I can feel my crowns - is this normal after root canals? I can feel the edge to my crown on the front tooth - normal? (Photo)

Question

I had 3 root canals done and the crowns put in on my two front teeth and one neighboring tooth. The bite has always felt a bit off but now I'm worried that I can "feel" them. The gums seem to be fine but if I tap the crowns with my finger, I can feel it and its sensitive. How is this possible when I had 3 root canals in all those teeth? Also, I went to push up on my gums on one of the front teeth and noticed I can feel the edge of the top of the crown. Will these signs/symptoms ever go away?

E. Drew Moore, DDS, MS · Answer

I hear several things that are wrong, based upon what you report, and I see some things that were done wrong. I would start by saying that the previous dentist's answer is partially correct. If you still feel sensitivity in these teeth, the bite if off. The reason you fell it, in spite of the root canals, is that the bad bite is causing trauma down through the roots and into the bone. The bite could eventually cause loosening of the teeth and bone loss. Based upon the fact that you feel the edges, the crown margins are bad. So, adding a heavy bite and bad, or open, bulky margins, the teeth may not have been prepared correctly and the lab made bulky crowns with poor margins. Your dentist should have recognized that the margins, where you feel the edges, were incorrect and should not have placed them. He missed something else, which, unfortunately, is more and more common in dentistry. The two middle teeth/crowns are not the same length and the ginigval or gum heights are uneven. As is too often the case, he should have asked a periodontist (if he isn't competent to do it himself) to do Esthetic Crown Lengthening. This requires a small bit of gum removal and perhaps even some slight bone contouring. You went to all that trouble to get crowns and paid for a pretty smile, but the job wasn't done properly. He should still refer you to a periodontist, get the crown lengthening, and redo the crowns to the proper shape/contour and thickness. I am sorry to deliver bad news. But, I suspect you knew there issues, or you wouldn't be asking here. If the margins are not redone properly, there is a great chance of getting new decay (cavities) on the roots of those teeth. This will end up causing you to need new crowns and most likely, the crown lengthening that could have been done before. And, if that is not done on the 4 front teeth and just the middles two, they will look way too long and you will probably not like the look.

Kourosh Maddahi, DDS · Answer

Hi:You should definitely go back to your dentist to check the bite on your new crowns.  The symptoms you are describing may not go away if there is a bite issue.Best,Dr. Maddahi

I can feel my crowns - is this normal after root canals? I can feel the edge to my crown on the front tooth - normal? (Photo)

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I can feel my crowns - is this normal after root canals? I can feel the edge to my crown on the front tooth - normal? (Photo)

Answers (2)

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Everything you need to know about Dental Crown

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