Dentist damaged my crown, can it be repaired?

[MiltonBaines]

I had a tooth extracted last week in preparation for a dental implant to be fitted. All seemed to go ok though the dentist did use a lot of force to get it out.
Once home I looked in my mouth to see the crowned tooth next to the now extracted tooth was damaged. There is a big chunk out of it near on the gumline adjacent to the now extracted tooth.

My guess is that the dentists' extraction tools pivoted against this crown so damaging it (alot of force was used to get tooth out!)
I called the dentist who seemed un-fussed by my concern and just said that when extracting teeth others can get damaged and he'd have a look when I return for a check up next week.

So in readiness for that appointment I want to go armed with information - can it be repaired? The crown's porcelain/enamel is missing in an area about 4mm diameter and you can see the dark metal inside and the thickness of the remaining porcelain. Food now catches in it and it can be seen when I open my mouth or talk.

So can it be repaired?
Will the repair last and look ok?
My thinking is the crown cost me hundreds of pounds and was 1yr old, he damaged it during a procedure I paid £250 for on a different tooth, as part of a larger procedure that will cost me £2500.
So the dentist/dental practice should pay for a brand new crown in my opinion to return it to its undamaged state. What do you think?
Any dentists here to advise on what will be proposed?

[taaffy]

My wife is a dentist... she says that the dentist should not have damaged it during the extraction and if he has then he has a duty of care to rectify it. She has said that if it had been her, she would replace the crown free of charge as a temporary fix will most probably fail at some point in the future.

Don't be fobbed off ....he has damaged it so he should swallow the cost to rectify it.

[Driller]

If there was a lot of force used, I'll bet that it wasn't the guy who's going to place the implant that took the tooth out. You want to remove a tooth as gently as possible before an implant to conserve the maximum amount of bone.

[MiltonBaines]

Thanks for the replies, I'm there tomorrow morning so will see what they propose to do.

At the time of extraction the dentist said it all couldn't have gone better (I presume this statement didn't include damaging my crown), as there was only one face of the tooth left above the gumline he said he had to cut this into two, so that each half could come out at a different angle and bring half the route with it.

Apparently despite the force used hardly any bone was lost. So at the time he was pleased with the extraction - and so was I until I got home and looked in the mirror!
The dentist that did this will not be placing the implant himself, a dental surgeon will (that also fitted my other implant 10 years ago with no issues).

The bodged extraction dentist is new to the practice I go to and this extraction was the first work he did on me so I'm hardly impressed so far.

[MiltonBaines]

So amazingly the dentist suggested he cover the cost of a new crown without me even suggesting anything. He said other dentists may try and repair the crown but it would never last.

He says he will do it at the same time as the crown for the implant to get a good colour match and fit, which will be about january time after the post is fitted in November.

Only issue I have is that there are a couple of sharp points on the gumline where the tooth was extracted. Feel a bit irritated and are sharp to touch. Dentist said this is old bone and will settle down or be expelled in time? Sound right?

[Driller]

Yep perfectly normal. The bone around teeth can be very fine at the top and tiny bits can break off when a tooth is extracted. You are supposed to tidy this up as much as possible at the time of the extraction but sometimes sharp bits can persist, especially with very hard bone (powerfully built directors?-yawn).

I saw a patient yesterday after extracting a canine 6 weeks ago to be replaced by an implant (very hard bone) and there was still a pointy bit of bone under the gum which was causing her discomfort. Quick anaesthetic and an incision and I pinched off the offending piece.

[MiltonBaines]

Thanks Driller for all the good advice, yes I expect my chiselled jaw is made of extremely hard bone hence my issues, such is life.

Good to know that if the irritation persists then the bone fragments can be removed pretty easily.
At least the long wait now until the post and crown fitment will soften the blow on the wallet a little.

Thanks again, have no doubt that I'll be asking for your advice again before this procedure is over, cheers.

[taaffy]

A nice post that shows that not all dentists are the money grabbing b'stards that people perceive them to be..

[Driller]

You're welcome