It was the one I ate yesterday. Gonna cost me a thousand bucks - because part of a molar broke off while I was eating it.

It didn't hurt or anything. All of a sudden I have this "pebble" in my mouth. In fact, I swallowed it before I even realized that it was part of my damn tooth.

So my dentist wants to crown it. A grand for porcelain (over metal) - eleven hundred for gold. I haven't even had a cavity in 40 years, so I opted not to take our company's dental insurance.

It's gonna be a lean summer.

i see the dentist tomorrow and they r probably gonna want 2 pull mine

Sorry to hear that.

You could always that that $1,000 (add a little more) and fly to Mexico to get it done...get a vacation out of it.

PurpleJedi said:

Sorry to hear that.

You could always that that $1,000 (add a little more) and fly to Mexico to get it done...get a vacation out of it.

If this had happened six weeks ago - before I went to Arizona to visit my parents - that's exactly what I would have done. They go to Nogales for all their dental work.

Although...for a crown, that wouldn't work very well. It takes two weeks to complete the process.

sorry to hear that. times like this we wish we could just inject a bit of shark DNA and grow a new tooth entirely. (maybe i speak for myself there... i hope this isn't a huge, painful hassle for you

This has happened to me before, except I was eating a McDonald's McGriddle sandwich when one of my crown's broke off. Yes my crown, something that they supposedly cement into your gum after drilling the tooth down. This happened on a Saturday morning so I couldn't eat on that side of the mouth the whole weekend, not even swoosh water on it because part of the nerve was exposed. Talk about painful. Saw the dentist first thing that Monday morning and he had to put a new crown on.

Anywho, hope it works out for you.

XxAxX said:

sorry to hear that. times like this we wish we could just inject a bit of shark DNA and grow a new tooth entirely. (maybe i speak for myself there... i hope this isn't a huge, painful hassle for you

Wouldn't that be nice?

My biggest question now is what kind of crown to get: porcelain over metal, or gold. Everything I've read (and heard from my dentist) says gold acts most like tooth enamel, last the longest, requires the least removal of healthy tooth to fit the crown, and is gentlest to surrounding teeth. (I'm a grinder so this is a consideration.) But gold looks like ass.

And you used to grind kalamata olive stones with your teeth.

Genesia said:

XxAxX said:

sorry to hear that. times like this we wish we could just inject a bit of shark DNA and grow a new tooth entirely. (maybe i speak for myself there... i hope this isn't a huge, painful hassle for you

Wouldn't that be nice?

My biggest question now is what kind of crown to get: porcelain over metal, or gold. Everything I've read (and heard from my dentist) says gold acts most like tooth enamel, last the longest, requires the least removal of healthy tooth to fit the crown, and is gentlest to surrounding teeth. (I'm a grinder so this is a consideration.) But gold looks like ass.

i wonder if they ever use silver? seems that metal would be more toothish looking than gold. i went with porcelain and so far no complaints.

Genesia said:

PurpleJedi said:

Sorry to hear that.

You could always that that $1,000 (add a little more) and fly to Mexico to get it done...get a vacation out of it.

If this had happened six weeks ago - before I went to Arizona to visit my parents - that's exactly what I would have done. They go to Nogales for all their dental work.

Although...for a crown, that wouldn't work very well. It takes two weeks to complete the process.

Oh well.

XxAxX said:

missfee said:

Beautifulstarr123 said:

I clicked here to see how much this grilled cheese is worth

Depending on the dentist and type of crown, I'm finding that it's anywhere from $1000 to $1600.

Genesia said:

Beautifulstarr123 said:

Genesia said:

Depending on the dentist and type of crown, I'm finding that it's anywhere from $1000 to $1600.

Hope it works out, but after this, will you opt for your company's dental insurance?

Probably not. The premiums for that are $208/year. Add a $50 deductible and only 50% coverage on a crown (so a minimum of $500 coming from me) and I'd still have paid $758 out of $1050 or so for this "incident."

I didn't buy dental insurance in the first place because I hadn't had a cavity in 40 years (which meant I would have paid more in premiums than I got in benefit for the 17 years I've been at this job). It didn't make sense to me - I'd've just been paying for other peoples' dentistry.

It was a calculated risk. This year, I happened to lose.

[Edited 3/25/14 11:17am]

Genesia said:

Genesia said:

XxAxX said:

sorry to hear that. times like this we wish we could just inject a bit of shark DNA and grow a new tooth entirely. (maybe i speak for myself there... i hope this isn't a huge, painful hassle for you

Wouldn't that be nice?

My biggest question now is what kind of crown to get: porcelain over metal, or gold. Everything I've read (and heard from my dentist) says gold acts most like tooth enamel, last the longest, requires the least removal of healthy tooth to fit the crown, and is gentlest to surrounding teeth. (I'm a grinder so this is a consideration.) But gold looks like ass.

I’ve had a gold crown on a lower-left molar for about 12 years. My dentist, who I’ve been with for decades & completely trust, recommended taking that route (for the same reasons you gave), and it’s worked out well so far, but I had & have a good plan & didn’t have to fuss over the price. However, that tooth is nonvisible. If there had been any chance of someone being able to see it, I never would have gone with gold.

Genesia said:

Beautifulstarr123 said:

Genesia said: Hope it works out, but after this, will you opt for your company's dental insurance?

Probably not. The premiums for that are $208/year. Add a $50 deductible and only 50% coverage on a crown (so a minimum of $500 coming from me) and I'd still have paid $758 out of $1050 or so for this "incident."

