Tooth decay under crowns. What is leakage? How serious is it?

This seemingly benign condition of the upper tooth drew attention from our patient. He stated that "there was a bad odor upon flossing". My response was that "since it drew enough attention to bring you in, it needs to be looked at carefully". A small gap was noted on the back side of the image taken. I recommended the removal of the crown mainly to explore the infra strucutre with direct vision, and the findings were quite a shock!

This is a pre operative photo of the affected tooth. As can be seen, there is some recession of the gum on the periphery of the tooth, but the open margin of the crown is not visible to the naked eye. The following picture will reveal what the condition was within the tooth structure.



As shown in the photo to the right, extensive decay was noted under the crown, causing the bad odor. Had this tooth been left untreated, it was certain to head for root canal treatment. Root canal treatments are the last resort. Although they can be a blessing when teeth are in dire condition, they need to be avoided as much as possible. I commend my patient for paying close attention to this matter and presenting it to me!
The tooth was successfuly restored with a new crown after the decay was thoroughly cleansed.





The final crown was done in a single visit using CAD/CAM technology. A digital scan of the tooth was done after the decay removal, and with the aide of CAD/CAM software the new crown was made in a single visit.

The final image of the crown is demonstrated
to the right.











The final radiograph is demonstrated to the right.