Last week a woman drove 5 hours seeking our help. 5 years ago her dentist said, “Your filling is cracked. You need a crown.” She trusted him and allowed him to do the crown. After the numbness wore off her tooth felt very sensitive. It hurt from heat, cold, pressure and sugary foods. At first the dentist said, “Your tooth just needs some time to get used to the crown.” Time didn’t make it better. She went back and the dentist said, “The bite is off. I’ll adjust it.” This didn’t help either. After a year went by her dentist said, “It looks like you need a root canal.” Thankfully, she went with her gut and didn’t have a root canal. But she did steer clear from the dentist for a few years not knowing what to do. Finally, she found our practice hoping that we might view have different answers.
And boy did we!
Here was the problem: The crown which was put on the tooth had a hole! (see images) Saliva and food particles were getting under the crown breaking down the cement and causing significant sensitivity. The crown was also fractured around the hole. Every time she would bite, these fractures would flex over the living tooth nerves! OUCH! Our solution was simple. Clean the tooth with air abrasion, use ozone gas over the clean tooth to desensitize the nerves and cement on a properly fitted crown. The patient told me just today that she has no sensitivity! Turns out she doesn’t need a root canal! She just needed a crown which was sealed over healthy, decontaminated dentin.
If your dentist says, “You need a root canal” get a second opinion from us. We are in the business of keeping teeth alive and healthy!
If you’d like our help go to ASK BDC and ask us a question!
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