specific questions about temp and perm crowns

[booren29]

hello, glad i stumbled upon a website that makes me feel less silly about my dental fears. I wore braces for 5 years and took good care of my teeth before 4 in the front were broken about a month ago in an accident. needless to say the whole experience has been quite nightmarish and stressful and i'm hoping to find peace of mind in the answers to my questions.
since the accident ive had 2 root canals in my 2 front teeth, one number 9 tooth extracted (which is now healed up completely on the outside), and temporary crowns (which is actually just one peice, a bridge i suppose) on all 4 teeth including the dummy tooth where my extracted tooth was.

*ive been experiencing MILD pain and sensitivity in my teeth/jaw- its actually a bit difficult to determine which experiences more pain because its not unbearable, but it DOES worry me. but it is especially on the side with the temps. ive had the temps for about 2 weeks now and i went to the dentist when i first noticed the feeling they said the temps look good, no sign of infection and i should just relax. but that didnt make the little pain go away. im wondering if this is normal. my concerns about where this pain is coming from are as follows:
1. smoking? i did continue smoking after i got the word that my extraction healed up nicely and the rc's went well. what negative effects if any could this have on my new, temporary oral situation??
2. brushing too often? i brush and/or rinse my mouth as soon after i eat or smoke as i can. this causes a strange overall feeling in my mouth and my teeth look a little different right after. is that normal??
3. retainer? i used to wear a retainer almost every night and i obviously cant now and wont be able to until my permanent crowns are made which wont be for 2-3 months as they tell me. could the pain be from slight shifting of my teeth?
3. grinding/clenching? ive made a concious effort to stop grinding and tapping my teeth but ive always had a habbit of grinding and tapping them even during the day and clenching them in my sleep...i still catch myself every once in a while. could this be the cause of minor discomfort of my jaw?

im trying to stay calm and positive because i know freaking out really helps none its just with this constant tenderness and mild pain is the constant worry and im really a very peaceful person otherwise, i dont like having this on my head- any insight at all would be greatly appreciated and hopefully ive asked questions that maybe others have as well. thanks.

 

[Zzzdentist]

It might be that the bite on the temporary crowns is too high. That can contribute to lingering sensitivity. Grinding and clenching may certainly aggravate the situation.

Sometimes the fit of the temps isn't perfect making the teeth touchy as well. Smoking shouldn't affect the temps, and I'm uncertain why your teeth look different after brushing. Could it be the type of toothpaste that you are using?

You definitely want to mention your pain and sensitivity before the permanent crowns are placed in. If there is a problem with the nerve(s) in those teeth, the dentist needs to assess that before the permanent restorations go in. If the dentist feels that the teeth are okay, and that it's due to the temps, then they might proceed with inserting the permanent crowns and hope that solves the issue. It just really depends on what the problem is. Ask your dentist as I'm sure he/she would like to address any problems beforehand.

 

[booren29]

thankyou so much for your advice. it could be the toothpaste im using but its more my gums that look a little different right afterwards. sorry for not being clear on that before but i see now that it is where the gums meet the temps that looks a little funny to me. maybe that is normal too? ALSO! are there any important precautions i should be taking to make sure my gums stay clear of infection? obviously smoking isn't smart reguardless, but i seem to get especially paranoid about my gums, like food or drink or anything really getting caught between where the temps meet the gums. to me it looks like theres a little space in between but i feel like maybe im just noticing the difference so much because im thinking about the temps compared to my old teeth too much. thankyou again.

 

[Zzzdentist]

Regular brushing and flossing should be enough to keep the gums healthy around temporary crowns. Some are more difficult to floss carefully around, but you still should be able to manage as long as you floss into the area, clean, and then draw the floss out through the side rather than pull it out risking dislodging the temporary crown.

 

[booren29]

thanks again for the feedback ive been feeling a lot better lately, i think obsessing less over my teeth has helped a lot. i was brushing and flossing and looking in magnified mirrors like a crazy person it did no good for my concious. im going to be wearing these temporaries untill sept-october.... not sure why they are waiting so long im thinking of calling and asking if there is anyway to do it sooner although im confident my dentist will have a valid reason not to. i have another question thats a bit silly but i'd still like to know the answer. will using whitening strips have any effect at all on my temporary crowns? maybe a bad effect on my gums? anyway im gonna post it as a new thread just incase.thanks again

 

[Zzzdentist]

You might want to avoid the white strips if they come in contact with the temporaries. The bleaching material might cause some sensitivity with any exposed margins. If the temps aren't coming in direct contact, it might be fine. I haven't encountered any bad effects on the gums from patients using white strips.

 

[hugmedan]

I've had the same problem, my sensitivity around my temporary crown comes and goes by is very sensitive to sweets and toothpaste. I am hoping the permanent crown will have a better fit along my gumline and not be like this one. He wants to put 3 more crowns on my teeth, and I'm not having those done until I can get use to this crown and bridge combo. It took my sister in law 6 months to get used to her permanent crowns/bridge. It was sensitive to hot, cold, and sweet. I'm not looking forward to it at all.

 

[Zzzdentist]

That's where floss threaders come in. Sometimes if the permanent crowns are going to be placed within two weeks time, it might not be critical, but it's always a good idea to keep things clean. Usually for two crowns that are joined or a bridge temporary, the dentist will adjust the contact area so that the patient can pass a plastic floss threader in between to guide the floss into the area. They can then floss around the two teeth and draw it out from the side.

 

[Zzzdentist]

They do take a little dexterity to master, but it's like guiding a soft, flexible, plastic, thin, needle just above the triangle of gum and below the contact area between teeth. It helps bring the floss through so you can get to those joined areas. They are good for permanent bridges and braces too!

 

[booren29]

yea the dentist showed me the specific way to floss and ive been doing it everyday. it is kind of a pain but i keep reminding myself that its only temporary. glad to hear someone else had more discomfort after an rct than before. maybe it just taked getting used to. also i hear all temp crowns are pretty much one size fits all so that probably explains some of the strange feeling.

 

[madsteph]

Hi booren29,

I think I also have a similar problem to you..i've not long had a root canal done (about 3 weeks ago) and I've had a temp filling (or temp crown - I really don't know?) put in until I have an inlay done..not having a crown but I think its something similar. I had discomfort for a week especially if I talked alot but then as soon as I took a painkiller it went away. I also thought it was something to do with my bite as well but that soon vanished.

For about a week odd I've had no pain whatsoever and I can eat most stuff on my rct but some harder things cause a little aggrivation. I also suffer now and again from a dull ache (like today) and a little sensitivity when brushing. I'm sure the tooth is ok because it's not hot and cold sensitive and it doesn't keep me up at night, but I can't help worrying. It doesn't help I keep reading up about root canals and I keep worrying incase my root canal has failed! I really hope to god it hasn't but I worry just like you do! Lets hope we're both ok!