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Dental crown nhs v private

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thehappybutterfly
thehappybutterfly Posts: 2,053 Forumite
Part of the Furniture Combo Breaker
edited 31 May 2014 at 11:57AM in Health & beauty MoneySaving
I had a porcelain crown fitted on my left lower molar about 10 - 12 years ago. Its now showing severe signs of wear. You can see the peg and the gum has receded quite a bit. Ive not got any pain but I want it replaced.

I was at the dentist this morning and he's given me a few options:

Full metal on the nhs - £100
Porcelain fused to metal (private) - £325
Full porcelain (private) - £365

full metal would obv. be the cheapest option but I believe it wont last any longer than a porcelain, it only comes with a one year guarantee and it's not going to be the most attractive, lets face it.

Full porcelain while expensive comes with a 5 year guarantee and will definitely look better. But £365!!!!

Id be interested to hear from the resident dentists and anyone else who has a metal crown. What's your honest opinion on metal v porcelain?

Comments

  • welshdent
    welshdent Posts: 2,000 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    Actually metal would probably be the longest lasting.
  • welshdent
    welshdent Posts: 2,000 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    Fwiw I've seen metal crowns still going strong after 40 years
  • purcel
    purcel Posts: 1,568 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    http://www.nhs.uk/NHSEngland/Healthcosts/Documents/2014/dental-charges-poster-2014.pdf
    A crown on the NHS costs £219 & you should be able to have either white gold or white for that price. For mine I went with the gold as it was a molar & not a front tooth. Perhaps you should point this out to your dentist.



    The OP is in Scotland where they have different pricing!
  • brook2jack
    brook2jack Posts: 4,563 Forumite
    A well done gold/metal crown is much less destructive of tooth tissue than porcelain fused to metal or all porcelain.

    You take off around .6mm tooth all round for metal and 1.5 mm for porcelain fused to metal or all porcelain. Metal stands up to severe wear much better than porcelain which can break.

    Gum receding is nothing to do with the crown but will happen if plaque builds up so get the dentist to check your tooth brushing technique.
  • thehappybutterfly
    thehappybutterfly Posts: 2,053 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture Combo Breaker
    edited 31 May 2014 at 2:15PM
    Thanks guys. What's your opinion on the esthetics of a metal crown? I know, Im vain!

    Actually, that's a stupid question. Obv you're going to say the porcelain is more esthetically pleasing but as my dentist said, he thinks the metal ones are 'ugly'. Are they that bad? Its not luke Im going to have a mouthful of metal like Kelis!
  • brook2jack
    brook2jack Posts: 4,563 Forumite
    Aesthetics is a very personal thing. Some people think a metal crown on a back tooth is no worse than a filling, others are desperate to have no metal. It's a personal choice.
  • theoretica
    theoretica Posts: 12,691 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    If you look at photos of yourself how often can you see that tooth? I can hardly see my lower molars unless I pull the lip down.
    But a banker, engaged at enormous expense,
    Had the whole of their cash in his care.
    Lewis Carroll
  • Herongull
    Herongull Posts: 1,356 Forumite
    Eighth Anniversary Combo Breaker
    As long it is not a front tooth, metal crowns look fine - I love mine.
  • brook2jack
    brook2jack Posts: 4,563 Forumite
    People query costs of crowns but it's not just the amount of time that's spent in the surgery that has to be paid for but also hours of a highly trained technicians time http://youtu.be/boScbbGfMgE. This is the high tech way of making a crown but still is mostly hand made.
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