Best Dentist Archives | Poplar Crossing Dental

My Friend Is Having Problems with Their Crowns

Posted on August 6, 2022 by writeradmin.

I have a friend who went to Costa Rica to have her crowns done. She was having twelve crowns replaced. It was much less expensive for her to have it done down there. I did not think they were as beautiful as her other ones, but her previous dentist was an expensive cosmetic dentist so I guess it is normal that it would not look as good as what he provided for her. However, her jaw has been hurting her ever since she returned and she winces sometimes when she eats. I want her to go back to the original dentist to see what is wrong but she is embarrassed to admit to him she went somewhere else. She said she doesn’t want a lecture. I am worried though. Is there anything you can tell me that will help her?

Penny

Dear Penny,

I can tell you are a good friend. I haven’t examined your friend and don’t have many details. What I can do is tell you some of the things that can go wrong when someone does dental tourism.

Rethink Dental Tourism

While she may not have wanted to go to her expensive cosmetic dentist, going to the cheapest option, especially out of the country, is a bad idea. The best dentists are invested in your case. They care about their professional reputation and want to make sure you get the best results possible. This is not the case when you go overseas. While I am certain there are dentists there with honesty and integrity, the laws just aren’t the same. We’ll go over that in a moment. First, let me give you just the first handful of things that can go wrong when you leave the country for your dental work.

The appearance could be fake looking and pasty. I think your friend experienced some of this.
The dentist could over-drill and a tooth could become sensitive.
You could end up needing root canals.
When you get home, the crowns could fall off. This happens a lot.
The crowns could throw your bite off and you could end up with TMJ disorder.
The crowns could be so poorly placed they affect your speech.
The crowns could be seated too high leading to pain when you chew.

Those just came to mind immediately, there are many more and the patient will have no recourse. A colleague told me about a patient that went to Costa Rica for her dental care and ended up with $35,000 of damage that needed to be repaired. He called the work criminal negligence. Yet, when this poor woman tried to get this rectified with the dentist who did the work, she ended up in legal trouble because of the corrupt way their current legal system works.

My advice to your friend would be to suck up her pride and show her dentist the work. There could be something serious wrong that will destroy her quality of life if she doesn’t get it fixed. Hopefully, her dentist will be gracious about it.

This blog is brought to you by Hoffman Estates Dentist Dr. William Becker.

Crowns Won’t Stay On

Posted on April 17, 2021 by writeradmin.

My poor husband has two dental crowns that just will not stay on. We will go back in to have them re-cemented back on, but within just two weeks they fall off again. Our dentist said he must be doing something for this to happen, but I promise he isn’t. Should we extract those two teeth and get dental implants instead. He is so frustrated and I can’t say I blame him.

Andrea

Dear Andrea,

I am glad you wrote. I am going to say right upfront. This is not the best dentist for your husband — or anyone for that matter. He does not have a grasp of basic dental procedures. Dental crowns are one of the first restorations that dentists learn. Yet, rather than figure out what he is doing wrong, he is placing the blame on your husband. This is unprofessional.

When a dental crown is properly shaped and bonded it will not fall off, especially repeatedly and after such a short period of time. Most dentist will go their entire career without one crown falling off.

Getting a dental implant will not help. The implant is topped with a dental crown, so your husband would be in the same situation he is in now, just without a natural tooth. While dental implants are great tooth replacement options, his natural teeth are still better.

You don’t need to switch procedures. You need to switch dentists. Go to a different dentist and find out what the issue is with this crown. It may be your husband just needs someone who knows how to bond this on properly. However, when you go to the other dentist, he or she may tell you that the crown is over-tapered. This can cause a problem with the crown staying on even with the bonding. If they tell you that, your best bet is to just ask for a refund from your original dentist and let the second dentist do the crown over for him.

I’m sorry your husband has had so much trouble with this.

This blog is brought to you by Hoffman Estates Dentist Dr. William Becker.

Porcelain Crowns Turning Yellow

Posted on January 10, 2020 by writeradmin.

I had beautiful porcelain crowns done on my front teeth. I was really proud of them and was careful to take excellent care of them. I do not smoke. I drink one cup of coffee a day and then water the remainder of the day. I brush three times a day and floss twice a day. I have only had them for six months and they are starting to stain and look yellowish. Do you know what is going on?

Liz

Dear Liz,

Something is definitely wrong with your porcelain crowns. Generally, unless they’ve been damaged somehow, restorations are more stain-resistant than your natural teeth. I can think of a few possibilities going on here, but the only way to know with certainty is to have a good cosmetic dentist look at them.

Possibility One: Your Crowns were Damaged During Your Cleaning

You mentioned you have had your porcelain crowns for six months. Is there a possibility you have recently gone in for a cleaning? Sometimes a hygienist will not understand the tragic results of using a power prophy jet or acidulated fluoride during your cleaning. Either one of these will cause damage to the glazing. It’s the glaze on porcelain which makes them stain-resistant.

The best cosmetic dentists will instruct their staff on how to properly treat the dental work.

Possibility Two: The Lab Didn’t Finish the Glaze

There is always a possibility that the lab didn’t finish the crowns with their glazing. They would look good at first and slowly pick up stains. Because you are so diligent with your oral care you are just now starting to notice the issue.

