[dropcap]T[/dropcap]o the dentist: are you cementing crowns that are just out of occlusion? I know it’s a fairly common practice, and is even advocated in some circles (see my article Last Tooth Standing). There was a time, when I was just a boy in dentistry, a young pup starting out, when I would tell the lab to leave crowns just shy of occlusion. It seemed to beat grinding them in, which I saw as the only alternative.
But in my TMJ practice, I’m seeing a downside; and I’m seeing it often. Within the last month, I’ve seen two patients suffer a good deal of pain as a result of the practice of seating crowns that are just a bit out of occlusion.
