigate it.

If it is the crowns and they have to be replaced, that cost money like it is costing me. And I am sick to my stomach about what he did to my original tooth beside the crown.

I have lost 15 lbs and can't afford to lose anymore because of all I have been through.