Crown oxidation. Myths and truth about the benefits and dangers of metal-ceramic crowns. Damage to a metal crown

12.03.2022

P According to dentists, owners of crowns placed ten or more years ago need to seriously think about

What impact do they have on health? The metals that were used in those days to make crowns oxidize in the oral cavity and provoke concomitant diseases - from stomach ulcers to oncology. It is not surprising that many diseases allegedly arise without a reason and cannot be completely cured. Few doctors pay attention to the composition of the crowns in the patient's mouth. Therefore, dentists urge you to take this issue more seriously. Rafael Alexandrovich Shakhnazarov, a dentist-orthopedist, tells more about the composition of crowns and the reasons for their replacement.

Why old crowns can be harmful to health?

Very often in my clinical practice there are cases when patients come with a complaint about the failure or unaesthetic bridges-crowns on teeth that were made earlier: either very many years ago, or recently made. Crowns that were made more than 10-15 years ago in our country did not always meet the requirements of orthopedic dentistry.

What metals are old crowns made of?

The composition of crowns, in particular the metal of these crowns, often did not even meet the technical standards for the manufacture of crowns. It's nickel-chromium, nickel-palladium. Accordingly, nickel is a cheap metal, but it has a lot of disadvantages. Its main disadvantage is a very strong oxidation. In the oral cavity, oxidation occurs excessively. The oral cavity is the beginning of the digestive tract, and all ions, metal oxides will go further along the digestive tract, entering the stomach and intestines. A few years ago, the Ministry of Health adopted a resolution to remove this metal from dentistry. Nickel has a very strong destructive effect on the gastrointestinal tract, which leads to the formation of ulcers in the stomach. Accordingly, gastric ulcers may occur. And what is important, nickel has a very strong effect on the development of cancer.

What materials are used in modern crowns?

In modern dentistry, slightly different materials are already used. The most common metal in modern dentistry is cobalt, which is used together with chromium, cobalt-chromium alloys, from which modern metal-ceramic crowns are made. Very often, patients come, as I said, with a desire to replace old crowns. It happens that there are quite a lot of old crowns in the oral cavity. And we always tell patients: if you want to change crowns in the oral cavity, if you have nickel-chromium alloy crowns in your oral cavity, then it is necessary to remove all crowns with a one-time replacement with permanent modern crowns or with periodic replacement, respectively, with the manufacture of a temporary one. designs.

Why do you need to change all the crowns at once?

Sometimes in my practice there were cases when doctors changed only part of the crowns, and some left the old ones. Very often, the patient experienced cases of the effect of galvanization of different ionic metals, when the patient feels constant or periodic tingling in the oral cavity, which does not go away in any way: neither with ointments, nor with rinsing of the oral cavity. These complaints resolved only after either the old crowns were removed, or all crowns in the oral cavity were completely changed and all crowns were made from the same material.

Our oral cavity is a biosystem in which all components must be compatible. This means that any orthopedic intervention, any other dental treatment must be biocompatible, not harmful to the body. Crowns must be of the same metal.

Not always, when we used the services of a dentist, everything goes smoothly. It happens that after prosthetics there is a smell from under the crown of the tooth. What to do in such a situation and why this happens, we will tell further.

It is not worth ignoring the reasons for this phenomenon. At the first sign that something went wrong after the installation of the prosthesis, it is advisable to go to the doctor as soon as possible. He will be able to identify the problem, eliminate it and prevent serious complications.

Causes of an unpleasant odor

There are not so many reasons:

If there is a small gap under the crown, then food will constantly clog there. In the process of decay, it stinks. Saliva also enters the space, in which sugar dissolves and additionally causes bacteria to multiply.
As a result of improper installation or too poor materials, depressurization of the structure, destruction of the cementing element itself is possible. Therefore, the crown begins to wobble, and food debris and bacteria enter the open space.
If a structure is installed, it is quite possible that oxides began to form due to the opened space. And they destroy the tooth, which causes the smell from under the crown.
Sometimes inexperienced doctors decide to install a prosthesis on a tooth that is to be completely removed. It is highly discouraged to put crowns on a weak unit, because it will rot under the structure.

Why does a tooth decay under a crown?

Obviously, it appears due to a disease of the tooth. Reasons for this:

The weakened unit further collapses under the crown, so doctors basically do not put prostheses on them, but completely remove them and replace them with implants. If you install a crown on such a tooth, then a secondary one is formed.
Lack of hygiene contributes to the worsening of the situation. Implants and prostheses require quality care. Doctors recommend special brushes, pastes and other devices that must be used daily. In neglected situations, the formation of carious cavities occurs, from which no crown can protect.
The stage of waiting for the creation of a permanent structure is also important. During this period, the doctor installs a temporary prosthesis for protection. If this moment is neglected, then the tooth will collapse much faster, because the enamel has already been removed, and it is open to bacteria.
Poor-quality and inept actions of the doctor contribute to poor fixation of the prosthesis, which is why it quickly falls out, and the dental unit is exposed to pathogenic effects.

