[NA] Tooth damage from cleaning?

L

Lindberg

Final Approach
Joined
Sep 25, 2013
Messages
9,953
Location
North Texas
Display Name
Lindberg
Last Wednesday I had my regular 6-month cleaning. It was a new hygienist. She said I needed a scaling. It didn't seem like a big deal at the time, normal ultrasonic brain buster thing, scraping with metal picks, polishing. Pretty standard, really.

Then on Monday, a crown (that was redone 9 months ago and has been trouble-free since) came off while I was eating candy at a movie. It took part of the underlying tooth with it, so it couldn't just be reglued and the dentist is going to have to insert a post into the root canal and build more surface to attach it to. And today, I broke a 2nd bicuspid eating wasabi peas (not hard). The tooth is filled, and the facial half of the tooth broke off, close to the gum line.

This doesn't all seem coincidental. Could it be coincidental? Or can negligence in a cleaning weaken teeth?
 
Wow, that all sucks. Sorry dude.

One of my last cleanings the hygenist had the ultrasonic thing turned up to 11 and I couldn't take more than a few minutes of it. After squirming in the chair for a bit I asked her about it and she turned it down to a tolerable level.

I think a lot of times they can't really tell how hard they're being on your mouthbits. Or maybe it was something I said.

At the end of the visit they also tried to increase my frequency to every four months. I politely declined.
 
Proper cleaning won’t cause that damage. Age is a beeatch! As we get older, small craze lines and micro cracks can propogate over time leading to fractures where tooth structure is lost. Probably your situation. Horizontal brushing back and forth with a stiff bristled brush can accelerate gum recession exposing the softer dentin of the roots. Over time the dentin can erode and make a deep notch just below the crown. If that gets deep enough it can weaken the root and the crown breaks off.
 
Outside of catastrophic I pay cash, no name or SS or insurance, often outside of the US

Catching a Dx is the same or worse as a legal charge
 
robin ardoin said:
Proper cleaning won’t cause that damage.
Click to expand...
What about improper cleaning?

robin ardoin said:
Age is a beeatch! As we get older, small craze lines and micro cracks can propogate over time leading to fractures where tooth structure is lost. Probably your situation.
Click to expand...
She could certainly be a factor, but doesn't explain the coincidental timing.

robin ardoin said:
Horizontal brushing back and forth with a stiff bristled brush can accelerate gum recession exposing the softer dentin of the roots. Over time the dentin can erode and make a deep notch just below the crown. If that gets deep enough it can weaken the root and the crown breaks off.
Click to expand...
I do have some gum recession, but I use a sonicate brush with a light touch as instructed.
 
The reverse could be the case.

I have seen so much tartar buildup, that it was the only thing holding teeth in place!
Soon as it was removed, the physical support of the defective tooth was no longer there.
 
Retired molar mechanic here. Yes, this is coincidental. Your crown was ready to depart and your tooth was on the brink of fracture. Proper or improper teeth cleaning (which is usually manifested by not being thorough) was not the cause, unless your hygienist is a gorilla. I’d have to see what the crown was supported by to comment as to its loss, but as was stated earlier, teeth develop minute fractures and they will propagate over time. Dr. Just Plane Silly did bring up a possible contributor with bruxism.

I’ve seen calculus (no, not math, tartar) bridges holding teeth in. I even had a patient show up who had been gluing her tooth to its socket with super glue to keep it in. Could not understand why I couldn’t just glue it back in for her with some better glue. I must have missed that lecture….
 
Ah, I miss understood your question about “improper cleaning”. I assumed you were referring to home care, not professional cleaning. I agree with @painless , this misfortune was not caused by your hygienist. Having a ‘night guard’ made to serve as a sacrificial surface to protect from bruxing (grinding your teeth unconsciously) is a good idea .

By the way, I love your handle, @painless . That was a classic film.
 
robin ardoin said:
Ah, I miss understood your question about “improper cleaning”. I assumed you were referring to home care, not professional cleaning. I agree with @painless , this misfortune was not caused by your hygienist. Having a ‘night guard’ made to serve as a sacrificial surface to protect from bruxing (grinding your teeth unconsciously) is a good idea .

By the way, I love your handle, @painless . That was a classic film.
Click to expand...

Yeah, it was. I’m not contemplating suicide tho, as I’ve got no trouble with the equipment, if you know what I mean…..
 
painless said:
Retired molar mechanic here. Yes, this is coincidental. Your crown was ready to depart and your tooth was on the brink of fracture. Proper or improper teeth cleaning (which is usually manifested by not being thorough) was not the cause, unless your hygienist is a gorilla. I’d have to see what the crown was supported by to comment as to its loss, but as was stated earlier, teeth develop minute fractures and they will propagate over time. Dr. Just Plane Silly did bring up a possible contributor with bruxism.

I’ve seen calculus (no, not math, tartar) bridges holding teeth in. I even had a patient show up who had been gluing her tooth to its socket with super glue to keep it in. Could not understand why I couldn’t just glue it back in for her with some better glue. I must have missed that lecture….
Click to expand...
Thanks. I didn't have that much buildup. I do go every six months and brush well but don't floss enough.

My dentist of 30 years sold this practice recently, and it's all new folks now. I was a little worried because the hygienist got a roll stuck between my teeth a few times.

I don't really believe in coincidences, but I can believe there's another cause. The crown was over a root canal from about 10 years ago. The root canal was originally through the crown, but I had wonky fit issues with the crown and it was replaced last June. When it came out this week, it took with it the top part of the root canal filling and the tooth around it leaving a "crater."
 
I had a whole series of problems awhile ago, undoubtedly due to age and bad habits of eating ice and barely popped popcorn kernels. I now have crowns on all four first molars and one back one. As for the notch worn into the dentine, I have a patch on one of my teeth for that. Yeah, getting old sucks, but it's better than the alternative.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top