.png)
11/5/22
The Condition: Today I shadowed a treatment of middle-aged woman, Ms. Kim. The patient has sensitive teeth, causing her to have an aching pain in addition to a difficult time consuming foods that are hot and cold. She has 2 gold dental crowns, both in the upper roof. Gold crowns are an alloy of gold and other metals, therefore they are able to conduct heat. This causes the patient's teeth to be exposed to even higher/lower temperatures when eating.
In order to reduce the teeth's sensitivity, the gold crowns has to be replaced with crowns made of a different material. In this case, Ms. Kim will be receiving a zirconia crown. Unlike the golden crown, the zirconia crown is a type of durable ceramic material; the conducting of heat will be significantly be reduced.
The Procedure: With the gold crowns still on the teeth, Dr. Kwon creates an impression mold: an imprint of the teeth and the crown in order to produce a new set of crowns that will fit the teeth.
After the mold, it is time for the gold crowns to be removed off the teeth. This is a tedious process, that is not easy as it seems. Using an electric high speed hand piece, the gold crown is cut in half. The electric high speed hand piece also sprays water, slowly loosening the crown pieces. Dr. Kwon then removes the crowns piece by piece, using a clamp for a firm grip.
Making the temporary crowns: The patient will have a temporary crown for a few weeks before receiving the zirconia crown. Using a 3-M ESPE, Dr. Kwon fills in the mold with the material for a temporary crown. The filled mold will be placed back in the mouth and stay in for 2 minutes. After the 2 minutes only the mold is removed, leaving the newly formed crowns in the mouth.
Final Touches: Dr. Kwon creates spacing around the tooth and inserts a string to deepen the space as well as to prevent the gums from closing up around the temporary crowns.
Oral health is FOR.ALL
Comments