To remove the smell from under the crown, the doctor needs to remove the structure and find out the root cause. Only by eliminating it can we speak with confidence about a full-fledged treatment.

Signs of the phenomenon

It is not so difficult to notice problems under the crown:

The mouth smells unpleasant, which is an indicator of decay.
It feels like the remains of food are clogged under the crown.
Upon closer examination, it will be seen that a dark shade of the base appears under the prosthesis. This is a sign of tooth decay when it completely blackens.

It is better not to delay with similar symptoms and consult a doctor at the first discomfort. Since the dental unit under the crown remains without nerve endings, the process of destruction occurs painlessly. But the listed symptoms will make it clear that rotting has begun, and it should not be ignored.

What to do?

The destruction process is irreversible. And the longer treatment is delayed, the worse the situation will be. By itself, decay will not stop, but will spread to surrounding tissues, leading to complications.

Therefore, you should definitely visit a doctor who will remove the prosthesis, clean the surface and, if possible, try to save the tooth. If you went to the doctor too late, you will have to remove the destroyed unit, and install an implant instead of a crown.

The question of contacting a specialist is not even just to get rid of the smell or save the crown. The most important thing to achieve with timely treatment is to protect dental tissue from complete destruction.

How to eliminate the smell?

Until the cause of its formation disappears, then practically nothing can be done about the unpleasant odor. Only complete treatment and cleansing of the tooth surface will help. In the meantime, you are waiting for a doctor's appointment, you can rinse. How to rinse - any herbs, for example, or oak bark. This will help to slightly eliminate the smell and rinse the mouth of excess bacteria or food debris.

Complete elimination of an unpleasant odor is possible only as a result of eliminating the main cause that caused it:

In case of clogging of food residues under the crown, it is necessary to remove the structure, clean the surface of the tooth and install a new one, correctly sized. Only with a snug fit of the prosthesis can the health of the remaining unit be preserved.
In the presence of weak fixation, the crown may fall out altogether, which contributes to the accelerated destruction of an unprotected tooth. You need to see a doctor as soon as possible and install a new prosthesis. In order for it to be of high quality and durable, do not save on a good clinic, find an experienced professional.
The doctor's guilt also manifests itself in the case when it was established, but fixed too weakly. Or the dentist did not stand the right time for cementing the tab, which caused its integrity to collapse. In any of these options, the replacement of the crown must take place under warranty due to the poor quality work of the specialist.
There are situations when an incorrectly sized crown injures the gums and this causes some pain to the patient. The doctor must cut the soft tissue or replace the device with a more suitable one.

To keep your teeth and dentures in perfect condition, you should definitely follow hygiene procedures on a daily basis. In the presence of crowns or bridges, doctors recommend using special devices:

Interproximal brush - an additional brush that does not apply paste, helps to reach the most inaccessible places in the oral cavity.
Beam brush - specially designed for the care of braces, implants and crowns.
The use of dental floss and floss for additional cleaning of the interdental space. True, they are not recommended for use in the presence of gum disease.
Floss - similar to dental floss, but with fixation, which facilitates the process of hygiene.
- a special device for high-quality cleansing of the oral cavity with the help of air bubbles. This safe system is able to keep the dentition in perfect cleanliness.

If the doctor's work was carried out with high quality, and oral hygiene is maintained at the proper level, then the problem with the smell from under the crown or other prostheses will not be disturbed for a long time.

Video: do teeth deteriorate under crowns?

Possible Complications

Seeing a doctor and addressing the root cause of crown odor should prevent the following complications:

Perhaps the formation of a cyst, which will lead to suppuration of soft tissues.
When the structure is depressurized, inflammation occurs, which will lead to treatment with antibiotics.
The appearance of repeated caries and further destruction of the tooth can lead to or other serious diseases.

Additional questions

What to do if there is a taste from the crown, but there is no smell?

Perhaps the doctor poorly cleaned the base of cement, and it dissolves in saliva, leaving a specific aftertaste. The reaction may appear in the presence of different materials incompatible with each other in the oral cavity. The problem is solved by replacing prostheses and fillings with the same composition. Alternatively, an allergic reaction to metals or other components of the crown is also possible. In this case, it is better to use safe ceramics.

