Bad Dentistry - Part 2

LAB DAY 2012

At dinner with Bill Mrazek, CDT, and his wife, Gloria, during which I asked his advice regarding tooth #14.

Lately, I'd noticed some pain when chewing, but I wasn't sure whether it was coming from that tooth or the opposing PFM crown. Though #19 had a root canal [the one from LMT's second crown experiment, 1987], there was a chance that the tooth had cracked.

"Eventually, I think I'm going to need another crown, but I'm concerned about having two opposing crowns. I don't want to create a TMJ problem," I told Bill.

He recommended that, since the lower molar is a PFM, my best choice might be to have a PFM on #14. Unless, of course, I did have a cracked tooth in which case, #19 would need an implant.

"Keep me posted," he said.

March-December 2012

Armed with Bill's advice, I favored the right side of my mouth for the rest of the year before revisiting a dentist, noting that things seemed pretty stable.

January...