Is This Porcelain Veneers Crack a Dental Emergency?

I had quite a few porcelain crowns placed more than 15 years ago. One of them has always had a slight defect. My dentist pointed it out to me, which I appreciated very much. Though, it wasn’t a problem. It still looked and felt fine. However, in the last few weeks, something has changed. I can now see and feel a line on the crown. I think this is going to break and fall off. Would a dentist treat this as a dental emergency so that I can replace it before it breaks? Should I just replace this crown or the other seven as well?

Jade

Dear Jade,

I am glad you wrote. Those defects, called craze lines, are fairly common with dental crowns. Most of the time, they’re harmless. However, yours has changed, as you’ve noticed. At some point this crown will break completely. I don’t think it will break right away, so I  wouldn’t call it a dental emergency. I would call your dentist and schedule a replacement appointment fairly soon.

When you go to see your dentist, it will be important that you have the others checked. They have lasted you a good long time, which speaks well both of how you have cared for them, as well as the skills of the dentist who did them for you. Obviously, any that are looking like they will need to be replaced you’ll want to also take care of at the same time. With those that look fine, you have a couple of choices.

First, you can change off of the crowns at once. They will need replacing at some point soon, given their age. This has the benefit of getting it all over with so you don’t have to worry about going back and forth to the dentist every time one of them fails. The downside is that your initial cost will be a lot more.

The other option is leaving the crowns and then replacing them when they fail individually. This has the benefit of spreading out the cost, but you will have to make multiple trips to the dentist.

It sounds like you have a skilled dentist, so I’d get them to advise you on the potential longevity of the others.

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