There are cases when, after some time, an unpleasant smell begins to be felt from under it. Its appearance can be associated both with improper manufacture and installation of the structure itself, and with inflammatory processes in the tooth itself.

In any case, it is impossible to eliminate the problem without consulting a doctor. If you postpone the visit for the future, not wanting to touch the newly installed crown, then sooner or later the tooth will rot and you can lose it.

Why does a tooth smell like rot after a crown is placed?

In the vast majority of cases, to determine the cause of the problem, it is necessary to remove the crown. A putrid smell can be caused by the destruction of dental tissues due to the prosthesis of a poorly treated tooth or when installing a prosthesis on a unit that has begun to collapse and must be removed.

What should be done in such a situation?

Immediately after the appearance of an unpleasant odor from under the crown of the tooth, it is necessary to contact the dentist, attempts to do something on their own to save the tooth will not bring the desired result, since they will not help eliminate the very cause of the inflammatory process.

Before visiting the clinic, you can rinse your mouth with an infusion of herbs that have anti-inflammatory properties, such as a decoction of calendula, oak bark or chamomile. You can also try to remove food particles accumulated under the prosthesis with a special brush.

After removing the crown in the presence of a purulent process, treatment is carried out aimed at preserving the tooth. After that, a new, newly made prosthesis is placed on it. If there is no inflammation and the cause of the smell is a loose fit of the structure to the gum, the tooth surface is thoroughly cleaned of dirt.

Then the product is corrected or a new one is placed, optimally corresponding to the size of the tooth and tightly adjoining the gum without the formation of gaps.

In this case, as in the case of loosening and depressurization of the prosthesis due to the use of poor-quality cement or weak fixation, the replacement of the product is free of charge. Most medical institutions provide their customers with a guarantee for a certain period of time for all types of treatment and prosthetics.

Preventive measures

To ensure the safety of teeth and prosthetic structures, you can use daily with the use of special toothpastes and devices.

Thoroughly clean the surface, elements, preventing the formation, will allow using a tufted toothbrush.

To clean the surface in the most inaccessible places, a small interproximal brush is designed, the design features of which allow the bristles to penetrate into the cracks separating the prostheses from neighboring teeth.

A special device for carrying out hygiene procedures in the oral cavity is. The operation of the device is based on the supply of water under pressure.

The passage of the jet through the nozzle gives the flow a pulsating character, saturating it with air bubbles. This ensures the removal of plaque and food debris trapped in the smallest gaps. At the same time, a massaging effect is achieved, which improves blood circulation and metabolism in the gum tissues.

Cleaning of interdental spaces is successfully carried out. It is better to select bulk threads impregnated with antiseptic compounds.

P According to dentists, owners of crowns placed ten or more years ago need to seriously think about

Why old crowns can be harmful to health?

What metals are old crowns made of?

What materials are used in modern crowns?

Why do you need to change all the crowns at once?

Metal crowns are orthopedic structures made of metal alloys that restore the anatomical shape and function of teeth. Treatment with metal crowns is a rather old, but effective method. Such designs are very strong, durable and inexpensive.

Pros and cons

The advantages of metal crowns include:

Effective restoration of functions (chewing, swallowing, speech);
High strength;
Tight fit to the tissues of the tooth;
Absence of chips and breakages;
Anatomical shape of the structure;
No damage to opposing teeth;
Does not require complex tooth preparation and nerve removal;
Small cost;
Long service life.

The disadvantages of the design are:

Poor aesthetics. Crowns look very different from natural teeth. When installing a metal crown on the front tooth, the design is very noticeable to others and will violate the aesthetics of the smile;
If you are allergic to metals, do not install a metal crown. It is only possible to manufacture other types of structures or crowns of gold. Since there is practically no allergy to this metal;
After a long period of time, the crown wears off;
Perhaps the occurrence of galvanic currents in the oral cavity due to the presence of several types of metal in the mouth. Galvanic currents cause unpleasant symptoms: headache, metallic taste, eating disorders, burning in the mouth, poor sleep;
With a long service life of the crown, the neck of the tooth may be exposed, food can get under the crown and a carious process may occur.

Kinds

Metal crowns are cast and stamped. One-piece cast products are made according to individual casts of teeth by firing at high temperature in a special furnace. Such crowns have thick cast walls, which makes the design very durable. Crowns are used on the lateral group of teeth due to their resistance to chewing pressure. Solid crowns are of the following types:

Sprayed. At the request of the patient, the crowns are covered with a golden coating and look like gold teeth;
Zirconium-coated is a new type of design in which metal crowns are coated with a small layer of zirconia. Spraying isolates the oral cavity from metal, can be used for allergies, does not cause galvanic currents. Zirconia crowns are the best, highest quality and most expensive. Spraying is an inexpensive crown option that will have some of the benefits of zirconia.
Without spraying - these are ordinary products that have a steel or silver color;
With a covering (facing). To make the designs more aesthetic, the front (front) surface is covered with ceramic mass. At the same time, the crown looks natural and does not catch the eye. The disadvantage of ceramic veneers is the risk of chipping, so it is recommended not to load the artificial tooth.

