A crown conundrum

[Cassandane]

I had a very large filling on my upper molar (tooth #3) done 3.5 years ago. I would feel a jolt or electric feeling whenever I ate something hard beef jerky, etc. The feeling only occured at a specific cusp. The dentists I saw all said the filling was so big & a crown MAY fix it. Some of them said it may have a tiny fracture.

I got a temporary crown put on a few weeks ago. Last week I went to get the permanent one placed but I told them that I still feel a small jolt feeling lasting like 1 second when i eat hard foods on that tooth. They examined the tooth said the bite was high. They adjusted it & told me to wait another week & see how the tooth reacts. My appointment for the permanent crown got pushed back for next week

The adjustment was 6 days ago, I still notice the jolt is still there but less than it was b4 the temp. crown. When I bite down on the inner cusp thats where I feel the sensation - not felt anywhere else. Also, If I press my thumb against the tooth I can feel the jolt. Its not painful. There is no sensitivity to cold or heat & no pain at night. On a scale of 1-10 its a 1(very very minor). The sensation comes on for 1 sec then disappears as I continue to chew.

Questions:
1. Do you think putting on a permanent crown will solve this jolty/electric feeling? Or maybe permanent crown with temporary cement? My crown is ready for placement a brand new porcelain one ready for me. But will it really solve this feeling once it is put on?

2. Dont you think doing a root canal for such a small sensation is too extreme? Why kill a viable nerve for a small jolty feeling that is insignificant? A root canal was mentioned in the beginning as an option if the temporary crown or permanent crown dont work. They probably would do the root canal before placing the permanent one though. But to me a root canal is too radical for the small insignificant sensation I feel. What do you think?

 

[MattKW]

1. Permanent crown should hopefully settle it. One of the problems with temp crowns is that they can flex, and they have a temp cement which can leak, so can still have sensations. It's good that at least your symptoms have settled. The idea of a permanent crown with a temp cement has 2 problems: (i) you're still using a soft cement that can leak a bit, (ii) a good fitting permanent crown with even a temp cement can be a bugger to get off, and you risk damaging the perm crown.
2. You can usually still do an RCT through a crown if it becomes necessary later, and still keep the crown in place. It is a bit of a pain, but doable.I agree that for the minor discomfort you're having right now, an RCT is overkill. Just ask the dentist if he'll be able to get through the crown later - some crown materials (Zirc) are almost impossible to cut through.

 

[Cassandane]

Its been a month since the temporary crown has been placed. This past week I went to get the permanent crown placed and they asked me how the tooth is feeling skn

There is still a very minute feeling in the tooth. Its a 1 out of 10. The tooth is 98-99% good. Its just that 1% sensation i am feeling. The dentist said its up to me to decide what I want to do. He is fine with putting the permanent crown OR doing a root canal. He was also baffled and didnt know why the sensation is still there.

He said the sensation may be very minor now but it could become worse if the crown is put on and in 3 months, 6 months, 1 year the tooth may need a root canal. I just dont understand if this sensation is from the nerve or from something else. It literally lasts for 1 second and goes away as I continue to chew whatever hard food I am eating. I can chew other foods normally. The analogy I can give is when you put the key in the ignition of an old car. The car rumbles for a second and sounds like its turning on and off but after that second passes the car turns on normally and you can drive it off.

Again, the sensation is only felt on the inner cusp of the tooth and I can also feel it when I insert the floss and remove the floss. Im attaching a photo showing a red dot on the location of where I feel the sensation. If I chew on that specific point thats where I feel it.

So is a root canal even warranted for this? I told the dentist I want to wait another month to see if the sensation goes away. The temporary crown is still intact. He said when he sees me in a month I have to have made my decision about either doing a root canal or placing the permanent crown. Is this really a nerve issue?

 

[Busybee]

I am having the same problem Cassandane. One dentist wanted to send me for a root treatment, the other wants me to wait a couple of months as he can see no sign of nerve failure on the x rays. I am convinced that it's down to either the preparation or the temp crown letting in some food debris or bacteria. The thing is that it was hurting last week but has now settled. In the mornings it feels fine after wearing a night guard. The dentist adjusted it down slightly the other day and for a couple of days it was painful but today I have no symptoms at all. Flossing in a more thorough way seems to have helped. I'm totally confused as to whether to cancel the endo and wait another two months or not. Can a poor preparation or leaky temp crown cause this?

 

[Cassandane]

My problem of this "minor sensation" existed long before my temporary crown was placed. Which leads me to believe that the temporary crown has nothing to do with this....

My sensation emerged after a dentist did a filling on my tooth due to a cavity. The filling was pretty large and some dentists may attribute this sensation to that filling. My sensation is not even classified as "pain" its more of an annoyance.

Can anyone tell us if this sensation is coming from the nerve or from something else? If its truly the nerve then my tooth should be going through excruciating pain since its been 3.5 years since my feeling arose. MY SENSATION HAS DIMINISHED OVER THESE 3 YEARS. At first it was a 4 out of 10 pain level, now its like a 1. I swear to God this does not feel like nerve pain at all. But who I am to judge. I aint no dentist to know....

My sensation is so minute. Its just a tiny jolt when eating hard foods. The jolt lasts 1 second and I can continue eating that specific food. Does this warrant a root canal? I have no idea.... maybe I need to get a second opinion from an endo. to see whether he thinks this is a nerve issue or a totally unrelated issue maybe arising from the crown buildup. Maybe my filling in that tooth was too big... Maybe in a month things will settle... too many maybes. If anyone can provide feedback about whether this small sensation is nerve related, it would be great to hear!