I didn't buy dental insurance in the first place because I hadn't had a cavity in 40 years (which meant I would have paid more in premiums than I got in benefit for the 17 years I've been at this job). It didn't make sense to me - I'd've just been paying for other peoples' dentistry.

It was a calculated risk. This year, I happened to lose.

[Edited 3/25/14 11:17am]

I pay like 30 dollars a month for my dental coverage and I get 2 free check ups and cleaning each year.

Sorry about your tooth.

I grind my teeth in my sleep-so I cracked two of them over the years. I had to put crowns on both of them! (I have a mouth guard now.)

kewlschool said:

damosuzuki said:

Genesia said:

Wouldn't that be nice?

My biggest question now is what kind of crown to get: porcelain over metal, or gold. Everything I've read (and heard from my dentist) says gold acts most like tooth enamel, last the longest, requires the least removal of healthy tooth to fit the crown, and is gentlest to surrounding teeth. (I'm a grinder so this is a consideration.) But gold looks like ass.

I’ve had a gold crown on a lower-left molar for about 12 years. My dentist, who I’ve been with for decades & completely trust, recommended taking that route (for the same reasons you gave), and it’s worked out well so far, but I had & have a good plan & didn’t have to fuss over the price. However, that tooth is nonvisible. If there had been any chance of someone being able to see it, I never would have gone with gold.

I sort of "checked it out" and really - the only time anyone's going to see enough of that tooth to notice is if I yawn real wide (I usually cover my mouth when I yawn, so that's not a big deal) or open my mouth all the way to scream. If I do that, I'm either on stage or in trouble - and what my tooth is made of will be the last thing anyone's thinking about.

I just want something they can "set and forget." I do not want to have to go through this again - which I would if I got porcelain and it cracked.

Beautifulstarr123 said:

kewlschool said:

I pay like 30 dollars a month for my dental coverage and I get 2 free check ups and cleaning each year.

Sorry about your tooth.

I grind my teeth in my sleep-so I cracked two of them over the years. I had to put crowns on both of them! (I have a mouth guard now.)

Do you pay out of pocket expenses? If so, how much percentage?

I was under a different insurance at the time of the crowns-I paid like 400 dollars. I would currently pay about 20% of the cost around 300 dollars.

kewlschool said:

Beautifulstarr123 said:

kewlschool said: Do you pay out of pocket expenses? If so, how much percentage?

I was under a different insurance at the time of the crowns-I paid like 400 dollars. I would currently pay about 20% of the cost around 300 dollars.

I sleep with a splint too

ZombieKitten said:

kewlschool said:

I was under a different insurance at the time of the crowns-I paid like 400 dollars. I would currently pay about 20% of the cost around 300 dollars.

I sleep with a splint too

Sexy, no?

no, no, they are not sexy.

kewlschool said:

ZombieKitten said:

I sleep with a splint too

Sexy, no?

no, no, they are not sexy.

it's interesting that they want to charge more for the gold tooth, because gold is the cheaper option in the uk, with porcelain crowns being the preferred choice, not just aesthetically but great quality also.

i had one couple of years ago, porcelain over titanium. they deliberately leave a tiny edge at the bottom of the crown free of porcelain which apparently allows for better adhesion of the gum to the metal, the gum grows onto that edge leaving a seamless tooth.. put me back about £500. techniques are so advanced now, i wouldn't think twice

i must point out that the crown is cemented on, not relying on the gum holding it on

[Edited 3/26/14 5:21am]

excited said:

it's interesting that they want to charge more for the gold tooth, because gold is the cheaper option in the uk, with porcelain crowns being the preferred choice, not just aesthetically but great quality also.

i had one couple of years ago, porcelain over titanium. they deliberately leave a tiny edge at the bottom of the crown free of porcelain which apparently allows for better adhesion of the gum to the metal, the gum grows onto that edge leaving a seamless tooth.. put me back about £500. techniques are so advanced now, i wouldn't think twice

i must point out that the crown is cemented on, not relying on the gum holding it on

[Edited 3/26/14 5:21am]

Everything I have read about crowns (which is a lot) indicates that all metal (gold) is actually a better choice for molars. It acts almost identically to tooth enamel (expands and contracts with temperature, and has the same degree of hardness) and will never crack, chip, flake or break - unlike porcelain. Because it is more malleable than porcelain, it is also easier on the opposing molar. And because a gold crown can be made thinner than porcelain (which has a metal base plus the porcelain over it), less of my own tooth will have to be removed to fit it.

This tooth is in the back of my mouth. In the last couple days, I have spent considerable time smiling, yawning, grimacing and making basically every known facial expression (and a few unknown ones) in the mirror. The crown will not be visible in any but the most extreme mouth-opening cases, so I'm going with function over form.

But, yes - it does seem that most people go with the porcelain over metal. In fact, when I talked to my sister about her "crown experience," she told me that she wasn't even given a choice - had no idea she could have had an all-metal crown.

I figured out that the thing that was tripping me up was the gold color of the metal crown. So I will be calling my dentist to see if the lab she uses can do white gold. Done and done.

XxAxX said:

Genesia said:

Wouldn't that be nice?

My biggest question now is what kind of crown to get: porcelain over metal, or gold. Everything I've read (and heard from my dentist) says gold acts most like tooth enamel, last the longest, requires the least removal of healthy tooth to fit the crown, and is gentlest to surrounding teeth. (I'm a grinder so this is a consideration.) But gold looks like ass.

i wonder if they ever use silver? seems that metal would be more toothish looking than gold. i went with porcelain and so far no complaints.

My dentist can get the crown made in white gold.

that's good news! it should look really great too. i wonder if my dental would cover white gold? prob'ly not.