Question:
I could use some dental advice. One of my molars has become very
sensitive to cold over the past several months. Heat also bothers it
somewhat, so I've been chewing mostly on the other side for most of
that time. It's gotten bad enough that I have to use warm water to
rinse my mouth out after brushing my teeth.
Since I've never had this done before, I wanted to ask if this sounds
reasonable. If I really need it, of course I'll have it done, but
crowns are very expensive, and my insurance will pay only 50% of it.
So I don't want to get it unless it's really necessary.
I'd be interested in hearing some other experiences with this. Has
anyone else had the same symptom and ended up getting a crown? Should
I get a second opinion? Is it common for dentists to do unneccessary
work? I've always had really good teeth, so I mostly haven't had any
dental treatment beyond the usual cleanings and x-rays.
Answer:
The matching crowns are more expensive than the
gold ones, and tend not to be covered as well as the gold ones by
insurance. So it's more out of pocket. The gold ones also, I'm told,
are more durable because they don't chip the way the porcelain (?)
ones do. Anyway, I got gold for my rear molars, but a matched one for
the crown up front. I just wasn't ready to deal with having gold
flashing when I smile. But the gold ones all the way in the back
can't really be seen at all.
I hadn't heard that. My initial thinking was "my teeth are naturally
yellow. I AM NOT going to pay $500 for a yellow-colored tooth!" So I got
gold. Besides, porcelin will crack, and gold won't. And gold is COOL-
looking. And, they were back teeth.
For what it's worth, one of those gold crowns, the first one actually,
is on a tooth that ached when I was 17. The decay had gotten down
below the nerve, and the current dentist had to dig by hand underneath
the nerve. AND, he couldn't numb the nerve because that would inhibit
the healing, yadda yadda....my whole face was numb, but he'd touch the
nerve and I'd jump across the room....over and over. But he saved the
tooth AND the nerve. The 'temporary' crown lasted a year. The gold
crown lasted almost 30 years, and it's just been replaced. Same live
nerve, different crown. I have never regretted it.
Actually, my current dentist, (who I LOVE madly), did just that -
replaced all of my silver fillings with bonded ones. The only
silver filling I have left is the old one under the crown, and he
didn't want to disturb that when it was replaced.
Anyway...when I first went to him for a checkup, he showed me how
several of my silver fillings were starting to crack the teeth, so
we replaced all of those. Then he put in a couple of new ones, and
finally we replaced the final 2 silver fillings just in case.
Over a 2 years period, it cost me almost $2000 on top of insurance
coverage, but that also included the night guard and the replaced
crown. To me, it was well worth the expense. He said that yes, the
mercury was dangerous, but fillings have so little mercury that it's
hardly noticeable. However, they do expand and contract, and WILL
crack the teeth. So you might want to slowly get them replaced, just
to avoid the crowns. Bonded fillings will hold your teeth together
better.
