My temporary crown just won’t stay in. I keep putting it back in with tooth cement, but it just won’t stay. Yesterday morning I woke up with it loose in my cheek; it’s lucky I didn’t swallow it. I’ve been back to the dentist once for it, and for an hour and twenty minutes they were prying it out of my mouth (ouch) and then pressing it back in (ouch), trying to make it fit. They’d shave off a little more here, press it back in (ouch); no, still not right; pry it back out (ouch), shave a little more off, press it back in (ouch); nope, still not. I was sweating and getting close to crying; they were frustrated and kept talking about what a particularly tricky tooth it was.
Since it’s about the same amount of discomfort in or out (when it’s in, I can’t really chew because it’s too high; when it’s out, I have twinges from heat, cold, or air), and since it’s hard to think of any reason that going back to the dentist would make any difference, I’m just leaving it out. I feel nervous with the tooth stub exposed and unprotected, but I’m brushing after every single thing I eat and that’s just going to to have to do. Still two more weeks until the permanent crown is ready, and it’s already been more than two weeks. It seems like we could use a big surge in dental science in this area.
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One of our cats had a reaction to the vaccines he got yesterday. This morning William came up and said the cat had slept on his bed ALL night! He was very pleased. I thought, “Hm, that’s unusual,” and then I thought, “The vet said to keep an eye out for anything unusual; maybe I’d better go take a look at him.” I went down to William’s room and the cat felt warm and trembley, and his face seemed a little puffy. I went back up and looked at the vaccine reactions list: fever, puffy face. I went back down and felt near the injection sites for puffiness/bumps and to see if they seemed to hurt him; he didn’t react, but when I put him on his feet, he was limping on one back leg.
The vet said to bring him right in, and they’re keeping him for the day just to keep an eye on him. Just as with children and pediatricians, his most alarming symptom (the puffy face) had completely gone away by the time we got there. “It’s really quite normal to be a little achy and feverish after a shot,” said the vet reassuringly. “I mean, sometimes we see cats and their faces are all puffy and THEN we get alarmed.” “His face was a little puffy earlier,” I volunteered. “Oh, was it? It was good you called,” she replied. But it was the way the pediatrician is understanding and kind when I say the child’s fever really WAS 104, even though now it’s 99.8.
Two more WEEKS? That’s awful. For some reason, the turnaround on crowns at my dentists’ office is only 10 business days. Last time I couldn’t come in exactly two weeks after I got the temporary, so they even called the…supplier? fabricator? I don’t know…and got it in 9 business days.
My cat used to have reactions to vaccines when she was a kitten so she used to get a bonus shot of benadryl with them. Same thing you described fever, trembly, puffy face, and she had very red rimmed eyes. this same cat is now an old lady (14) and she has allergies where she pulls her fur out when she is grooming herself, Her skin in that area that is bald is all red and she has a little fever too.
My fiancé had a crown on a tooth that had an exposed nerve. He had the temporary one for a couple of weeks. We went to an out of town wedding and while eating breakfast, he knocked it loose and swallowed it. He was in so much pain, he drank more that night than I’ve ever seen, just to try and numb the pain! I knocked one of my temporary ones loose 10 minutes before my grandmother’s visitation at the funeral home. The doctor didn’t wasn’t to numb me to put it back in because it would take so long, so he told me to grip the chair really hard and it would hurt for about 20 seconds. Worst 20 seconds ever. Tooth pain does not mess around. My tooth is throbbing just thinking about it.
You need a new dentist, seriously.
I swear I have to take pictures of kid afflictions as they happen so that when they disappear in the waiting room of the doc’s office I can prove it.
omg, 4+ weeks?! You poor thing!
TWO MORE WEEKS? I saw the title in your tweet, and I was all set to come here and commiserate with you because my temporarily crowned tooth is starting to really hurt, and I had it put in 12 days ago at which point they told me it usually takes “around two weeks” for the permanent crown to come in. So I called to find out if it would be coming soon, and it seems they don’t start the clock until the tooth mold leaves the office, which did not happen until 8 days ago, so there is at least another week to go. But the crown is still attached, and also if the permanent crown comes in next Thursday like they claim it will still be less than 3 weeks from the temporary one. So maybe I should not complain.
Four weeks total, Swistle? That’s terrible. And I feel it should not keep falling out. This is really terrible.
And I hope your cat is OK.
