Dental Cowns
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Anonymous
| Hi. I have really soft teeth and have had a ton of fillings especially in my molars. Many of my molars have more than one filling, one on the biting surface and at least one on the sides. I went to the dentist this week, and I had my usual 3 cavities. My dentist said that four two of my molars I have reached the point where there is not enough tooth left, and it is time for crowns. Is this as horrific as it sounds to have my teeth ground down to nubs and “capped” with a piece of porcelain that is supposed to fill in for a real tooth for the rest of my life. Has anyone gone through this? I’m only 37 and I’m worried that my future is as a middle-aged woman with more “crowns” than real teeth. Not to be over-dramatic but this is a bit disconcerting to be losing teeth already. Thanks. |
Anonymous
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Honestly, while thinking about it is weird af, the actual procedure isn't that bad.
What *is* bad is that the crowns only last about 10 years before needing replacements, and there's only so much you can do at some point. Depending on which teeth you're talking about, you may want to look into simply having them extracted, or just bite the bullet (no pun intended) and pay for implants. You're young enough that you're likely to outlive the crowns, which will mean implants anyway. I have one upper back molar that's just gone now (extracted, after a root canal/crown a decade and a half ago). The extraction wasn't bad at all; I did it under local, but you can get fully knocked-out if you're squeamish. The pain was manageable with tylenol only and the healing was easy. |
Anonymous
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Not that it helps OP but I was in a bike accident as a teen and broke teeth, jaw, skull, collarbone, etc.
I broke all of my molars and have crowns on them since 15 (no root canals). I am now 50 and have only one replaced twice and the rest replaced once. You definitely don't need to go immediately to extraction and implant! They aren't cheap but much cheaper than an implant! |
Anonymous
| It is much better to have crowns than to have your teeth weaken and possibly break or get infected. I've had crowns for root canals and I've had crowns for large fillings where there just wasn't enough tooth left and the teeth chipped a bit. The crowns feel much stronger than my teeth and the process had zero actual horror factor. (I was nervous too, fwiw!) You will be saving your natural teeth by doing this. |
Anonymous
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I have several crowns, and the first few I got in my early 30s. It’s not horrible at all!
The worst part for me was the cost, they aren’t cheap and I didn’t have good dental insurance. But aside from that it’s pretty painless and now many dentists have the equipment to make the permanent crown immediately, so just one visit and no temporary crown. They look identical to original teeth, I certainly can’t even tell which of mine are crown and which aren’t. |
Anonymous
Same! I have very soft teeth and I had a crown that was put in in my 20’s that lasted until I was in my 60’s. Do not go for implants instead. It is a longer and more expensive process, and I wouldn’t do it unless absolutely necessary. I have had multiple crowns for decades and I have one tooth with a crown that finally broke and required an implant after almost 40 years. The others are all still doing fine. You won’t even know you have them. |
Anonymous
| I am the proud owner of five crowns. The drilling is pretty horrific, and the idea of wearing a chunk of porcelain where my real molar should be bothers me a little. I remember getting my first one when I was 39 and hiding it from my boyfriend because it seemed like a humiliating sign of aging or bad hygiene. But I got over it. |
Anonymous
| Depending on your age and the tooth location, you may want to not go the implant route in the case of a failed root canal/crown. My expensive implant failed — it would have been smarter to just extract it (rearmost bottom molar). |
Anonymous
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I could have written the OP! Almost exact same situation and feelings. Now almost 20 years later, I still wish I had more of my natural teeth.
It's hard but you might have to accept this new reality. UNLESS you feel like the dentist is pushing crowns for $$ when you don't actually need them. |
Anonymous
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I have two crowns. It’s more expensive than horrific. “Nubs” isn’t the best adjective. I think it’s more like teeth are ground down so that crown can fit over. If you need them it’s good to get done as you don’t want your teeth getting worse. One of my crowns was from when I was younger and needed root canal from cavity I didn’t get treated.
I would consider a second opinion if you aren’t certain. |
Anonymous
| I’m getting my first crown Tuesday on a molar that has had a huge filling. I’m scared. |