I just had my cap fall off for the second time in two years.

The first time it fell off there was a lot of sensitivity to pressure and temperature before it came off - and more afterwards.

This time there is no pain.

A few months ago I had a lot of pain from this tooth, pressure and temperature sensitivity. I had decided that I would get it pulled if the cap came off again. After a while the pain went away.

Now it fell off. Why would I not feel pain? I didn't have a root canal done on this tooth.

Is it possible the nerves inside the tooth have died?

This tooth is very low to the gum. They had to cut into the gum a little in order to make enough room to put a cap on. It was a painful procedure which too 6 month of visits to complete.

Isn't there some way they can just cover the top of the tooth and leave it low enough that I won't be putting any pressure on it? Wouldn't that be cheaper than having it removed?

I went to a dental school here in Pittsburgh to get this cap. But after all this work - I'm afraid of them. They are students and incompetent in my opinion. They cost me a lot of money and pain and I still have lost my tooth.

It's unfortunate that the crown has fallen off. From what I've heard, dental schools are the best place to have treatment done as each step of a procedure is checked by a professor and the procedure can't proceed if something is not right.

The tooth could very well be dead. Have you noticed any kind of gum boil in the area that comes and goes? If so, there is drainage and therefore you won't get the pressure built up and causing pain.

If the tooth is left as is (with no crown on it), it puts your bite out of occlusion which can cause some problems in the future. Also, the opposing tooth can over-erupt in to the space causing the need for that tooth to be removed in the future.

You are best to see a dentist, have an x-ray to confirm the vitality of the tooth and discuss options with him/her.

Maybe I could come to Canada and have it done.

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Originally Posted by the OP

This tooth is very low to the gum. They had to cut into the gum a little in order to make enough room to put a cap on. It was a painful procedure which too 6 month of visits to complete.

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This bothers me a lot. It would seem that you need a crown lengthening procedure done by a peridontist. It hurts for a day.

A crown coming off would mean there is a lot of pressure on the tooth. If the crown is a molar, it's generally not the best option to go with a porcelein fused to metal crown.

It was a metal crown. I didn't ever really feel comfortable with the fit but after messing around with it for so long I just gave up and said "yes, that feels better". They could see how the thing was fitting with that material they had me bite down on.

I thought maybe it was me, and that I was expecting too much from the fit - or that because I had gone so long with out the majority of the tooth there, I forgot how it felt.

There was a long healing process from the gum surgery. Then They had me wear this plastic tooth. It was a miserable experience.
I think they just went drill happy to begin with and took out so much of my tooth that snapped. All I needed on this tooth was to put the filling back in.

The first cap came off in less than a year. I don't think I should have had to pay for that, but what can you do?

The Toronto dentist on here said he redid work for free in the first 2 years or so if something happened to it. Maybe dentists are better in Canada.

Maybe the dental schools are better too. I would not trust work done at a dental school. Not here in the US.

I think you nailed it. Poor fit. Sometimes the initial cast isn't suitable and it has to be done again. It can drag out sometimes.
There is the up/down clearances and you do a better job with that. The tap your teeth, move side to side and any pressure. It's tough to see it. The paper you bite on does a better job telling where to remove material, but it's a poor mechanism to check the bite.

I'll bet you felt pressure on that one tooth and not an even pressure when you bit down?

Side clearances are easy. Dental floss.

Without doing something, the tooth can crack, easily get decayed and the opposing tooth will move into the empty space over time.

Later, having the tooth pulled which still has the opposing tooth problem, so your left with an implant or a bridge. Go with the implant.

See what the school will offer to do.

It takes time to get it right. Generally a school does a very good job, but it takes longer and is generally cheaper.

Implants are out of reach. Too expensive.

I'm going to move to Canada. You know I work - hard. How come I can't get my teeth fixed?

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Originally Posted by scarpia

The Toronto dentist on here said he redid work for free in the first 2 years or so if something happened to it. Maybe dentists are better in Canada.

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So wrong! There are good dentists AND bad dentists here just like everywhere else in the world.

Unfortunately scarpia, you have such a chip on your shoulder about dentists I doubt you'll be happy with ANY dentist.

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Originally Posted by flossie

So wrong! There are good dentists AND bad dentists here just like everywhere else in the world.

Unfortunately scarpia, you have such a chip on your shoulder about dentists I doubt you'll be happy with ANY dentist.

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What is it about my story that you don't understand? I will be happy if I find a dentist who does what I ask and doesn't lie to me. I make it clear to all of them that I am very sensitive to materials and I need well glazed ivoclar inline porcelain crowns. I don't see why that's so hard for them. If their lab doesn't work with those materials all they have to do is say so and I will look elsewhere.