Gum Inflammation After Dental Crown

I had a dental crown placed on a tooth. Since then, my gum has been painful and inflamed. It has been months and with no change. Neither my dentist nor my periodontist has any idea how to fix this. I saw a prosthodontist who said that the dentist put in the crown too deep and went to the bone. He also said it is a health risk that needs to be treated but that the surgical treatment could lead to some cosmetic damage to the area between my two front teeth. He also said there is no guarantee this will resolve the issue either. I feel lost as to how to handle this.

Dana

Dear Dana,

The one thing they were right about is that this does have to be dealt with. The inflamed gums means something is wrong and is generally a sign that gum disease is developing. I am frustrated with the timidity of their recommendation. They’re saying you should have the gum surgery. However, they are saying it in such a way that they have an “out” and can’t get sued if you don’t like the results. They’re saying that you may have some cosmetic damage, but let’s be honest, you already have cosmetic damage here with the gums. Even if there is some minor cosmetic damage to the papilla, that is better than leaving gum disease untreated.

My recommendation is you have the surgery. Find a prosthodontist to do this that you trust and has done the surgery enough times to have some skill, but get it done. When gum disease is left untreated, you can end up losing teeth, and not just the tooth that has the gum diease right now. It will spread and you can lose all your teeth and end up needing dental implants.

One other thing. Your dentist caused this problem and as such should take responsibility for its repair.

This blog is brought to you by West Seneca Dentist Dr. Carl Embury.