Possibility Three: Your Dentist Didn’t Really Use Porcelain

We have seen some unethical dentists who told their patients they were placing porcelain but actually placed composite. This will, again, look good at first but is not nearly as stain-resistant.

Getting This Fixed

Your first step is to get a second opinion from a highly recommended cosmetic dentist in your area. Don’t tell them who did the work. Just tell them the crowns have been picking up stains and you would like their opinion as to why.

If it turns ut your dentist damaged them or mislead you, you don’t want just a refund. You want them to pay to have them done correctly by another dentist. If the problem was actually the lab, it should be the lab that fixes the issue.

If the crowns have to be redone, this gives you an excellent opportunity to brighten your smile with teeth whitening. It’s a way to get a bonus out of a disaster.

This blog is brought to you by Hoffman Estates Dentist Dr. William Becker.

Blacklisted by the Best Dentist

Posted on October 29, 2019 by writeradmin.

I went to a highly sought after cosmetic dentist about my smile makeover. I have some spaces between my teeth and they all need whitening, plus one tooth is chipped. I was very excited of the possiblity of having a smile I was proud of again, especially because all my friends have already been to see him and have gorgeous smiles. They’re all a tad wealthier than I am so I should have known this would be too good to be true for me. I went in for my consultation and we talked about what I wanted my smile to look at. When they gave me the plan and estimate it was significantly more than I could afford. I asked about alternative plans and they basically said, if I don’t like their plan, they’d prefer I find a different dentist to do my smile. I walked out humiliated. Now what do I do?

Karyn

Dear Karyn,

woman giving a thumbs up in the dental chair

The best dentists find options for their patients.

The first thing I want you to do is take a deep breath. He may have been the most sought after cosmetic dentist in your area, but that doesn’t mean he was the only one who can give you a smile you are proud of. In fact, based on the issues you mentioned were important to you to fix, there are a few alternatives I can think of.

With some dentists, it is their way or the highway. I don’t consider these the best dentists. In fact, the best dentists will work with their patients to find alternatives which work for them.

A Mini Smile Makeover

My guess is he planned on doing porcelain veneers, which in your case isn’t imperative. For the spacing issues, you could do Invisalign. This uses clear aligners to straighten your teeth. Adults no longer have to wear ugly metal wires and brackets. These aligners are invisible even at a conversational distance.

Additionally, you can have your dentist provide you with some teeth whitening gel. Your Invisalign aligners can also double as teeth whitening trays, This allows you to straighten and whiten your teeth at a fraction of the price.

As for your chipped tooth, after your teeth are whitened, you can have dental bonding applied to your chipped tooth. This is a composite resin that is hand sculpted to fill in the missing structure. The reason I say after the whitening is because the composite resin can be made to match any tooth color but, once it is completed, will not whiten. The color is permanent. You need to have your teeth the color you want the bonding to be when it is made.

I hope this helps.
This blog is brought to you by Hoffman Estates Dentist Dr. William Becker.

Is DaVinci the Best Lab to Have Cosmetic Work Done?

Posted on October 21, 2019 by writeradmin.

I’ve been seeing a few dentists in the area to get a consultation for a smile makeover. One of them told me they were the best because they use Da Vinci labs for all their work. He was the only dentist to tell me that. Are they the best lab to work with? Should I only look for dentists who use that lab?

Amanda

Dear Amanda,

You’ve brought up a very interesting point about cosmetic dentistry. What really is the most important when it comes to getting an excellent smile makeover? Is the lab or dentist more important?

Truthfully, they both matter but for different reasons. However, the dentist matters more. If you want the best smile makeover, you want to look for the best cosmetic dentist. A bonus to that is they’ll also use the best ceramists from the best labs.

Cosmetic dentistry isn’t a recognized specialty. They are simply general dentists. However, some general dentists invest more time and training in developing the knowledge and skills necessary for beautiful cosmetic work. Those studies have to be done post-doctorally because smile makeovers aren’t taught in dental school.

One way to judge their skill and artistry is by looking at their smile galleries. This is a collection of before and after pictures showing cosmetic work they’ve done. The results should blow you away with how great it is. If it doesn’t, try another dentist.

Labs and Cosmetic Dentists

While having a great ceramist is very important, it cannot make up for a bad dentist. Think of the dentist as a medical doctor and the ceramist as the pharmacist. While the pharmacist can fill the prescription, they cannot diagnose and prescribe treatment. They can fill the prescription correctly or incorrectly.

As far as DaVinci Labs is concerned, they are a large lab that has spent a lot of marketing money on branding themselves as a great lab for cosmetic work. However, they don’t just limit themselves to doing work for great cosmetic dentists, like some labs do. They’ll take any work.

That being said, they reserve their best ceramists for the better cosmetic dentists and use their run of the mill ceramist for everyone else.

Most of the best cosmetic dentists prefer to work with a smaller lab where they have a good working relationship with a master ceramist.

Choose a great cosmetic dentist for your porcelain veneers and they will make sure they use a great lab.

I hope this helps you in your decision.

This blog is brought to you by Hoffman Estates Cosmetic Dentist Dr. William Becker.