How Long Should a Crown Hurt?

Dental crowns help cover and protect a damaged tooth from decay or injuries preserving the natural tooth and providing it the strength to function appropriately. However, while covering and protecting the natural tooth, a dental crown does not safeguard you from pain in the crowned tooth. In reality, the tooth getting the crown is just as susceptible to discomfort as your natural teeth.

Your dental crown can hurt for many reasons. This article provides you with information to learn what causes dental crown pain and how to alleviate it.

Dental Crowns Explained

Dental crowns are caps cemented over a decayed or damaged tooth to cover the visible portion of your natural tooth. The crown is responsible for restoring the tooth’s shape and size and providing protection to your natural teeth. Besides protecting your natural teeth, dental crowns are also beneficial for supporting dental bridges and implants.

Different materials like metals, porcelain, and ceramic help make dental crowns that you might need to restore large cavities challenging to repair with fillings, discolored or misshapen teeth, cracked and weakened teeth, and replacing missing teeth by supporting dental bridges and implants.

The dental crown placement procedure causes some discomfort as the dentist in Encinitas, CA, files your natural tooth from the tops and sides to make space for the restoration before taking impressions of the tooth to have it fabricated in a dental laboratory. Therefore some pain while getting dental crowns is expected, although you receive painkillers for management.

Causes for Pain in a Crowned Tooth

Various reasons are responsible for causing pain in a crowned tooth. Some reasons that might cause discomfort from the dental crown.

Tooth Decay beneath the Crown

The dental crown is an artificial restoration over your natural tooth, which remains alive beneath the crown. The tooth is prone to tooth decay, or new cavities can form near the border of the crown and the tooth. The condition can result in persistent pain. If the cavity expands to affect the nerve, you will require root canal treatment.

Infection

If you didn’t undergo a root canal before dental crown placement, the underlying has nerves, and the dental crown puts pressure on the nerves for infections to occur. Infections can also occur from old fillings beneath the crown to leak bacteria infecting the nerve. The symptoms of infections include pain when biting, fever, sensitivity to temperatures, and gum swelling.

Gum Soreness from Dental Crown Placement

You might experience temporary discomfort after dental crown placement. However, the pain should not last for over two weeks. Unfortunately, if it does after getting dental crowns near you without subsiding after two weeks, you must discuss the issue with the provider for assistance.

Ill-Fitting Crown

The dentist ensures you get a proper fit when getting a dental crown in Encinitas to protect your tooth. However, if the crown isn’t fitting correctly, it might lead to pain and affect your bite and smile. Pain when biting indicates the crown is too high on the tooth. Dental crowns can adjust to your bite like your remaining teeth. However, if your bite doesn’t feel proper, it can lead to jaw pain and headaches.

When to Visit Dentists for Advice?

If you experience severe pain in the tooth that doesn’t subside, getting advice from a dental professional is optimal to relieve your discomfort. The dentist might recommend that you may need root canal treatment, crown replacement, or tooth extraction.

Treating Dental Crown Pain

The treatment for pain from a dental crown depends on the severity of your discomfort and the reasons for the pain. Simple measures that can help relieve your pain include over-the-counter pain relievers, salt water rinses, and herbal remedies. However, their effectiveness is not scientifically proven, and avoiding problematic foods such as refraining from having sticky, sugary, and hard foods after dental crown placement. Instead of scorching or freezing foods, you must also have foods at room temperature.

Grinding and clenching your teeth can also cause dental crown pain. In such cases, your dentist might recommend treating bruxism with night guards and splints to help you overcome the problem.

After dental crown placement, you can expect some discomfort that should subside after a couple of weeks. Unfortunately, if you have the conditions described in this article, you must discuss the issue with your dentist to determine your problem.

Steve B Horne, DDS — Encinitas, CA, provides dental crowns in the region to protect your damaged, infected, or missing tooth. They also offer treatments for dental crown pain. If you experience discomfort from your placement, please do not hesitate to contact this professional today to overcome your discomfort.