Questions about Dental crowns

Toothsmith

If you are otherwise happy there - then I wouldn't change.

But a nicely worded letter of 'feedback' (not really complaint) explaining how happy you've been, but how 'let down' you feel by his change of heart over providing the replacement crowns on the NHS, might just !!!!! him in an appropriate place.

Worth a try.

Toothsmith

Why won't this flippin site let me type pr1ck ?

Honestly, it's only a rude word in about one of 5 uses!!!!

absfabs

Toothsmith wrote: »

No - it's a metal alloy with no precious metals in it. Nickel and tin mainly I think.

Bear in mind that most people who can't wear certain earrings, can't wear them due to tolerance problems with the nickel.

Most people who develop white marks on their tongues next to 'mercury' fillings - it's nothing to do with the mercury, but the nickel that's in the filling material as well.

Durability is probably OK - it's biocompatability that's the possible problem.

Sorry, it's late, just to clarify, the white one is a metal alloy? Or the metal one?
What's a white one that's £50 more made of and will it last as long as say a gold crown?

nickel is no problem, am okay with earrings, etc and plenty of amalgam fillings...

Toothsmith

Beg your pardon - misread your question.

White one would be a white gold alloy (still with a bit of tin & nickel in it but some gold as well) With porcelain bonded to the metal to make it 'tooth-like'.

There are other all ceramic, metal free white crowns for back teeth, but these are generally about double the price that you've been quoted.

I would have to see the tooth and the situation it lives in before commenting on durability.

Generally though, a gold (proper gold) crown is a lot thinner than a white porcelain bonded one. This does not reflect durability though, it would take a lot of years to wear a hole in a gold crown. The advantage of a 'thinner' crown is that you need to take off less tooth in order to prepare the tooth for it.

The less tooth you have to remove - the better.

I generall try to persuade my patients to have gold crowns on back teeth. I don't aways succeed though, as they do look like gold teeth, and some people don't like that.

hethmar

As TS says if you have always felt happy with him, may be you should stay with him as feeling confident in the dentist is a big way towards being happy with the whole process. But just re reading your post - Im not too sure Id be confident with him saying that he wasnt sure they could be done? And that replacing them are a problem?

tara

Went to the dentist today and told her I would like to have a crowning done to my molar tooth. She said under NHS Scotland, I can only get alloy crowning and not porcelain. If I want porcelain, I would need to fork out £250 to £300. I said I don't mind alloy, she laughed in disbelief. I asked what was wrong with alloy, as it won't be obvious inside; after all every molar teeth of mine was covered will metal filling .
She took out my old filling on my molar tooth and used white type, did pretty great job to narrow existing gap, quite impressed.
I am due for the next appointment in two weeks' time and need to decide on whether porcelain or alloy crowning. Can anyone give elaboration between the two types of crowning? I should get free treatment under NHS as one gets exemption for a year after giving birth. Seems to be a bit silly to fork out £300 for a porcelain in this case...

absfabs

Thanks again, Toothsmith, and good night!

P.S: Like the avatar!

ABN

Whilst I fully understand that detailed advice on specific dental problems cannot really be given without seeing the problem. I will therefore try to give as much info as possible so that the best educated guess/advice can be given.

A few yrs ago I kept getting mild recurring toothache that only lasted a few days at a time. I eventually, about 2 yrs ago, went to my dentist (private) who diagnosed a cracked molar. He did a root filling and told me that the tooth would not last very long and eventually would need to be crowned.

Fast forward to November last year and a quarter of the tooth fell off. So went back to dentist who said that it really needed crowning. This was going to cost around £400 which I couldn’t really spare at the time so asked him to patch it up. He stuck a post in and filled it as best that he could but said that it properly wouldn’t last that long and would need crowning.

Around Christmas half of one of my eye teeth fell off but wasn’t causing any discomfort so left it.

In Jan another large lump of the molar feel off. Thus now looking at £800 for 2 crowns so decided to try to get them done on the NHS.

The NHS didn’t seem to want to do 2 crowns so I had to decide which was more important to me to have crowned. Chose the molar and have the eyetooth filled.

Whilst drilling the molar another large lump fell off. This only left a small stump to attach the crown to so he wasn’t sure as to how strong it would be.

Crown was fitted last week. He said that because the stump was short they could only make a small crown which would have very little chewing functionality. Sure enough the front of the crown doesn’t quite meet the lower tooth. The crown’s profile slopes towards the rear which means there is a very large gap between the rear of the crown and the bottom tooth. Large enough to get my tongue between such that I can even feel the front where it nearly touches.

When eating the tooth quite frankly is totally useless.

Do you think it would it be worth going back and complaining and if so what could he do about it? Or is that the best that I can realistically expect?

He did seem to do quite a good job on the eye tooth.

Sorry for the long post.

border_collie

I think it will erupt until it is contact with the opposing tooth. Therefore if they have deliberately left it low it will be pointless.

I wonder if you can get another dentist to look at it.

ABN

border_collie wrote: »

I think it will erupt until it is contact with the opposing tooth..

Not at all sure what you mean by that but sounds kinda worrying.

Had thought about getting a second opinion from another dentist but was not sure could be done:

Finding another NHS dentist that is accepting new patients won’t be that easy.

I assume the second dentist would have to remove the crown in order to see the fixing stump. Since the tooth was weak in the first place a little worried that to much poking around will break the little that’s left.

If the second dentist thinks it’s a poor job and the first stands by his work will have to pay the full amount all over again.

So thinking just to go back to the first and complain. Would however have been nice to have some knowledge so that I could put a stronger case, or at least understand whether his reasons are valid or not.