Ill-fitting Dental Crowns? One of the crowns is rubbing against the inside of my mouth and I still speak with a lisp 3 weeks on.

Have the crown polished by the dentist.  If the crown is rough, it will make your cheek sore or your tongue irritated.  This will affect your speech.

It should be an easy solution if the edge of the crown is smooth.  Good luck talking all weekend!

When you have a crown that does not feel comfortable you should see your dentist and have it adjusted.  Though some patients can eventually train their tongue to eliminate the lisp it does not happen often.  The crown may be too bulky on the tongue side causing your tongue to hit it prematurely.  There could also be a space between the teeth that is causing the lisp.  Let your dentist evaluate it and come up with a plausible solution.  Good luck.

A crown on a front tooth will cause a lisp if the upper and lower front teeth are prevented from coming together the way they did previously.  This is often the case if the crown is too thick on the inside surface of an upper crown or the outside surface of a lower crown.  Your dentist should be able to make the necessary adjustment and repolish the crown and have you speaking normally again. 

Problems such as a crown rubbing the inside of your cheek or speaking with a lisp require the attention of your dentist. This is a classic example of the fact that your dental crowns are generally made on a stone model in a dental laboratory (we also have CAD/CAM computer generated impressions and crown fabrication) that are unable to replicate the mouth environment completely with your lips, cheeks, tongue etc.. Therefore a cusp rubbing on your cheek or a lisp from to much air passing between your teeth may be a simple adjustment such as re-contouring and adjusting your bite, or sending the crown back to the laboratory for re-baking and/or addition of porcelain. Hopefully, they are not permanently cemented which can make adjustments more difficult.

It has been three weeks since the placement of the crown and you seem miserable. I am sorry, but the prognosis is not good that you will adapt to this new crown and your lisp and rubbing will go away.  Also YOU SHOULD NOT HAVE TO ADAPT!  If the placement of the crown had been done properly, you should feel no difference between the crown and your own natural tooth.  My adivce to you ...go back to the dentist that placed the crown and tell him you are not happy with the placement and you have given it three weeks and it is rubbing against the inside of your mouth and you lisp.  He either needs to try and fix the one he has placed or place a new one that your are happy with, at no charge to you....especially if he wants to keep you as his patient!  Go back and see your dentist...you paid good money for your crown....be happy with the outcome and if you do not go back, they will never know and you will be miserable....Take good Care!  Dr. K

Chances are not good that you will adapt to this problem on your own.  Visit with your Dentist to see if the crown can be adjusted or polished.  If this doesn't help, the crown may need to be replaced.

Hi Jenncher

The problems you describe will not go away without further intervention by the dentist.  You should return to your dentist and explain what you noticed. 

I might be something relatively easy for the dentist to rectify in just a matter of minutes. 

Worst case scenario you would need a new crown - which I think you should expect at no additional fee.

The lisp will not be corrected by itselt . There is an open space that needs to be closed with more porcelain so the air doesn't produce :sibilant sounds"

It shouldn' t be that difficult to correct by adding more porcelain and at the same time the uncomfortable shape in the back could be recontoured

Your mouth should NEVER have to adjust to a restoration!  When a crown is placed, in a perfect world, there should be no difference in the feel between it and your natural tooth.  Sometimes, it may  feel to high and not "just right". Your dentist should be mindful of this and take care of the problem. He might have thought it was fine if you did not speak up. If you did not, then go back immediately and have it adjusted so you do not lisp or cause pressure to your jaw because your bite is off.

If he can not adjust it, then i would ask him to make new impressions and send it back to the lab and have a new one made, and he should bear the cost.  If you have been a patient for a long time, or new  to the practice, you need to tell him so you can both resolve this issue. I am assured he wants a happy patient and you want a crown that is comfortable in your mouth!  Hope this helps and i am sorry this happened to you! 

Many patients do not realize their crowns are ill-fitting before it is too late. Your gums, soft oral tissues or bite (occlusion) should not adjust to a new restoration, as one will suffer slight discrepancies which could lead to long term acute situations such as: periodontal (gum) disease, joint weakness, cheek muscle spasm and so on. A well made restoration should go in as if it was never changed. Any slight change in your bite/feel, shouldbe attended to immediately by the restorative dentist.