Any explanation why I still experience pain when I touch/tap on my CEREC dental crown that was placed over 2 months ago?

Question

I had a crown and root canal done on tooth #28 on April 2015. After a week I went back because of pain when I chew and touch/tap on the crown. Bite was adjusted and xray did not reveal any problems. Went back in June since pain did not go away. Dentist evaluated it and couldn't find any problem. So he offered to redo the root canal and place a new crown. Procedure was redone on July 2015 and still now experience the same thing. What could the cause be? The dentist can't seem to figure it out.

Vicki Borowski, DDS · Answer

On possibility is that this tooth has a crack in it. I would suggest consulting with an endodontist to confirm that there are no additional problems with the tooth or the teeth adjacent to it. You could also be getting referred pain from another tooth that hasn't been considered.

Desiree Yazdan, DDS · Answer

It is possible that you have a root fracture.  In this case, it's best to try to keep the tooth as long as possible as long as it's not lowering your quality of life.  If it's bothering you a lot, you can have an apicoectomy, and see if that helps, otherwise you are looking at an extraction and placement of an implant.

Sue Wendling, DMD (retired) · Answer

It's possible that you have a root fracture that Is not yet visible to the eye or even on an X-ray. But, more than likely, your teeth are like mine. I have residual pain on my own teeth after a root canal for months. Try giving it more time.

Any explanation why I still experience pain when I touch/tap on my CEREC dental crown that was placed over 2 months ago?

Answers (3)