Dental Question – Crown advice needed

sonnydeletejc

Hi All,

I hope someone can help me.

During my last check-up my Dentist recommended that I get crowns on my top front 4 teeth. The teeth themselves are uneven and quite worn so this is something I would like to consider. The Dentist did state that it is not an urgent requirement but that I should consider it over the next few years. I don’t know anything about crowns and how to go about looking in to them, so thought MSE forum was a good place to start!

Does anyone have any experience of getting crowns?

I’d like to know…

How to source a quality Dentist to do the job? Ideally it would be good to see previous jobs they had done to get an idea of level of quality.

Should I go NHS or Private?

How much is likely to cost? (I was quoted £350 per tooth at my dentist, but not sure if this is the going rate)

Could I claim through an Insurance scheme? I noticed Tesco do Dental Insurance for £12 a month.

If anyone could offer any tips that’s be great.

Thanks.

J

mancitychick

You may get a better response over on the health & beauty board. There are some dentists that regulary post over there.

bromleymum

I've got crowns on my two front teeth after I smashed my head against a lamp post as a young teenager.

Firstly, the improvement in dental crowns in the last thirty years is fantastic. BUT, as brilliant as they are, unless your teeth are really unsightly I would hang on to your real teeth as long as possible. They are good but not perfect. I know that if I was in the USA they would recommend I had the four top ones crowned (not just the middle two) as it is easier to make a perfect cosmetic match.

Secondly, although a crown is fantastically strong they will need replacing after about 10 years as our teeth gradually darken with age and our gums recede exposing the top of the crown. Obviously with fantastic dental hygiene this process is very slow (believe me after the cost of my crowns I floss every day) but you can't stop the ageing process altogether.

Thirdly, my initial crown treatment was as a teenager so I didn't pay but for every upgrade since I've paid. This is because my existing crowns have been functional but old and therefore any work has been classed as cosmetic and not under insurance. The only time managed a successful claim was when a crown needed replacing due to a root canal and even then the maximum payout for the crown was far short of the actual cost.

As a guide I paid £400 a crown last year and am very pleased with the results.

My best piece of advice is when the crowns are made and the dentist asks if you are pleased have a really good look. Hold the mirror at arm's length to see how they look. You can't tell anything with the dentist holding a mirror while you're in the chair. Ask to see them in natural light, (my dentist used a temporary fix while I walked around his room with a mirror). If they look too long or too big or not the right colour, SPEAK UP. Believe me this is a lot better than going back when you're not pleased and have the crowns taken out and redone (horrendous and I've been there).

blossomhill_2

You need a second opinion - crowns don't feel like real teeth so I would advise against doing it for the sake of it

I was told rubbish by two dentists, one I got a 2nd opinion from Guys Hosp who told me to find a new dentist as the £800 job recommended wasn't feqasible or necessary - the second told me I needed all my amalgam fillings taken out and replaced with white - he had recently taken over from my long time dentist and I told him I had had my whites taken out and amalgam put back and he couldn't justify why he advised me to go for whites, other than as a money spinner

Its hard to find a good dentist as few people are really objective about theirs, but a good dentist in my view is one who doesn't do any treatment!

Yes of course go NHS if you are entitled. Dental insurance sounds like a bit of a moneyspinner for the provider, the NHS caps what you can pay anyway and if you need extensive treatment it won't get out of hand.

My recent crown was unavoidable and cost £200 - good crown but still doesn't feel like a tooth to me
HTH

motherofstudents

Nothing is better than your real teeth but I have had two post crowns for 25 years. More recently they have started to fall out and every so often I have to get them re-cemented. They do not feel odd, they feel like real teeth to me. I had root canal surgery at the time but now have a hairline crack in one of the roots which means I may need an implant. Just think about it and get as much info as you can.

onlyroz

I do know that the NHS rate for a crown is about £200. I've been advised I'll need one in about 6 months after my recent root-canal treatment (which has been covered by a temporary filling).

property.advert

A good crown feels exactly like a tooth. In fact they can feel more perfect than your teeth.

I've a couple, ranging in price from £400 to £700. It seems to largely depend upon where you have them done and not so much on any specific quality once you get into precious metals and ceramics.

Darren_G

I have had mixed experience with crowns. The front upper one started getting loose after the first year and the post eventually split the root it was embedded in after about 3 years, leaving me no option but to have the root out and I now have a bridge which has stood the test of time (19 years now).

On the other hand, I have a gold crown on one of my molars ('installed' by a different dentist to the first one!) that has never so much as wobbled since it was put in (20 years). Not sure in my case if it was the difference in tooth location or workmanship that was the problem

The_insomniac

Hi I'm a noob, long time lurker and thought id add my pennies worth as I've had various different dentist work over the last 5 years.