Stamped crowns are a metal cap. For manufacturing, standard sleeves are used and grinding is carried out with a special machine to give the desired shape of the tooth. Such crowns are easy to manufacture and have a low cost. When preparing the teeth, the minimum amount of hard tissue is removed, so there is no need to depulp the tooth.

The disadvantages of the design include: erasure after prolonged use, incomplete restoration of the anatomy of the tooth, the risk of caries at the border of the crown and enamel.

Preparation for a cast crown

An important stage in the manufacture of the structure is the preparation, that is, the preparation of the tooth. Preparation for a solid metal crown consists of grinding the interdental contacts, the chewing surface of the tooth or the cutting edge by 0.2 - 0.3 mm. Next, the vestibular and oral sides of the tooth are prepared with an unnecessary thickness, as a result of which the tooth acquires a cylindrical shape. Preparations are carried out using special burs and a drill.

The finished stump for the crown looks like a truncated cone, the walls converge at an angle of 2-8 degrees. Experienced doctors create a ledge in the neck of the tooth. The ledge improves the fixation of the future structure and is an additional retention point for the dental technician. After preparation, the tooth is smoothed and polished using dental heads.

Care

After installing metal crowns, you must carefully follow the rules of hygienic care. In the absence of brushing teeth and interdental spaces, food debris accumulates in the area of the neck of the teeth, between the crown and gum. When microorganisms and carbohydrates enter the area of transition of the crown to the tooth, conditions are created for the development of a carious process. In addition, the tooth can collapse under the orthopedic structure.

To maintain the health of teeth and oral cavity organs, it is necessary to brush your teeth twice a day: in the morning and in the evening. During cleaning, you need to pay enough attention to the crowns, carefully clean the plaque between the crown and the gum. To clean the interdental spaces, it is recommended to use dental floss (flos).

To do this, you need to take a thread 15-20 cm long, wind it around your index fingers and clean between each tooth. After eating, use mouthwash or rinse your mouth with water. In case of periodontal diseases, rinsing with antiseptic solutions should be carried out, treatment with anti-inflammatory drugs should be carried out.

After the installation of crowns, one should not forget about the need for preventive examinations at the dentist. It is recommended to visit a doctor every 6 months, to carry out professional dental hygiene, to check the condition of the crowns. In the event of an unpleasant odor from under the structure or a violation of the fit of the crown, refixation (re-installation on new cement) can be performed.

Life time

Metal crowns have a long service life. Durable material makes it possible to operate the structure for 15-20 years or more. Very often, patients walk with crowns for more than 25 years. But it is recommended to replace crowns every 10 years. After a long period of time, atrophy and drooping of the gums occur, the edge of the crown is exposed. As a result, the crown may decement or dental disease may occur. If periodontal disease occurs, the service life of the crowns will be reduced.

The service life of the construction will also depend on the professionalism of the doctor, the dental technician, the type of construction and the conditions of use. In order for the crown to last longer, you need to follow the rules of care, avoid excessive chewing load on the tooth, periodically visit the dentist for a preventive examination.

How much does a metal crown cost

Metal crowns are an inexpensive design in dentistry. The cost will depend on the prestige of the dental clinic, its location, the professionalism of the doctor and dental technician. And also from the type of metal, when making a crown from gold or platinum alloys, the price will be high. On average, the cost of a metal crown ranges from 1,000 to 18,000 rubles. If you need to make an inlay for a crown, the price will be slightly higher.

Is it possible to do CT and MRI with metal crowns

Computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging are important research methods in medicine. 90% of people have metal constructions in the oral cavity: crowns, pins, braces, implants, plates. The MRI method is based on the registration of response electron pulses when the required area of study is placed in a powerful electromagnetic field.

During the study, a three-dimensional image is obtained, which allows you to evaluate the function and blood flow of the organ. Metallic elements in the body cause image shifts and abnormal examination results. Modern technologies allow MRI and CT in almost all cases due to the minimal use of pure metal alloys in dentistry.

Also, modern MRI machines allow you to change the settings and get reliable examination results. We can conclude that everyone can conduct examinations, you just need to inform the doctor about the metal structures in the mouth.