The crowns on my 2 front teeth are > 20 years old. Dentist tells me to replace them because I have open margins. Does that sound reasonable? I know they won’t last forever. One of them came off a few months ago but they were able to put it back on.
I am asking because this is going to cost me $2000 to replace them. They are also doing other work because one of them also has a root canal. I have been with the dentist for over 10 years and I like them and don’t think they are giving me bad advice, just looking for a 2nd opinion.
Obviously the amount of time they last is variable, and also it depends on the material they are made out of. 20 years sounds like a long time. Even if this message board were an association of dentists, no one here would be able to give you a second opinion without actually examining the crown on your tooth and deciding if it needs replacement.
Your very question is a little nonsensical. How long does a car last? Well, the average car might last about 20 years, but there is no reason a car can’t be destroyed 5 minutes after it leaves the dealership. Similarly, whatever the average life of a dental crown is, there’s no reason it couldn’t break the first year or last the rest of your life.
If $2000 is a lot to you, consider the dentists in Tijuana. Some of them are supposed to be pretty good, and they off zirconium crowns, etc. Travel expenses would probably be about $500 (couple hundred for a flight, 20 to 40 a night for hotel for a week, plus entertainment) and the dental work might cost you another $500 to $1000 total, including the root canal and crown.
Yes, there’s a risk. Tijuana is supposed to be relatively safe these days, but it’s not risk free, and even if you go to a licensed dental clinic with good unbiased reviews, they could screw up. (so could an American dentist, but I would assume the risk is slightly higher in mexico). But on the other hand, it’s probably about half the cost, and I hear there are fun things to do in Tijuana that you can’t necessarily find in the states as easily.
wow, what a great idea , going to a place for dental work where it’s dirt cheap. Maybe I can get an even better deal in Syria or Iraq? With all the bombing and wars and stuff that should be a real steal. I’ll try a google search for dentists in Mosul or Aleppo.
The risk is small. These are licensed dental professionals and the nicer clinics have the digital xray and the 3d printed crowns just like first world clinics. Reason it’s cheaper is that mexico apparently doesn’t restrict dental school seats artificially like the US does.
With that said, my reasoning is that you are definitely going to spend $2000+ more if you stay with your current dentist. You might have a better outcome than going to Mexico, but most likely it would be the same. So it’s a reasonable risk to take. If you are well off, where $2000 isn’t going to significantly improve your life in the next few months, then sure, stay with the current dentist. For some people, that 2k could buy a lot of other things that would make things easier for themselves.
My first bridge lasted 25 years. That was essentially two crowns with a bridge in-between that absorbed a lot more stress over time than a crown, so it sounds like decay is the problem you have. I assume X-rays show there’s enough tooth left to crown them again. You could just move to implants but I’m sure that will cost at least twice as much as new crowns. Don’t know about Mexico, but it’s not rocket surgery, I assume a dentist there could do a fine job.
The day before my mom’s wedding, back in 1938, she broke a tooth. Her dentist gave her a temporary, telling her to come back for something permanent right after the honeymoon. She died in 2005, still wearing the temp; it lasted longer than the dentist.
I am not a doctor or dentist but I tend to think having clean water from the tap is important for medical / dental work. If they can’t even clean the water what other problems do they have?
My father had a steel crown on a back tooth for decay that developed when he had braces in the 1940s*. It lasted until he died at age 67, so that meant it lasted more than 50 years. I have a feeling porcelain crowns don’t last as long. Depending on how old you are, and whether this is a back tooth, you might consider getting the less cosmetic steel crown, which is actually cheaper.
I don’t have any crowns, but my porcelain fillings from childhood have all needed replacing. The longest lasting one went about 30 years.
*He must have had some seriously messed up teeth to qualify for the resources for braces during WWII.
The OP mentioned it was two front teeth, so I think mentions of steel or gold are kind of worthless unless he wants to look like a pirate. With leaking crowns you’ll usually see some black coloring around the top or maybe even some recession of the gums around the top.
Bijou Drains irrational posts notwithstanding , I had a crown replaced by a dentist in Playa Del Carmen Mexico. The office was recommended to me by a retired dentist from the US who lives there. It cost about $200 US for the exam, x-rays, teeth cleaning, making the crown and installing it and filling a small cavity at the same time.
That is a bit expensive for this area but the office is among the best and has all the modern equipment and very well trained staff. I expect the crown to last at least as long as the $1500 one that it replaced.
The open margins is a good reason to replace a crown. The length of time that a crown lasts is really up to a variety of factors, including how well the crown impression was done, and how well the crown was made and seated the first time. I have one that was made about 5 years ago that will need to be replaced because it was badly made (it’s weirdly jagged on the back). That’s down to the dentist for not noticing.
If a crown has come off, IME, it’ll come off again. Start saving your money.
I had a crown come off an old repair and they glued it back on. Not a big deal. Except I almost swallowed it. It’s been several years. I think they adjusted the fit but I’m not sure.
I also had an implant installed 2012. They warned me the crown may come off and need gluing again. They explained it was better to use a weaker glue with an implant. So there’s something to “give” if I bite down on something unexpectedly. Otherwise it could damage the implant.
I have had fantastic dental work done in Thailand for a very cheap cost. Even cheaper than most places there, because I used the same neighborhood dentist in Bangkok for 20 years, and he had a mostly local practice, did not target tourists at all. Of course, the cost of flying to Bangkok and staying there may cancel out the savings if we’re talking only $2000.
EDIT: My dentist was trained in the US and spoke excellent English.
When I got my first bridge (which I think for the purposes of this question is similar enough to a crown), the dentist told me that 20 years was a reasonable time frame.
It’s been over 25 years, and my first dentist is retired. My new dentist is impressed that it is still going strong.
Of course, my other bridge lasted only 10 years before it needed replacement.
In closing, your timeline doesn’t seem outlandish to me.