Fuse Metal
Porcelain fused metal crowns height adjustment: when can it compromise the crown?
I just had two PFM crowns inserted (last two teeth at the bottom). After soreness and pain were gone I noticed none of the crowns have the same height my natural teeth have. They are pretty filed down..the back crown feels & looks almost completely flat. Basically the crowns have no (or very little) cusps and grooves compared to my other teeth. Also, the "stain" the crowns have in the grooves doesn't look natural.
Overall, I feel this is a substandard work. Now, the first question is: if the dentist had to file down the crowns too much, at which point does the crown become compromised? can the porcelain be damaged by filling it down? any structural damage done to the crown?
Second, now what? I can complain to dentist, but in the end, what could be done? Can my insurance help me in fixing this? my benefits only allow for a replacement in five years...
The dentist can use porcelain polishing burs to adjust the height of your PFMs. The occlusal, or biting surface, of the crowns consists of a thicker layer of porcelain, so there is little chance of damaging the integrity of the crown; however, if the layer becomes too thin, there is a possibilty of fracturing/chipping the crown. This can happen regardless, and not just on the biting surface.
Don't wait too long to have your dentist make the adjustments. You can have some discomfort if they are not corrected; or even chip the porcelain by exerting pressure on the PFMs if they hit first when you close/chew/bite.
If the office does not have an in-house lab but one that is in your town, you can ask that the lab tech come in to see what the problem is. (Our lab tech is literally down the street from our office; he sometimes comes in prior to treatment to take photos and notes to avoid situations similar to yours.)
Your insurance company should not be involved in this portion of your treatment, as this is just considered an adjustment issue. The work has been completed, the pre-authorization has been taken care of. The ins. co will be involved if this escalates to a re-treat issue.
Talking Metal on Fuse - JAM - Slayer "South of Heaven"
