Questions about Dental crowns

markus333

There is a definate difference between NHS and private crowns,

I have had both NHS and cosmetic crowns fitted and I would recommend that if you can afford it, go with cosmetic crowns, simply because they look good.
The difference between NHS crowns and cosmetic ones is that if you don't like the NHS ones, because of their appearance, etc, tough, you are stuck with them.
Where as with cosmetic (private) crowns your dentist can just send them back if they are don't look right (at the manufacturers cost), thus more care and attention is made by the manufacturers of the teeth to get them right first time and make them look good.

I had NHS crowns fitted many years ago (front two teeth) and right from the get go they didn't look white, they had a grey tinge to them, the price at that time was £150. A few years later I moved to another dentist and straight away he commented on the colour, I decided to have cosmetic crowns fitted instead at a cost of £400, these were in a different class to the NHS ones and looked brilliant.
Unfortunately about 5 years ago I fell of my push bike and damaged the tooth root, to repair the damage required dental implants, the treatment for this began around 3 years ago and was provided by the NHS, during this time my cosmetic crowns were cut off and I had to wear false teeth for 12 months or so. Finally last month I had my final crowns fitted, to my disappointment these have a slight green tint to them and are not as straight as my old cosmetic crowns, these implant crowns cost the NHS £1100, but would probably cost £2000+ privately.

suki1964

Im in the middle of getting a crown done on the NHS. Apparently it has to be gold as its Lower R7 and the NHS dont allow for white crowns that far back (so my dentist has said). I asked about the cost of going private to get a white one and for someone on minimum wage and only part time, its out of my reach - was told "around £400".:eek:

Hey ho, should have looked after my teeth a lot better in my youth.:o

Im not really complaining as tbh I could save for the crown (gave up smoking - but then heating oil is through the roof) and its not like Im not going to be getting the tooth crowned, but its sad to see the reality of a NHS dental service - there isnt really one. And hey maybe a bit of bling in me mouth will cheer me up when Im sat here freezing in the winter:D

Maisie

I go to a NHS dentist but she won't do crowns on the NHS
I have to pay around £200 a time.

Can someone explain the two month rule to me? Does it mean if you have treatment to a tooth (NHS) that for two months after treatment you are covered for any problems with same tooth without charge?

Thanks.

alison999

Maisie wrote: »

I go to a NHS dentist but she won't do crowns on the NHS
I have to pay around £200 a time.

Can someone explain the two month rule to me? Does it mean if you have treatment to a tooth (NHS) that for two months after treatment you are covered for any problems with same tooth without charge?

Thanks.

the two month rule is pretty complicated if youre not used to it. it will only cover treatment in the same band and the band below, but if you go up a band you have to pay the full price and not the difference.

example: you have a filling and a month later you need another, providing theyre both nhs fillings youre covered BUT if you go back and need a crown, nhs or private you have to pay hte full cost b/c a crown is in the higher band.

mariagti

I have NHS crowns (my two front teeth!) I had them fitted when i was just 18! A friend and i smashed teeth togther when dancing in a club! LOL Anyway im 25 now and i havent had any problems with them.There just the right colour,shape and fit. The only thing i dont like about them is you can see a blue-ish colour on my gum around the edge of my crowns where they meet the gum.....but i just try to smile without my gums showing! Oh and the backs on the crowns are black/silver so if i lean back and laugh etc you can see there crowns!

xx_lucy_xx

So I stopped going to the dentist as mine retired, and when I tried to re join it was almost impossible. I didn’t go for about 5 years, but of recent, I found a NHS dentist who I went along to visit. First time I saw him he told me I needed to go to hospital to have 3 teeth extracted. I was told to go back to him when the extractations had been completed, so I did, then I had 'dry socket' so I was given tablets and told to come back once again.

Now I have (to me) very bad front teeth that stick out and i have a big gap between them which I am so so paranoid about and it makes me feel highly uncomftable even typing this message. I am only 19 and reading some posts on here, I feel if I did get it sorted it would change my life. I do not like to talk about how bad my teeth are to anyone, including my partner and mother.

I thought it was staining around the tops of my front 6 teeth, so when I asked the dentist to remove this I was told it wasn’t staining and it was the tooth enamel that had worn off to create this discolouring. So he told me I needed a crown on my two front teeth. He told me to go away and think about it so and make an appointment if I wanted this done, at a cost of £280 per tooth. I asked for him to give me some more information, but he said he was too busy and if I want the treatment to book a 15min session where he can show me some bits on his laptop.

So I have done a bit of googling, and a bit of searching on this site. But im still highly unsure. I do not have a lot of money and would this get covered if I took insurance up? I may be receiving some inheritance soon so I could use that, but this is not set in stone.

Also a question I have been wondering what is the difference between crowns & veneers.

How often will a crown need to be maintained and at what cost??

I felt very dismissed by my dentist when I wanted more info and he told me he didn’t have time to talk to me, so I would consider changing, but he is the only available nhs dentist around, and im not sure I could afford private.

Sorry to rant but I feel better for getting it of my chest!

I look forward to your answers.

Kind Regards

Lucy

bunny999

Insurance doesn't cover pre-existing conditions. A veneer is a layer that covers the front of the tooth. A crown covers the whole tooth. Crowns don't usually need any maintenance.
Going private would cost several times more than NHS.

Mutter_2

Hi Lucy, if you have discolouration near the gumline, I don't see how a crown would help as the "crown" doesn't go anywhere near the gum.
I have one where it doesn't show, but would not go for one on a front tooth.

There is a brilliant site which shows how cosmetic procedures are carried out, including veneers. Link below.
If your teeth protrude and have gaps, nither crowns nor veneers would make you happy.
Have a look at the Invisalign also on the link.

It realigns the teeth over a couple of years but is barely visible. There are entries on utube showing Invisalign wearers too.
Not many Dentists offer it but if those who do, could offer alternatives if not suitable.
Anyway, here's the link to cosmetic surgery and processes.

http://www.cosmeticdentistryguide.co.uk/crowns.html

tirednewdad

Mutter wrote: »

Hi Lucy, if you have discolouration near the gumline, I don't see how a crown would help as the "crown" doesn't go anywhere near the gum.
I have one where it doesn't show, but would not go for one on a front tooth.

There is a brilliant site which shows how cosmetic procedures are carried out, including veneers. Link below.
If your teeth protrude and have gaps, nither crowns nor veneers would make you happy.
Have a look at the Invisalign also on the link.

It realigns the teeth over a couple of years but is barely visible. There are entries on utube showing Invisalign wearers too.
Not many Dentists offer it but if those who do, could offer alternatives if not suitable.
Anyway, here's the link to cosmetic surgery and processes.

http://www.cosmeticdentistryguide.co.uk/crowns.html

sorry to correct the above statement but a crowns edge is usually hidden underneath the gum- so it could help.

Ask about that 15min appointment (and if the appointment is PRIVATE which i suspect it will be).

tirednewdad

bunny999 wrote: »

Insurance doesn't cover pre-existing conditions. A veneer is a layer that covers the front of the tooth. A crown covers the whole tooth. Crowns don't usually need any maintenance.
Going private would cost several times more than NHS.

Again sorry to correct you (i must be grumpy today). Crowns do need maintainance like floss or cleaning around the gums, as will veneers!