Is it appropriate to seat permanent crowns with temporary adhesive?

Question

I had several old front crowns replaced. My dentist seated the new crowns with temporary adhesive for a week to ensure I was comfortable with the fit. When he attempted to remove the crowns to permanently re-seat them, 2 of the crowns would not budge. It has now been almost a year, and he has been unsuccessful in attempts to remove them. He indicated he will likely have to cut them off and replace them. Is this a common dental practice?

Sarah Thompson, DMD · Answer

Hello there,This is not usual in my office, but your dentist just may have his own way of doing things.  I can't say that it is wrong, but it seems like this technique would constantly have the issue of crowns getting stuck on at first, then falling off several months later.  In your case, this sounds a bit strange.  I recommend keeping your appointments with your doctor to ensure that he is continuously kept abreast of your crown, so that when and if it comes off, he will replace it for no charge.  Good luck and I hope this helps. Follow me if you have more questions.Sarah Thompson, DMDSoft Touch Dentistry

Barry Jason, DDS · Answer

In reality there is no such thing as "permanent cement".  We use this term to denote cements with little or no soluabilty.  This means that as dentist we feel that under normal circumstances the cement should hold the crown almost indefinitely.  All dentists have had occasion to have patients come back with even permanently cemented crowns come out.  This may be due to chewing habits and sticky foods.  We have also experienced times when temporary ( more soluable and less adherent) cements have held the crowns so strongly take they were very difficult to remove.  In my practice I try every check-up to gently tap off those in "temp" cement that I was unable to remove previously,. and feel around the margins and if needed take an xray.  If all looks well I leave them alone.  I have one patient in temp cement with no problems for 3 years, and I have many patients where finally I tapped off. cleaned and then used the stronger "permanent" cement.  Under NO circumstances would I recommend cutting off well fitted, problem-free crowns with no sign of decay or symptoms.

Susan Hollinsworth, DDS (retired) · Answer

There are times when we cement perm crowns with temp cement just as your dentist did to ensure their comfort,etc. I would definitely not have them cut off and replaced. Just keep up with regular checkups and have the dentist check them each time at the margins and try to remove them .  f they don't come off, just stay with this plan.The fact that they aren't coming off with temp cement means they fit very well.

Is it appropriate to seat permanent crowns with temporary adhesive?

Answers (3)

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