crown on back molar and wisdom tooth removal

[Kidd2108]

I hope someone can answer, I had a root canal 3 weeks ago on the back molar. When I went to get the crown, the dentist mentioned that it would be better if I had my wisdom tooth removed before she puts the crown b/c they may not be able to take it out after the crown is in place. My appt with another dentist is not till next week. At the same time I find it odd, b/c she gave me the option of putting the crown on or not. After scaring me half to death, of course I said no to the crown for now. My question here is can a dentist remove an impacted wisdom tooth after the back molar has had a crown? I feel as if this temp filling is not going to hold up for 6 to 8 weeks. Thanks for any help

[Jerome Tsang, DDS]

The dentist or oral surgeon should be able to remove the wisdom tooth with no problem.  The only reason why I would wait for a crown would be if the wisdom tooth is in the way of making the crown and would make it more difficult for me to place the crown in.  If that's the case, then I would recommend wating the 6 to 8 weeks to get a better fitting crown.  Ideally, the easier it is for the dentist to do the work, the better the outcome will be.

[Kidd2108]

Thanks, I really don't trust my dentist. Shes made some comments that have been a bit off. Ill post on monday with an update from the new dentist/surgeon said. Im sure he'll say he can remove it no problem.

[Jerome Tsang, DDS]

It depends on the location of the tooth but it should be okay.  During the extraction, the crown could possibly be damaged or broken.  Just depends on how hard the wisdom tooth extraction will be.  

[Kidd2108]

Just a quick update.

Went to wisdom tooth dentist, he said I should not remove tooth b/c the nerve is too close and I could do damage. Of course if I'm in pain, then they will remove it. The restorative dentist then went ahead with the crown prep, but warned me several times that they wouldn't be able to take out the wisdom tooth.

They did take a panoramic xray and I did see the nerve, extremely close to the wisdom tooth. It also appeared to be pushing the molar.

She also didn't place a temporary crown[I'm a little concerned about that] and now I have to wait 2 weeks for the perm. Hopefully it fits. The shaved tooth is really small right now and I will avoid eating on that side.

Thanks for your comments.

[Jerome Tsang, DDS]

Weird to me too that she didn't put a temporary crown on it also.  

Hm.  So the oral surgeon doesn't want to do it?  I'm surprised.  The panoramic x-ray is a 2 dimension picture of the area.  It may be close to the nerve but it won't indicate whether on the x-ray its in front, literally around or behind the nerve in the picture.  There's no sense of depth to it.  A CAT scan would be a better image of the area and give the doctor a 3D image of the area and know exactly where the tooth and nerve is.  

At this point, I would recommend getting the crown in.  But you should seek another opinion from another oral surgeon.  If the tooth is horizontal and impacting into the other molar, you may end up losing both in the future.