I went to a new dentist who has more of a holistic view of dental care. She suggested I remove all my amalgam fillings and replace them with either composite fillings or zirconia crowns if the filling takes up too much of the tooth. I was okay with that. One of the problems I am having though is the zirconia crowns are uncomfortable. It hurts when I am chewing. The dentist feels like they are fine, so I went to another dentist. However, this dentist doesn’t want to touch them until the nerves calm down. I don’t know if I can wait much longer. Have you heard of this? On a side note, is it possible for everyone in the family to see the same dentist. Going to two different dentists twice a year, one for the kids and one for me takes up too much time.
Belinda
Dear Belinda,
Somehow you have ended up with two dentists who seem to not understand dentistry. Going to a holistic dentist is fine. That just means they are considering the impact of the treatment on your whole body and not just your teeth. However, like every other dentist, each holistic dentist has different skill levels.
When a dental crown hurts when you bite down there can be a couple of reasons. One is there is still an infection brewing. Your dentist can likely tell this by an x-ray. A second reason however is the crown is seated too high. The reason for the pain is you are hitting that crown before every other tooth. That gives it the full biting force. No wonder it hurts when you chew!
The nerve thing is just an excuse for someone who isn’t sure what to do. While placing a crown can be a bit irritating to the nerves, adjusting one doesn’t cause the same irritation.
You need to switch dentists…again. This should help you with the second question as well. There are family dentists who will treat both adults and children. This will be a huge benefit to you not just in time, but your children’s dental health as well. This is because your dentist will know the patterns that develop in your dental makeup and can do better preventative care for your kiddos.
This blog is brought to you by Kalamazoo Dentist Dr. Susan Dennis.