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Did My Dentist Place Crowns I’m Allergic To?

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woman with crowns for auburn al dentist blog

A couple of years ago, my dentist did some crowns for me across my four front teeth. I’d chipped them in my early 20s and, although the fillings that had been placed served me well for many years, they were starting to fail and cause some issues.

Anyway, I mentioned that I had a metal allergy at the time of placement and the doctor assured me it wouldn’t be a problem with these. I probably should have asked more questions but I didn’t. I just took him at his word.

Lately, I’ve noticed that the spot right between my two front teeth is quick to bleed. It often bleeds when I’m eating and, I’m embarrassed to say, one of my coworkers pointed it out to me the other day when I hadn’t done anything at all that could have triggered it.

I’m told that most crowns are metal. Is it possible these are or that metal was somehow used and that’s what’s triggering the bleeding? If so, will I need to have them replaced or is there another fix?

Thank you,

Fatima

 

Dear Fatima,

It’s probably not a metal issue, but let’s break down why that can be ruled out and go over some potential causes.

The Bleeding Between Your Crowns is Likely Not Related to Metal

Generally speaking, dentists try to avoid using metal on anterior crowns. Front teeth don’t usually need the additional strength afforded by metal and it’s harder to get the aesthetics right with a metal layer underneath.

Moreover, if this was a metal allergy you were dealing with, it would likely be impacting all the surfaces of all the crowns done at that time, versus just between the middle two, and it probably wouldn’t have taken so long to manifest.

Something Else is Causing Gum Irritation

Odds are, something else is causing irritation there. If you’re not getting in there and flossing, that should be a priority.

It could also be that there are issues with the margins of those crowns or perhaps a small amount of cement was left. In these cases, food can easily be trapped or plaque can build up; the latter of which you may not be able to remove on your own.

Focus on Homecare and See the Dentist for an Exam

If you’ve been keeping up with your dental cleanings, it’s ok to work on this a bit at home. Work on flossing. You can use floss picks or similar if you’re not a fan of floss or it’s hard to use there. You can also use salt water rinses to try to speed up the healing, but avoid alcohol-based mouthwashes that can dry out your gums and make the problem worse.

If you start to notice signs of infection or it begins to hurt, go get it checked out right away. Otherwise, you can work on your homecare for a couple of weeks to see if that improves things and then have it checked out at your next cleaning. And, of course, if it doesn’t start to improve with extra TLC, have it checked out sooner. Best of luck to you.

 

This blog is sponsored by Dr. Raymond Bolt, an Auburn, AL dentist.

Could My Removable Partial Be Making Me Sick?

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I’ve had removable partial dentures placed, ever since then I haven’t felt myself. Then I started breaking out into sores around my tongue and inside my mouth. I showed my dentist and he sent me to my doctor, who sent me to a different specialist, who sent me to a different specialist. It got so bad I ended up at the hospital. That’s when they discovered I was allergic to nickel. I checked and a lot of these type of dentures have nickel in them. I do take them out at night, but have to wear them to work. Is there any way this can be changed? Could this be why I never feel well?

Amanda L.

Dear Amanda,

Woman in pain in need of dental care

I’m flabbergasted when I hear stories like this. Checking about metal reactions and allergies should have been his primary thought. It’s a fundamental part of dental care. In fact, any metal sensitivities should be a question on every dental questionnaire. Women tend to have this is greater share to greater effect as well.

Yes, your removable partial dentures could very likely be making you sick. I’ll illustrate it with a story Dr. David Hall shared on his mynewsmile.com blog.

“I had one rare case in my practice of a woman who was allergic to mercury. While most of my patients didn’t want mercury-containing amalgam fillings in their mouths, for this woman it was imperative to get rid of them because she had a confirmed and very rare allergy to mercury. We had several appointments to take out all of her amalgam fillings and replace them with composites. After the first appointment, she developed a rash on her throat and chest and had some difficulty breathing because of the amalgam dust that we had created during this procedure. From then on we draped her to avoid any additional exposure and gave her a nose mask to breathe through during these appointments. I remember when she came in for her six-month checkup after all of this was completed and I asked her if there was any change in how she felt. She told me that she had been troubled with arthritis, but since the amalgam was removed the arthritis was gone. I am confident that her arthritis was related to her constant exposure to allergens.”

Is There a Solution When You Have Metal Allergies?

There are many alternatives to metal dentistry these days, even apart from mercury-free dentists. For instance, in your case, instead of getting the less expensive fixtures which have a high nickel content, your dentist could provide you with a Vitallium partial which contains no nickel.

Additionally, while the titanium that makes up dental implants rarely causes any allergic reaction, there are now Zirconia implants available which are metal free. What you need is a dentist who cares enough to do some research, or better yet, keeps up with the advances to begin with.

This blog is brought to you by Dr. Raymond Bolt.