I know I’ve ranted here before about crowns, but I can’t help it. A surge in dental science is desperately needed. I’ve got three crowns and every time they take forever and 100 visits to the dentist (slight exaggeration) and the entire process is a complete grind in every way. Because my teeth are genetically crap, I’m probably going to end up with several more crowns over the coming years and the thought of it always fills me with despair. So bottom line: I feel your pain and so sorry you are dealing with crown hell.
Ugh. I broke a tooth last Wednesday. Went to the dentist on Thursday. She said I needed a root canal. Referred me, got that done on Friday. Luckily, it was pretty painless – my tooth hasn’t bothered me at all. I called to get the appointment for the crown and build-up – not until June 19th! So I have a broken first molar until then. Ugh. And it is a little stabby against the inside of my cheek.
My husband is a dentist, and to all of you wishing for a leap in dental technology: it exists! It’s called a CEREC machine, and it uses CAD/CAM technology to enable the dentist to make, mill, and place the crown in a single visit! Not every single crown situation is a candidate for this (and my husband still sends a few crowns to the lab) but I think it’s worth checking in your area for a dentist who offers this. It’s such a valuable time-saver for the patient (though a hefty investment and steep learning curve for the dentist) that I think it’s worth switching dentists over unless you truly love your current provider. Good luck, Swistle!
My uncle has one and he let me watch the machine making my new crown. SO FREAKING COOL.
I agree re: the new dentist needed. Although the pain in the ass factor for finding a new dentist is quite high. Getting recommendations/looking people up; do they take your insurance/offer payment plans; would you switch your entire family or just you; dealing with the anxiety of the dentist feeling badly because you switched, even if you had a valid reason (this is totally a valid reason); what if the new dentist isn’t better, even though you got recommendations/did research? I probably would just deal with this if I otherwise liked the dentist/didn’t have a good recommendation handy.
I’ve actually started taking pictures of the thermometer when my kids are running a high-ish fever, both so I can remember, and so I can see, SEE?
Oh, that’s awful. I just had a crown last month, and they did it all in one visit – my dentist must have whatever technology Stephanie mentioned. I didn’t realize it was that unusual. Now I’m feeling more appreciative.
I had a permanent crown come out last month. That was a new one. And it was a tooth I’d had 6-8 visits for last fall (diagnostic, root canal + crown measurement and application).
Ugh! I feel for you with the whole crown adventure. I had a temporary one come off several times while waiting for the permanent, over the course of about 2 (2.5?) weeks last December. Actually, now that I think about it, it was a permanent one that came off, and it had only been in about 9 months. I was paranoid that it might come out while I was sleeping and then I might swallow it, so I put it in a shot glass in some water on the clean, uncluttered kitchen counter and said loudly to my husband, “I’m putting this here for safekeeping, and will call the dentist in the morning.”
You can probably guess what happened. I woke up during the night (not unusual), and when my husband noticed I was already awake said, “Since you’re awake, there’s something I want to tell you.” Ugh! The less talking, the easier I can get back to sleep. I wanted to sleep, not talk, but he seemed insistent. Yep, Mr. neat freak had dumped the crown down the kitchen sink and mangled it with the disposal! What could have been a simple, quick, cheap re-cement turned into a time-consuming, multi-appointment, EXPENSIVE ordeal. Was I upset! Yet when I told the story to a co-worker, he sympathized, “Your poor husband!” I supposed I’d feel remorseful if I’d done it, but I never would have been up in the middle of the night moving something off the counter (good lord, it can wait till morning!) Give it a rest, Mr. Clean!
THEN I had the temporary come off several times while waiting ~2-ish weeks for the permanent. Part of that was my fault; I though I was out of the woods, that it was going to stay on for good, and I had something slightly iffy, like a hard candy you suck on.
What I learned was that they’d been using a newer cement that doesn’t work as good as the older stuff. I forget why the newer stuff was preferred (more benign ingredients? quicker setting?), but they used the older cement and it’s staying nicely.
I am curious as to how you can tell a cat’s face is PUFFY. Phoebe’s fur on her face is puffy. I can’t see the skin underneath it, because she’s so puffy!
It wasn’t super-obvious—but the puffiness was squeezing his eyes partly shut, and his whole face looked kind of weird. The fur gets pushed farther out from the face, so the whole face looks different.
Cat is okay now?
Cat is okay now! They gave him some benadryl and steroids and he perked right up!