My teeth are all crowned. My dentist says I have decay starting under some of them along the edges where my gums have receded. She says she can't repair the tooth without destroying the crowns, and will need to make new crowns to repair the decay. I had a root canal without having to replace the crown by another dentist. Why can't the same thing be done in this case?

I'm sorry to hear about your situation. This happened to an aunt of mine many years ago. She was devastated to find out that many of her crowns needed to be replaced.

It is difficult for your dentist to know how far under the crown the decay goes. She must be able to tell that it isn't just the exposed root that is involved.

A root canal can be done through the top of a crown as all canals can be easily accessed. Two completely different procedures.

Have your dentist apply fluoride varnish to all of your teeth at every dental cleaning visit. You can also brush with a remineralizing toothpaste that contains NovaMin. This won't help with the decay you have at present but will help prevent you having to go through this again. This varnish and NovaMin regimine could help to recalcify any areas that are weak now and prevent the need for fillings down the road.

Also investing in a good power brush (Oral B Triumph or Sonicare) and using it twice a day will help protect your investment.

I hope this helps. Good luck.

Sometimes I will cut out the decay and a bit of the metal on gold or metal and porcelain crowns and restore with glass ionomer cement or amalgam if it is small, or as a temporary fix. Even if there is more decay under the crown, these restorations will seal it in and hopefully stop the decay for a bit. The definitive solution though, is to replace the crown if the decay is extensive (it zips right through the cement layer) You need to brush and floss more thoroughly and more often, and reduce your sugar intake, otherwise all of your crowns will leak