From your post I get the feel your not 100% about the dentist you saw so straight away I would say look around and find one that is right for you, I would go private all the way but that's me, you may have some excellent NHS dentists near you, but actually finding one at all and getting on there books may well be a problem.
I have never regretted paying more to see a private dentist,

After comparing notes at the time of a root canal I had with a friend having virtually the same done but at the NHs dentist, I have never regretted paying more to see a private dentist,
His nhs treatment wasn't all that cheap anyway and for all the pain he had after and during treatment, along with the Nhs skimping to bare essentials and equipment to get the job done, a split gum and a jaw infection where the harpooned him rather than injected him , compared to my smoothly running no mess no pain and half the time appointment, I would have gladly paid twice the difference between his cost and mine. I was at home eating pizza a couple of hours later he turned up with an ice pack and a half done job as they ran out of time and he another appointment for a week later and some very bad stitching ?
I also had my tooth built up again and shaped where as my friend had a big gummy gap. **** sorry having to edit post as I posted before finishing whole post **** whoops

I have a dental plan I pay monthly with this I get all my general check ups x4 a year, 4 hygiene visits, cleans scrapes any X-rays and only pay for any dental work I want/ need plus 15% of the cost of treatment and option to spread payments over time. A includes emergency treatment any where in the world and insurance for work done etc.
It's worth having monthly plan for a few quid a month if only for the checkups and hygiene trips as it works out more if I was to pay per visit for them, generally you wil need to have a healthy mouth before they will do any work on teeth, which might involve cleans and X-rays so a plan may save you some pennies, im not sure but I think you would have to find out from your dentist for that.

As for dental insurance I'm thinking this is possible more for dental work you have had done or emergency treatment, rather than wear and tear and cosmetic for already existing problems. This is only my thoughts , I have no experience in tesco dental insurance or like.

sonnydeletejc

Hi Folks,

Thanks everyone for your answers and advice.

I can see a lot of mixed opinions here, but I guess this is the nature of these things and depends on a person’s own experience.

I could put up with the unevenness of the teeth, but one of the middle ones is quite worn and sometimes it feels more sensitive than the rest so I’m concerned that it’s wearing down towards the nerve which I can imagine is could cause major pain!

When my Dentist made this suggestion he recommended that I go private. Now, the cynical side me thinks that he does private work as well as being on the NHS’ books (correct me if that’s not a possibility), and he knows that he can make more cash from me if I get the work done though him and privately.

I think I need to continue research in to some of the Dental practitioners in my area (Bedfordshire).

As suggested it could also useful to post this in the Health and Beauty board, so I’ll give this a shot too.

Thanks again everyone.

Best wishes,
J

jugglebug

sonnydeletejc wrote: »

Hi Folks,

Thanks everyone for your answers and advice.

I can see a lot of mixed opinions here, but I guess this is the nature of these things and depends on a person’s own experience.

I could put up with the unevenness of the teeth, but one of the middle ones is quite worn and sometimes it feels more sensitive than the rest so I’m concerned that it’s wearing down towards the nerve which I can imagine is could cause major pain!

When my Dentist made this suggestion he recommended that I go private. Now, the cynical side me thinks that he does private work as well as being on the NHS’ books (correct me if that’s not a possibility), and he knows that he can make more cash from me if I get the work done though him and privately.

I think I need to continue research in to some of the Dental practitioners in my area (Bedfordshire).

As suggested it could also useful to post this in the Health and Beauty board, so I’ll give this a shot too.

Thanks again everyone.

Best wishes,
J

Just so you are clear.
With very few exceptions all dentists do private work and are not "on the NHS's books" in an employment sense. They simply contract some of their time to the NHS
The NHS will fund a treatment plan with a fixed budget, this is specific to the practice and varies. Yep, postcode lottery at it's best. ie 2 practices next door to each other can conceivably be paid wildly differing amounts for the same treatment.
In your case (4 crowns) The NHS will fund the practice with the same amount of money as 1 crown.
Therefore the dentist will have to stretch that money 4 times as far or effectively be working at a loss.
You could argue that the 1 crown cases are subsidising the 4 crown cases but in reality is doesn't work like that as the NHS funding isn't exactly generous.
So if you were to choose to go the private route you certainly would pay more, but it would be a fee directly related to the treatment you are receiving. You would also likely be given choices as to what type of crown you receive. There are several different types, which have different properties in terms of strength and appearance. The dentist would be able to make a charge dependant on their surgery time (you wont be shocked to hear that shaping 4 teeth for a crown takes longer than 1 ) They can take longer to ensure the shade matching on the teeth is what you want. The technician will be able to take longer characterising the crowns etc

The NHS crowns on the other hand, remembering the pot of money to pay for them is fixed, Will have been made by the technician with the cheapest reasonable materials available to them. they may even be outsourced to a lab in China (No I am not joking, wish I was. The labs over there claim to meet our regulations but in practice it is very difficult to know) They will look like teeth, but without the time to characterise them they will tend to be rather flat and lifeless. More care will be taken with function over looks basically.
The dentist will have a fixed amount of surgery time to carry out the work so there will be some pressure in that regard too.
I *am not* saying that if you choose an NHS crown you will get a bad crown. It should be functional and should look reasonable.
On the other hand If you choose the private option it *should* be done to a higher standard.
Of course this means that you are potentially looking at a fairly significant investment of your time and money, and it is a decision you need to be comfortable with
Bottom line.
If you go private yes your dentist will earn more, although perhaps not the megabucks you think. Private lab costs are high, sometimes even more than the whole NHS funding available.
If you choose NHS the dentist will be using lower quality labwork and is under pressure to work at top speed and potentially not to the standard they would if unhurried. (Do any of us work to our best when rushed)?
You must decide if you trust your dentist!
If you honestly do not then go elsewhere, you will be happier and frankly so will he. The Dentist / patient relationship has to have trust at the base or it isn't worth the grief either of you will go through.
Ask for them to explain the difference between an NHS crown and a private one. They may even have examples to show you