Fillings Upgraded to Crowns

[Anonymous]

I am in my 40s and have a huge fillings in all my molars from when I was a teen. Apparently two of them have now led to cracks, and My dentist says I now need my first crowns. I find the prospect of having teeth drilled down to nubs a bit traumatizing. Has anybody else gone through this? What should I expect? Is this just part of getting older? Thanks.

[Anonymous]

Also in my 40s going thru similar. Our teeth aren’t getting any better without help. I think the crowns help stabilize the healthy remaining portion of the tooth.

[Anonymous]

Yes and yes. Are you clenching your teeth? It stinks, but if they are cracked badly you’ll need crowns. Hopefully you will never actually see it ground down to a nub. They will do the work, put in a temp crown that’s not a great color then put a real one in layer.

[Anonymous]

You don’t want to let this go. Cracked teeth eventually will fail, usually in a very painful way.

[Anonymous]

No fun, but not horrible. Lots of novacaine, and be careful not to bite your tongue while the numbness resolves.

[Anonymous]

I’ve had more dental work in the last month than I previously had in my entire life. My dentist has a machine that makes the crown on site, which is nice because then you don’t have to deal with a temporary crown and then another visit.

I ended up needing a root canal after I got the crown and that really sucked.

I was surprised that the crown doesn’t feel like a regular tooth—it’s more smooth on the top.

[Anonymous]

I now have four crowns. I get nitrous every time which helps quite a bit.

[Anonymous]

I've had so many it's ridiculous. I've lost count. Several needed root canals also. Just a big PITA with multiple appointments and waiting around to get on the endodontist's schedule while one of my teeth is screaming in pain.

[Anonymous]

I’ve had 6 teeth crowned. Felt weird about it the first time, but never had any pain.

[Anonymous]

I wouldn't call it an upgrade. But if you have huge filings, after a while you have less teeth so you need crowns. If you're in your 40s your filings have had a good run so you can ride out crowns without a root canal/bridge until you die peacefully at an old age of natural causes... if you practice good central hygiene

[Anonymous]

I am 43 and have the same issues with my molars. I’ve had crowns placed on 2 of them and, unfortunately, I needed a root canal both times. Other than the annoyance of multiple appointments, I don’t find this to be a big deal. My dentist and endodontist both ensure I am numb before starting any work.

[Anonymous]

They can be $$ so plan them out within the calendar years if you have an annual limit. Once you pay for a few of these, you become really careful with your teeth. No popcorn or caramel candy for me. I told my dentist “Oalmeal from now on!”

[Anonymous]

Op here. Thanks for the replies. This is very helpful and somewhat reassuring. Is it like having a fake tooth? Did anyone feel old that they had to go through this?