Answered
February 22, 2012 17:41.
Many teeth after being worked on are sensitive afterwards. This type of sensitivity is usually short lived. If the new tooth is interfering with your normal bite (ie. the tooth is "high"), then the new tooth needs to be adjusted to fit your bite. After adjusting the bite to fit correctly, the sensitivity should gradually disappear if this was the root cause of the sensitivity. The materials and procedures used to cement (ie. glue or bond) the new crown onto your real tooth can also affect the sensitivity of your tooth. Again, this is usually a transient or short lived sensitivity that will resolve itself with time. If the cause of the sensitivity is a crack or fracture within the tooth, many times the new crown will eliminate the sensitivity but not always. If a cracked tooth was the reason that the crown was placed, and the tooth remains sensitive, it is possible that the nerve of the tooth is the cause of the sensitivity. This type of sensitivity may or may not resolve itself on its own. If this is the cause of the sensitivity, you may need additional treatment directed towards alleviating the nerve pain. You should talk with your dentist about your concerns. Your dentist may be able to treat this condition or refer you to a specialist for this type of treatment.
The best type of crown is ... Tough question to answer because it depends on what YOU want and are willing to pay for. Crowns are usually placed to repair a weakened tooth and all crowns that are well prepared and fabricated will do the job. The least expensive crowns are made of base metals. Better metal crowns are made of mostly noble metals, (these are metals that do not rust or corrode and are very expensive metals like platinum, palladium and gold). At the top end of the metal crowns are the crowns made of mostly gold. Some dentists like these crowns because gold is a very stable material in the mouth and gentle to the opposing teeth. But metal crowns will look like the metal they are made of and many people will not accept the esthetics of these types of crowns, no matter how well they are made or how well they fit. There are also combination crowns, (ie. metal with porcelain.) These are crowns with metal underneath and white porcelain overlaying the metal. These types of crowns are strong and pretty. The drawbacks to these crowns are the gray lines that may show at the edges of the crown and like any metal crown, there is a potential for a metal allergies if you are allergic to one or more of the metals found within the crown. There are also plastic or composite type crowns which look pretty when placed. The drawbacks to these types of crowns are the potential for staining over time and a higher degree of wear compared to the porcelain crowns. Finally, there are the all ceramic or porcelain crowns. These types of crowns are very pretty. Some of these are incredibly strong and can be made to match your teeth so closely that it is difficult to tell what teeth are crowns and what teeth are your own. You should talk to your dentist about what type of crown would be the best for you and your own unique dental situation.