DIY dentistry... sticking a loose crown back in ?

[Drake (formerly Jake D)]

This one should raise an eyebrow or two, and some vexed responses...

I have a crown of the common type that is basically an artificial (ceramic) tooth with a metal rod extending from the top, which is glued directly into a hole in my skull. These come loose every so often, and one generally then goes to the dentist who applies some kind of adhesive to the metal rod and shoves it back in. All done in a jiffy. In fact, it's such a simple operation that if I had some suitable adhesive, I might do it myself, and save myself a trip to the dentist and a £30 bill! Anyone know what kind of adhesive to use? I reckon superglue would be too quick-setting; you need a few seconds to make fine adjustments before the glue sets...

Drake

[Derek ^]

Don't use any resin etc glues, they don't work and you might poison yourself.

Use a dental cement which you can obtain very cheaply in the form of a dental repair kit.

[meow2222]

This reminds me of the person who was having a jaw tumour removed where he had fixed his own tooth with epoxy resin. Some things arent worth saving =A330 on!

NT

[Colin Wilson]

country...

[Drake (formerly Jake D)]

Drake

[Douglas de Lacey]

How much of the £30 goes on the subsequent check that your bite is still OK?

Douglas de Lacey

[dom]

A more accurate description:

These come loose every so

My dentist prefers to use gold crowns/inlays and uses Fuji 9 as cement (an extremely tough cavity filling material)

what the heck - why not try making up your own mercury amalgam.

More seriously, if your crowns detach regularly it may be about how well made the crown is (fit), the quality of the bonding material - or the skill of your dentist. You probably get what you pay for.

[Andy Hall]

Same here, including the Fuji IX.

It's a question of time taken in preparation, cleaning, etching and final bonding. That translates directly to cost.

Teeth are something where it makes no sense to economise on treatment

- assuming one wants to keep functional ones of one's own.

[Andy Hall]

Quite. £30 is a very reasonable charge for the job. However, I would be asking the dentist why the crown isn't bonding properly.

[Mike Barnes]

I'm no expert, but I really don't think it's glued into a hole in your skull. The metal post probably goes into a hole in (what's left of) your tooth. The next most common situation is for a metal "implant" to be screwed into your jaw, with an artificial crown later cemented onto it.

[dom]

Awwwh - don't discourage the OP.

I sense a Darwin award coming his way.

[Huge]

They do fall off every couple of years, especially if a back tooth that you chew on. No adhesive can stand the environment forever.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

temporary repair. And I don't think it will work at all with post crowns.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

How long did it first last before coming loose? If properly made, should have been many years. But then rot sets in and the fit becomes less than perfect so it comes out rather too easily. The only long term solution is a new one, as these things depend on a perfect mechanical fit with no movement.

[manatbandq]

Mine don't, and I have 4 of them.

MBQ

[Helen Deborah Vecht]

Huge typed

Only a couple of my 8 crowns have done this (and not every 'couple of years' either). Most have stood up much better.

[Derek ^]

I think you are right Dave, I'd observed it was a post crown (I've had a couple) but it hadn't "registered".

My experiences with post crowns were mixed. (poor and worse !)

The bigger the hole in the root the less tooth material remains. Of my

2 one in the lower jaw kept coming out, just looking at it the post was patently too small to withstand off axis biting forces, and was also tapered. One doesn't fix fence posts by tapering them to a point and banging them in, well anyway it didn't work for me.

OTOH The other in the top jaw was different that had to be extracted because the root cracked along it's length because it had been weakened by the prep.

I've also had 7 titanium implants which are superb, they feel exactly like natural teeth The biting/chewing function is about 95% as good (the form of the biting surfaces is not quite as effective).

DG

[Andy Hall]

Hmm... Perhaps it's also a function of how much tooth surface is left. I have 4 with no problems in 5-10 years.

[Derek ^]

My private dentist told me they are more secure if the sides of the prep are nearer to parallel.

He also said that the crown should be confluent with the root. To achieve this the gums should be free from infection when the impressions are taken since soft flabby swollen gums spoil the impression. He also said my NHS crowns were "Atrocious".

DG

[Huge]

Well, "a couple" was artistic license. They aren't going to last the rest of your life. And once they've come off and been glued back on, "a couple" isn't a bad guess - they never work as well the second/third/etc. time.