dental crown questions

15 years ago

I got a crown on a bottom front tooth about 2.5 years ago. Went to the dentist today about another tooth. He mentioned that the black dots on the crown are where the metal has worn through. I had no idea what they were but no one can see that tooth since I don't have a "toothy" grin so I hadn't thought much about it. He also mentioned that there was wear and possibly a stress fracture (or something) on the overlapping tooth on the top (one of the big front teeth). I asked if he thought the top tooth would fall apart because of the fracture and he didn't think it would, at least not right now. Cosmetically, I couldn't care less about the dots so I will not get it replaced unless something painful happens to require attention- the tooth chews food fine. I was more concerned about the health of the top tooth. When I got this crown, the root was great so I have never had a root canal or anything.

How long have your crowns lasts?

How bad does it hurt when they yank the old one off?

How much do replacement crowns cost (no insurance)?

I went to the Dental School for the exam so if I were to get it replaced, I expect they would be cheaper than a private dentist but I have no idea what to expect (current crown was paid by previous insurance).

I am hoping nothing will need to be done until I graduate and have dental insurance again but I should put some money back just incase!

Oh, the original tooth in question is fine. No cavity under the filling. Just a strange crevice that I can feel with my tongue and gets a little sensitive.

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Comments (3)

uxorial
15 years ago
I had a crown on one of my front teeth from 1979 until 2007. I had it replaced solely for cosmetic reasons. The new crown cost $930. I originally had a PFM (porcelain fused to metal) crown, but got it replaced with a zirconia one after a few months.

I was worried about having the 30-year-old crown removed, because it was a little twisted and two different dentists told me it could be a problem. But I hated the way it looked, so I had it done. It didn't hurt, but I was numbed up pretty good and I think I may have had nitrous gas too, for my anxiety. That tooth had had a root canal, so it was dead. He numbed me because working on it could have made the adjacent area hurt.

I also had a crown put on a molar, and that cost about $1000. My husband just had one done too, for about the same cost. Both required removing a huge filling and building up the tooth for the crown, so it cost a little more.

So, to answer your questions:
I had a crown last nearly 30 years. It probably would have lasted many more years. It was a PFM crown, with gold/platinum on the back, porcelain on the front.
It didn't hurt at all to have the old one removed, but my tooth was "dead." I had the replacement crown on and off many times trying to get the color right, and then had it removed again to replace it with the zirconia one. All without getting numbed up. Didn't hurt a bit.
My recent crowns cost about $1000 each, as did the three veneers I got at the same time.
bigfoot_liz
15 years ago
i've had my crown, on an upper back right tooth, for 8-9 yrs. this past feb i had to have it removed and a filling put under it because the previous dentist did not make the crown fit properly and i got a cavity along the lower edge. he also found a small cavity on the ajoining tooth where the previous dentist must have nicked the enamel, it was a clean straight slice into that tooth. i was terrified of the crown removal but they used an expander whatever that is and it really was nothing. my new dentist uses lasers for different things and numbed the area w/ a laser just before taking off the crown. right after the removal and fitting of a temp i went back to work and had lunch and was able to eat pasta.

i don't know how much the crown was, it was covered on my insurance. infact i think it needed to be atleast 5 yrs old to be covered. but before i moved 10+ yrs ago to orlando i lived in the chicago area, went to Indiana Univ and later taught there. i always went to the IUPUI (indy) dental & med school for everything. i had a friend going to dental school there and i got my teeth laser whitened for $50, usually you pay for supplies. they ALWAYS need people to work on and everything is done under supervision of teaching doc's and dentists. i'd try that route...it's unlikely another insurance co will cover it later because it's probably a preexisting condition. ~ liz
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I just ran across this old thread, so perhaps it is too late now. Just in case, here are some comments: When there simply "is no other alternative" to restoring a badly decayed or broken down tooth, then crowns are a good way to go. However, they should only be done as a last resort. 1) Preparing a tooth for a crown involves drilling it down to a tiny peg. All the enamel is removed and some of the dentin as well. This can be traumatic for the pulp chamber and as a result, having a tooth crowned does increase the chance that you will need a root canal in the future. It is also completely irreversible. Once done, there is no going back. 2) There is also increased risk of periodontal disease around crowns, since the margins are more difficult to keep clean. Also, in some folks, their gum tissue is just not that compatible with the porcelain or gold, which can cause gingivitis that is difficult to resolve. 3) When initially placed, the crown goes below the gumline to protect the underlying tooth structure from future decay. However, your gums recede over your lifetime which means that after a few years, you will see a gap between where the crown stops and your tooth begins. This is especially noticable in anterior teeth, which is the case here. 4) We now have many improved composite filling materials (white) available and these are placed using bonding and light curing techniques. As a result, they are much stronger than in the past and if it were me, this is where I would start. This type of restoration requires a dentist that is highly skilled and patient. They also do not make as much $$ as they would for doing a crown. (This is not necessarily to imply that your dentist's motivation is financial. It may or it may not be). I have several large restorations in my upper anterior teeth as well. I can also get just about anything done that I want to for free (other than the lab bill), but there is NO way that I will ever have these teeth crowned. Lynne
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glenda_al
15 years ago
Have lots of crowns, gold in the back and porcelain??? for those closer to the front, plus one root canal with crown.

So far ALL of mine have done just fine, and some are 20 so years old.

dental crown questions

Comments (3)

uxorial

bigfoot_liz

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glenda_al

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