Gum pain from permanent crown

[JS63]

Hi..I'm having chronic (4+ months now) daily gum/roof of mouth pain from a permanent crown that was done on tooth #14 in Oct 06.

I also had new crowns put on 15 (year ago) and 16 (at about the same time as 14) to replace cracking CERECs (done 3 years ago by another Dentist).  I've also had recurring bite problems over the past 3 years after the CERECs were done, that no Dentist has been able to get right - even after 20+ (combined) visits.

The new crown on 14 feels WAY too big to me - it is much wider and broader than the crown on 15 and feels "funny"/large.  Flossing on either side is very tight - not much room, and the floss "rips" sometimes.

I also have mild Periodontal issues/disease.

Is it possible that the crown on #14 is causing the gum pain - by being too large?  (It almost feels like it is pushing against 13 too tightly).  I'm also wondering if it is too large for the area it's sitting in under the gumline.

Or, is it more likely that the gum pain is being caused by occlusion/bad bite?

The current Dentist (who did 14 and 16 crowns) wasn't overly receptive to re-doing 14..said "you'd have a real mess in there" if I re-did it.  My guess is he's just not in a hurry to incur the cost, but clearly we need to do SOMETHING here as I have daily and persistent discomfort (not really bad pain..just discomfort - but very noticeable and constant).

I'm also considering a visit to a Perio to see if he can find anything going on with the gums, but can't get in until early March.

Thanks for any/all help!

[Jerome Bogin, D.D.S.]

I have absolutely no clue as to what advice I can give you at this time. It does seem sort of strange to restore a wisdom tooth with a crown.I also don't understand what your doctor means by a real mess in there.See the periodontist and get his opinion.It shouldn't take 20+ visits to get your bite correct.

[JS63]

Thanks..the bite has been a real nightmare - presumably because Dentist #1 did CERECs on three teeth (14, 15 & 16) at once.  This was three years ago now, and the bite hasn't been right since.  (He tried over a dozen times to adjust it - a little at a time - and NEVER could get it entirely right).

My theory is that the mold that was made for the impression was "off" by a bit, as all three teeth were "long" on the back side, indicating a tilted mold when made (at least that's my theory).  That may be why so many adjustments were needed?

Dentist #2 came in 6 months ago, after a crown was put on 15 by Dentist #1.  He took the CERECs off of 14 and 16 and redid them with crowns - and this time, the FRONT side came out too long.  I believe this is because my mouth tends to close in many different places, depending on which teeth I bite on - and maybe I bit on different places the two times molds were made.

Now, tooth 13 seems to be slamming into the teeth below it.  (Presumably because 14-16 are overadjusted).  13 was never worked on, but is "tilted" in funny (always has been that way).

So, I don't know if I'm having the gum pain from occlusion/bad bite, or if there is a problem with the crown on 14 being made "too big".

Thanks for the help..BTW, I can't get in to the Perio until early March (ugh).

- J

[mike1105]

it sounds like a problem with the way the lab made the crowns--ie the contour, size, shape, bulk etc. some people are more adaptive than others to the shape of their teeth. However, most people are not adaptive to a bite that is off. I agree with the forum dentist. restoring #16 (a wisdom tooth) is not only very unusual, but very difficult. crowning 3 teeht should also not take so long to get right.

[kid_twist]

I have a permanent crown on a lower back molar that was placed after a root canal in Nov. '06... This crown has never felt like it fits properly... I can chew on it, but I get a little pressure feeling and itch around the gum line afterwards... Sometimes if feels like a burning sensation... Especially after I floss right between the crown and back tooth... I also would get a shooting pulsating feeling under the crown... So one day last week I chewed on some Fritos and the shooting sensation went away... Chewing on something hard like chips took the itch away... Weird, I know... But it worked...