Has anyone ever gotten a crown put on their tooth?

[Amy]

I went in for my cleaning today and they always comment what great teeth I have and I would put them out of business for lack of work to do. WELL..... I finally let the doctor probe my teeth (I HATE that) and I knew I would probably have a cavity. He also found that one of my molars is turning grey which means that its dying in those areas. I have a choice between a gold onlay or a porcelain crown. I was totally thrown back by this, since Im only 34 years old. I'm used to scheduling people who have bad teeth or in their 40-60's for crowns, not perfect teeth Amy. :rolleyes: LOL

I'm getting the porcelain crown (more natural looking), but I don't like the idea of having major work done. My dentist was almost giddy with the novacaine shot in his hand today because I have tormented him for YEARS and this was the first time he could get at me. ROFL!

So for those that have had this-is it that bad?? I plan on bringing my headphones with my favorite cd a friend made for me. Other than that-I'm lost and I WORK at the place. ROFL!

[Cathy]

Amy, I've never had one.....because I chickened out last summer. I know dental work is looming in my future, but I''m currently content to be Cleopatra! LOL You are being sooo grown-up!!
Hope it all goes well for you.

[AnnW]

I had a permament tooth come in hollow when I was 8 and the filling finally died out when I was 24! LOL They put a porcelin crown on. I have never had/have any of dental work (I have perfect teeth too! :biggrin: ) except for this, and it wasn't bad. He didn't numb my tooth enough and he to add more after I grabbed his wrist in pain, and there is alot of drilling down. They put a temp one on first, then the other, I think.

[Mickey]

I've had four. The novocain shot is the worst part for me--they do it several times as I've occasionally not gotten numb! (It actually bruises where the needle goes). I've been doing laughing gas (nitrous oxide) the last few times, too...usually love that stuff, but last time I felt weird all night afterwards (maybe it was too much since my weight loss?).

Anyway, once you're numb, it's no big deal...it's just the smell of burning tooth and the grinding noise that gets to you! LOL! Feel better? ;)

[Mickey]

Originally posted by AnnW
I had a permament tooth come in hollow when I was 8 and the filling finally died out when I was 24! LOL They put a porcelin crown on. I have never had/have any of dental work (I have perfect teeth too! :biggrin: ) except for this, and it wasn't bad. He didn't numb my tooth enough and he to add more after I grabbed his wrist in pain, and there is alot of drilling down. They put a temp one on first, then the other, I think.

Yes, Ann's right...I have a temp one on now while the other is being made.

Also, I had two gold ones and I wouldn't go for them again. The dentist at the time said they last longer, but I've been told that it's really not significant and when I smiled for a photo, the light would occasionally reflect off of one of them and it looked like I had a Cheeto in my mouth! LOL! Go porcelain...I'm having my gold ones re-done in porcelain now.

[Amy]

My dentist said he could guarantee the gold onlay for life, but the porcelain ones are a hit and miss at times. He said you basically glue the porcelain crown with resin and hope for the best. The assistant told me even though she knows all this, that she would still get a porcelain if she had to. That kind of sold it for me. Plus I looked in the other assistant's mouth would have at least 5 gold crowns or bridges and thought -NO WAY!. The dentist even had to agree since I have a wide smile.

Cathy-I have NO choice! Not only is he my dentist, they are my neighbors!! LOL He would never let me live it down. He may be a pain in the buttocks most of the time, but he is a perfectionist and an excellent dentist, so I would be absolutely stupid not to get it done.

Mickey- how much does your dentist charge for a porcelain? Mine is the most expensive in town at $750. Insurance will pay half and I believe I heard him say "price adjustment" to the assistant. I'm not looking for special favors, but if they are handed to me.... LOL If I can get out of this for $250 or less, I think it would be one of the best deals around.

[MaryL]

I had one put on just last year (had a cracked tooth). Not the most pleasant experience in my life...LOL...but not really that bad. I had a temporary one...and then a couple of weeks later the permanent one. I was in pain with the tooth when it was cracked...and worried about needing a root canal (8o ) which I hear are very unpleasant....so I was actually relieved with the crown. The price you were given sounds similar....I believe it was about $600 here...my insurance paid 1/2.

[Cathy]

Originally posted by Amy/CO

Cathy-I have NO choice! Not only is he my dentist, they are my neighbors!! LOL He would never let me live it down. He may be a pain in the buttocks most of the time, but he is a perfectionist and an excellent dentist, so I would be absolutely stupid not to get it done.



And here I was sooo impressed. Actually my dentist is someone I've known since I was a teenager. (I worked with his OLDER brother!) When I see him, I am a little embarassed. Apparently not enough, though....LOL

[Jeff]

Looks like I must have been one of those misses. I have a porcelain on my back molar and it is in worse shape than the original tooth. It started splintering away a few months after I got it. The original was due to high fevers as a child causing a malformation during the period when the enamel was being formed in the tooth.

[Mickey]

I think it depends on a few things--one of which is the lab that makes the actual crown. One of my gold crowns was almost totally smooth and the other isn't (different labs). Another factor is the dentist him/herself. The one who did my gold ones didn't adhere one well and it popped off and I bit it--he smoothed it out and put it back on, but there was obviously a gap as my current dentist says it doesn't go down far enough in one spot. The other one was the smooth one and it's now gone (that's the one I'm having replaced right now). I was told that the porcelain ones are actually silver (or some other metal) overlaid with porcelain. Anyway, the bottom line is that I think if you have a great dentist and he uses a great lab, you'll be fine whichever way you go.

My dentist charges $720. My insurance pays half. I believe that's pretty much the going rate here. My gold ones were $500 ten years ago.

[AnnW]

My crown has lasted for over 20 years!!!!! You can't even tell unless you look closely.

[RCT]

I Amy, both my two front upper teeth are porcelain crowns with gold inlays...I had an accident as a teenager and broke them on the sidewalk...don't ask....:lol: I had these done a couple of years ago and they are wonderful....look great and feel perfect...and I have had a lot of caps, so these are the way to go...supposed to last a long time (20+ years)

as for them being painful to install...no so with me....I fell asleep for the first one.....the drilling gets me, just the sounds...I think the shot of novocain is more painful then the procedure...IMHO....also my dh reacted really bad to the gas so if you haven't had it recently ....just letting you know...dh had a really bad reaction....

[kacee]

My front two are also crowned. I had them done when I was 22. My teeth were chiped and cracked (My brother threw a rock at my sister, she ducked and I was behind her!!) when I was 8 or 9. I don't remember it being that bad. Getting my wisdom teeth pulled were worst.


My crowns are doing great. I have had some receding in my gum line (with aging) but as of yesterday (I had a teeth cleaning) The dentist didn't say that they needed to be replaced yet.


Good luck with yours!!!