Crowns, Bridges, Dentures, Implants

Irritated gum around the crown

04/13/2008 06:53PM

Question:

I had a root canal and a temporary cap put in place on tooth 13 about three weeks ago. Last week on Monday the temporary was replaced with a gold crown.
The tooth has been sensitive to pressure after the root canal. Even when I`m brushing my teeth. It doesn`t hurt when I eat. Is this normal, and if so, should I expect it to go away?
My main problem is that the gum next to this tooth (where the wisdom tooth used to be) aches. It does not bother me when I eat, but the gum feels swollen. I went to my dentist and he said there`s no sign of infection or irritation. But the irritation is not getting better.
He did adjust my bite, shaving off part of the tooth above the crown. Now those two teeth are not touching before the others. Also when I floss I`m able to get my floss all the way down behind the crowned tooth.
Could there be something wrong with my crown, putting pressure on the gum there? What can I do?
Thanks for your time and help.

Answer:

If this continues to be a problem, I would schedule with a prosthodontist for an evaluation. It could be as simple as cement getting trapped in the gum tissue when the crown was placed.

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Response by:

Nancy L. Clelland, DMD, MSD
Associate Professor of Restorative Dentistry
Section of Restorative Dentistry and Prosthodontics
College of Dentistry
The Ohio State University