What would cause a crown to fall out repeatedly?

Question

I paid a pretty penny to get my teeth crowned. It is the first tooth to the left of my front tooth (can't remember what it's called); the crown falls out at least once a month. Sometimes, it just pops out on it's own, and other times it will pop out when I am biting into something very soft. This morning, it fell out as I bit into a banana!

My dentist will re-cement it back in for free, but having paid close to $3,000 for the crown, I would like to think it would stay in for awhile. I am getting sick of having to visit the dentist so often, to get it glued back in.

I am very careful about what I eat, and avoid foods that would pull it out (or so I thought). I brush regularly, and floss gently. Is this faulty dental work, or could I be doing something to cause this?

How should I approach my dentist about my disappointment in her work?

Answer 1

When you go and visit your dentist does he/she even look at the tooth that the crown is on? This might be due to a faulty crown or a little bit of decay on the tooth. This is what might cause the crown to fall of repeatedly. I would ask the dentist that question and also ask why does my crown fall off even when i eat soft foods. It shouldn't disappoint her work but it might actually make her take a look at the crown and your tooth.

I hope you find your answer and get your tooth/crown fixed.

Answer 2

In my opinion the Dentist isn't using a strong enough adhesive.

However if the crown is old and you've had it for a long time and it falls out, once it it is stuck back on there's a good chance it will just keep falling off.  

If it's been under a year since you had the crown fitted then I would suggest you ask your dentist to make you a new one as the one you have obviously isn't fitting properly (for free)

Your dentist should be understanding if you explain you can't afford to keep returning every month.

Answer 3

Hello, Ok, to begin with there are three major reason the crown keeps coming off..(1) The tooth stump is to short to provide proper stability for lateral pressures against it, meaning that the stump is so short the crown sits on top of the stump instead of down and around it. (2) The cement used to secure the crown to the tooth stump is either not a good cement or is being improperly applied and (3)...If the stump is short plus the crown is not in proper chewing balance, your bumping it every time you chew and that will always dislodge a crown or in the end cause the bone around the tooth to shrink back and eventually the tooth will get loose and have to be extracted.....Now, the tooth you referred to according to your placement identification is called a "Lateral"...the two front Center teeth are called "Centrals", the tooth on the side of them are called "Laterals" and the teeth next to them at the corner of your mouth are called "Cuspids" or sometimes referred to as the "eye teeth"...on the Upper jaw...the ones directly below them on the lower jaw are also called "Cuspids" but sometimes referred to as the "stomach teeth".

Considering how many times you say you have been back it would seem to me that your DDS needs to either redo the crown or refund your money. . First however, have you had a root canal on that tooth? If it's as short as it sounds I would think you have had an RC on it...If you have, there is no reason that the DDS can't do a Post & Core before attempting to make the crown...A Post & Core would provide a better stump to place a crown over and give it more to hold on to......If you are reluctant to go back to the DDS, you need to see another DDS and get another opinion as to why the crown won't stay in place. The longer you wait the less likely it becomes you can save the tooth at all.....Good luck and I wish you well.