Tag Archives: problems with CEREC Crowns

CEREC Crown Disaster

I was told getting a CEREC crown would be a snap and fit better than other crowns. Not only was I in the chair for over three hours, but the crown didn’t fit properly. She said it was because my tooth was in really bad shape so she had to take a general model from the database. It doesn’t fit at all like my normal teeth or even my other crowns. In fact, she had to grind it down because it didn’t fit in properly. Now it hurts. What do I do?

Carol

Dear Carol,

porcelain block for CEREC crowns

Something is wrong here. Let’s start with your dentist’s statement that she had to use a general model from the database. Her reasoning that the tooth was in too bad of shape doesn’t make much sense to me. Of course the tooth was in bad shape. That is the whole point of needing a dental crown! Why would you put a crown on a healthy intact tooth?

CEREC crowns should fit better than other crowns because they are designed and milled using precision software. However, computer software is only as good as the person programming it. Though, this software is pretty user friendly. For instance, let’s say you were missing your lower left molar. Your dentist would program that in and the software would give her a basic shape to use for that type of tooth to start the design. From there, images of your surrounding and opposing teeth give her the remainder of the information she needs to input into the software. Then it designs the crown.

Your crown is uncomfortable and she had to do grinding on the tooth, so clearly this didn’t happen properly. There are so many things that can go wrong with a dental crown. Here are just three:

  • Open margins. If the crown does not fit the tooth perfectly around the complete circumference of the tooth, then you will have a gap where bacteria can get in leading to decay under your crown.
  • Bite Design. When a bite isn’t designed properly, it throws off occlusion and you will end up with painful TMJ Disorder issues.
  • Poor Contouring. If the tooth is not contoured properly, you will have gum inflammation, which will lead to gum disease.

What this boils down to is you need to have this tooth looked at by another dentist. If they can tell you what is wrong with it, you can get either ask her to re-do the crown or ask for a refund and have it redone by another dentist.

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Intereting Yahoo question on CEREC crowns.

I recently came across a question about CEREC crowns on yahoo that I thought was interesting.

I recently had a Cerec crown put in. I was told how great this was and that they go in take a picture that make a 3d image of the tooth and they send it to the mill that makes it. My understanding was that it was supposed to make this perfect fitting crown.
Well I ended up in the dental chair for about 3 hours. She said she had to pic a generic image from the database because my tooth was so damaged or in bad shape. This seemed odd to me and didn’t make since due to what I was told before. The crown did not fit when it was created. I noticed a lot of red area on the sides on the screen and she was doing a lot of hand manipulation to the 3d model. The crown didn’t filt. She had to hand grind the sides and a lot off the top. It seemed like it really sat up very high. As if it was made way to high. She had to do a lot of grinding to it so it felt natural. It seems like it’s a alittle lower then the surrounding teeth and doesn’t seem to have that natural tooth look. Almost looks a little too smooth. It is also a little wider on the outside at the base then the rest of my teeth. I would have assumed it would been pretty even. Also it seems a little sensitive. I don’t know if that’s normal for a period of time or not. Its been almost a week. It just don’t feel strong. I wonder if it is not seated in properly.
Now when I went to the Cerec site. It seemed as if it was supposed to be a nearl perfect fit. Would pnly take a fraction of the time. And only minor modification if any. I also sen the image of how it looks when they take the image. My tooth looked identical to this, so Im a little concerned why she is saying it was because the tooth was in bad shape as to why they couldn’t fit it right or get a proper model of it. It looks from the site that they could make a copy of the top tooth to know how it would fit. My understanding was this was what they did. But they only took a image of the prepared tooth which again looked like the images in their flash presentation. Did she do something wrong and is trying to cover it up? What about the sensitivity and such?

Here are my thoughts….

This patient definitely needs to see another dentist to have it checked.  A lot can go wrong with a dental crown and I’m afraid this one has some serious problems.  If indeed the crown needs to be replaced, then he dentist the caused the problem in the first place, should pay for the replacement and any other repairs that need to be attended to.

There is something that puzzles me.  This patient said that their dentist had to take a generic image from the database because their tooth was in “such bad shape”.

The CEREC crown system is made to deal with teeth that are in bad shape. Teeth that are in good shape don’t need crowns. The software asks the dentist to input which tooth is being crowned. It in turn gives the dentist a starting point for designing the crown, showing him or her what the tooth is supposed to.  The dentist is also given the images of the surrounding teeth and  opposing teeth. This gives the dentist all the information needed to fit the crown perfectly. Clearly, this dentist didn’t know what they were doing.

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Cleaning CEREC crowns

I had a lot of damaged amalgam fillings nad my teeth degraded further. As a result I needed crowns.  I opted for CEREC ones to save on appointment time. My two rear molars continually trap food. Sometimes floss helps, but not always.  Is there a different method with crowns for getting food out?

Jen H. – Little Rock

Jen,

Dental floss holders can sometimes help you reach places that are tougher to without them, but that is not really your problem.  Go back to your dentist and let him or her know what is going on.  The margins to your CEREC crowns were left open on your crown.

If that’s not repaired your going to end up getting decay under there. If that happens, your crowns will have to be re-done at your expense.

If you go back now and your dentist fixes the mistake (at his own expense), you’ll be much happier.

This blog is brought to you by Gilbert Dentist Dr. Matt Roper.

 

Do CEREC crowns have to be a certain color?

I got a CEREC crown a few weeks ago. I was very excited about the idea of getting it all done in one appointment. However, I was quite disappointed in the color. It doesn’t match my teeth very well at all with my natural teeth. My dentist says that is what they have to look like. That doesn’t seem right to me. In fact, it seems like a technological step back. Is he correct?

Illyia K- Santa Clarita, CA

Illyia,

Your intuition is correct. CEREC technology can make any color you want. No one would put up with crowns that don’t match, no matter how fast it could be made. The technology would be uselessEither your dentist is lying or incompetent.  It’s possible he doesn’t know much about color matching and he just did the best he could.

My suggestion is that you ask him for a refund and go to another dentist to have your crown done.  Even with advanced technology you have to have a dentist that is skilled in cosmetic dentistry. A CEREC crown will look gorgeous if it is done correctly. The porcelain matches the natural translucency of your teeth.

This blog is brought to you by Gilbert Dentist Dr. Matt Roper.

Problems with a CEREC crown?

I have two crowns in my mouth. One is twelves years old and doing well. The second one, a CEREC crown, I’ve only had for a couple of weeks and it is already giving me trouble. Are CEREC crowns not as stable? Plus, there is some substance that I think is cement around the base of the crown.

Grayson I. – Kansas City

Grayson,

Were both these crowns done by the same dentist?  The reason I ask is that your basic dental crown and CEREC crowns are equally hearty. The thing that generally determines their success is the skill of the dentist combined with the care of the patient.

Because you still have some of the bonding material on your tooth area and crowns I’m thinking the problem is your dentist and not your crown. He needs to remove the cement. It is going to irritate your gums.

This blog is brought to you by Gilbert Dentist Dr. Matt Roper.