Cracked cusp or high crown

[dare2love81]

Hi Everyone,

I have an appointment scheduled for a week from today with a new dentist but just wanted some insight from you all before going in...

The backstory:
About three years ago I had a cracked filling on one of my lower molars, the tooth didn't hurt at all upon biting. A few days after the filling was replaced, the whole tooth hurt upon biting anything. Went in for a bite adjustment which seemed to help - temporarily. Went back for a second bite adjustment which also seemed to help and now the pain on biting seemed localized to one cusp and only when biting on something crunchy or overly tough. It was at this point that I moved and started seeing a new dentist who is a long time friend of the family - he didn't see any signs of cracks but suggested crowning the tooth since it had a large filling. The crown (which was done almost a year ago) did not help, but after he did a bite adjustment with the crown in place, it has mostly calmed down.

Today:
The tooth still twinges slightly when I chew crunchy things or tough things, however it has improved markedly since it was first causing me trouble. Is the fact that it has improved with the bite adjustments a good sign that the tooth is NOT cracked, and perhaps just needs one more bite adjustment? The tooth is slightly sensitive to cold around the gumline where the crown meets the tooth, but nothing that jumps out at me as all my teeth are somewhat cold sensitive. Not sensitive to heat whatsoever. I also read that a cracked tooth typically hurts when the bite is released, as opposed to when biting down - and mine definitely is when biting down; feels fine when the bite is released. Also, I ONLY have pain when biting down on crunchy or tough things, no pain otherwise, no random pain.

I have an an appointment with a new dentist (my last dentist who was the family friend passed away unexpectedly a few months ago while on the golf course ) so I will ask the new dentist about it when I see him, but as I have serious dental anxiety, my mind is racing and looking to this board for support. So, long story short, do you think there's a pretty good chance I just need another bite adjustment since the tooth has been improving over the course of previous bite adjustments? Or is this likely a cracked tooth?

 

[dare2love81]

Anyone??

 

[Scarlett88]

Hi, I think it is really really reallly hard to say anything without being a dentist in this case. What I would do is to make sure to explain to the dentist that you fear that something is wrong and how the pain started. And explain everything you feel and ask him why that is and make him explain it to you. That way you can figure out if something is wrong or it is just bite adjustment.

 

[drm]

I'd agree with Scarlett. Very difficult to know what is going on without seeing the tooth and doing some tests. Cracked teeth are some of the more difficult things in dentistry to diagnose and as they don't always have the same symptoms. I'd definitely have your dentist take a look. If the bite looks off in any direction, not a bad idea to have them adjust it and see how the tooth responds before doing anything more invasive.