Tuesday, March 30th, 2010
I have porcelain fused to metal crowns on six of my upper teeth, and there is a very noticeable, very ugly black line right where the crowns meet my gums. What are my options to get rid of this? I need to find an inexpensive fix, if I can.
Edie in Norfolk
Dear Edie,
There really is not any way to inexpensively fix this issue. To fully answer your question, I have to explain a little bit about the actual structure of the porcelain fused to metal crown.
The black line you are seeing is the metal portion of the porcelain fused to metal, and it is part of the structure of the crown. The dental technician who produced the crown had to use powerful opaquers on the portion of the crown that is closest to the gum line. Your dentist could attempt to drill away the visible metal, but I would never recommend this. Even if he manages to get rid of the black line, there would still be a serious color match issue with the portion of your natural tooth that is revealed, and it would likely be impossible to use bonding to blend the crown and underlying tooth and make it look natural. It is very, very unlikely that this course of action would be acceptable cosmetically.
This leaves you with two realistic choices: live with the black line, or replace the crowns with porcelain crowns. As you are likely aware, that is not what most people would consider an inexpensive fix.
I wish I could offer you a better option, but porcelain fused to metal crowns are rarely a good aesthetic choice for front teeth. Good luck.
Posted in Dental Crowns, Porcelain Crowns | No Comments »
Sunday, March 21st, 2010
One of my molars needs to be taken out. The endodontist my dentist referred me to says it has rotted below the gumline, and there is no way to save it. After the tooth is removed both my regular dentist and the specialist have advised me to get an implant to replace the tooth. At best, this procedure is going to cost me a little over $1,500, and my dentist has warned me that it could very well be more. I do not have dental coverage, and am on a fixed income. I know this is important, but it will take me some time to save up what I need for the implant. How long can I wait between the extraction of the tooth, which needs to happen quite soon, and the surgery to place the implant?
Gemma in Portland
Dear Gemma,
A dental implant is certainly the best choice to replace your missing tooth. With an infection present in the tooth and socket, you would have to wait for the area to heal before any surgery could be performed to place the root surgery. The root form also needs time to integrate with the bone before the crown can be placed on top of the root form.
You really do not have very long to get some kind of replacement tooth in place after the extraction of your infected tooth. Within a few weeks, the teeth surrounding the empty socket will start to “drift” into the space. If you allow this situation to continue, your dental issues will get a lot more complicated, and a lot more expensive to fix. If you do not do something to replace the missing tooth, the resulting teeth movements could lead to bite alignment issues, which could in turn result in TMJ disorder, and headaches.
Your dentist will need to fit you with a flipper, which is a temporary partial denture, to help maintain the current spacing of your teeth. While a flipper is not meant to be permanent, it could work to keep your teeth from moving too much while you save up what you need for the dental implant surgery. The same flipper can be used after the root form has been placed, while you are waiting for the area to heal before the placement of the crown.
Posted in Dental Implants | No Comments »
