saint dental question for you...
- Thread starter SixFive
- Start date
My 2 top back left teeth have large fillings (amalgam sp?). I have had pain in this area for quite some time. It's not bad pain, but pain nonetheless when I chew.
My dentist (still developing a trust issue here) tells me that I have decay under the fillings. She took pictures and got a predetermination from my insurance to see if they would cover me getting both of those teeth crowned. The insurance approved this.
My portion is $659 :scared :scared The insurance pays the same amount (they cover half).
My dentist mentioned another option (I think she said overlay???), but I'm not sure if that's right. I asked her if those fillings could just be removed and the tooth colored fillings be put in. She said yes, but they would have to be monitored closely?? I guess the crown is the end all cure all??
I got a crown last year, and I had a bad experience with it. I broke the temporary crown 4 times, and it hurt like hell getting the initial work done.
Opinion?? I have until Tuesday to decide yea or nay because my insurance changes, and the new plan covers crowns at 0%, and I can guarantee I won't be shelling out 1300 bucks on 2 teeth.
Thanks!
My dentist (still developing a trust issue here) tells me that I have decay under the fillings. She took pictures and got a predetermination from my insurance to see if they would cover me getting both of those teeth crowned. The insurance approved this.
My portion is $659 :scared :scared The insurance pays the same amount (they cover half).
My dentist mentioned another option (I think she said overlay???), but I'm not sure if that's right. I asked her if those fillings could just be removed and the tooth colored fillings be put in. She said yes, but they would have to be monitored closely?? I guess the crown is the end all cure all??
I got a crown last year, and I had a bad experience with it. I broke the temporary crown 4 times, and it hurt like hell getting the initial work done.
Opinion?? I have until Tuesday to decide yea or nay because my insurance changes, and the new plan covers crowns at 0%, and I can guarantee I won't be shelling out 1300 bucks on 2 teeth.
Thanks!
Hey there sivfive I just got in...sorry I didn't see this post earlier.
Okay, so you have some large amalgam fillings. Unfortunately with all fillings, they don't ever have a perfect seal. So eventually with time it is normal to have decay under them. As far as options to fix, you mentioned the tooth colored fillings. Under certain circumstances they are a good alternative, but in your case from the way you describe it they probably aren't. For one thing, since you describe your amalgams as "large" the composite (tooth colored) isn't the way to go. They have a lot of sensitivity and really aren't the best treatment, especially in the back where you put a lot of pressure when you bite.
The second option you mentioned is probably an onlay. There aren't as many done now a days but they are great alternative, I've seen many last a very long time. If your dentist has experience doing them it is certainly something to consider. They are a little more conservative than crowns.
Now as far as crowns go, I'm sorry you've had bad experiences in the past. Unfortunately, those temporaries are exactly that...temporary. I too have had patients crack them and need to come in to have them replaced. It's hard to say without seeing an x-ray and the teeth, but just from your description (large amalgam fillings with sensitivity and decay under them) it is probably your best option. It's quite reasonable to expect decay under your fillings. Basically, you can look at it like this. You have large fillings now, and when your dentist removes the decay under them they will get a little bigger. Eventually, there will be so little tooth left that it will end up breaking on you. Do you want it to crack when you are on vacation far from a dentist, or do you want to prevent that now?
It sounds to me that crowns would be a good option in this case because your fillings are large and have even more decay under them. Did this present dentist do the temporary on the last crown that fell off? If not, make sure to tell them that. In cases like yours, I would make the temporary crown so your bite on them is very very light to prevent you from putting too much stress on them.
Let me know if you have any other questions or if this didn't make sense. Just from your original description though, the 1st thought in my mind was crown so I would trust that opinion (without the aid of xrays etc).
Hope this helped.
dave
Okay, so you have some large amalgam fillings. Unfortunately with all fillings, they don't ever have a perfect seal. So eventually with time it is normal to have decay under them. As far as options to fix, you mentioned the tooth colored fillings. Under certain circumstances they are a good alternative, but in your case from the way you describe it they probably aren't. For one thing, since you describe your amalgams as "large" the composite (tooth colored) isn't the way to go. They have a lot of sensitivity and really aren't the best treatment, especially in the back where you put a lot of pressure when you bite.
The second option you mentioned is probably an onlay. There aren't as many done now a days but they are great alternative, I've seen many last a very long time. If your dentist has experience doing them it is certainly something to consider. They are a little more conservative than crowns.
Now as far as crowns go, I'm sorry you've had bad experiences in the past. Unfortunately, those temporaries are exactly that...temporary. I too have had patients crack them and need to come in to have them replaced. It's hard to say without seeing an x-ray and the teeth, but just from your description (large amalgam fillings with sensitivity and decay under them) it is probably your best option. It's quite reasonable to expect decay under your fillings. Basically, you can look at it like this. You have large fillings now, and when your dentist removes the decay under them they will get a little bigger. Eventually, there will be so little tooth left that it will end up breaking on you. Do you want it to crack when you are on vacation far from a dentist, or do you want to prevent that now?
It sounds to me that crowns would be a good option in this case because your fillings are large and have even more decay under them. Did this present dentist do the temporary on the last crown that fell off? If not, make sure to tell them that. In cases like yours, I would make the temporary crown so your bite on them is very very light to prevent you from putting too much stress on them.
Let me know if you have any other questions or if this didn't make sense. Just from your original description though, the 1st thought in my mind was crown so I would trust that opinion (without the aid of xrays etc).
Hope this helped.
dave
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Do you want it to crack when you are on vacation far from a dentist, or do you want to prevent that now?
wow saint,
my dentist said the same exact thing.i have no pain and he recomended a crown .never had one before ,and from what ive heard its expensive (and i have no insurance)and painful.i thought hes just trying to make a buck,because i have no pain,but he used the same ecact line on me,about the vacation thing.what do you think?should i have it done if i have no pain.
wow saint,
my dentist said the same exact thing.i have no pain and he recomended a crown .never had one before ,and from what ive heard its expensive (and i have no insurance)and painful.i thought hes just trying to make a buck,because i have no pain,but he used the same ecact line on me,about the vacation thing.what do you think?should i have it done if i have no pain.
moe777 said:
It really depends on a case by case basis and on a bunch of factors. I have to make a lot of assumptions from your description, but tell me if they are wrong.
So basically it sounds like you have a big filling in one of your teeth, but unlike 6-5 there is no cavity under it. That makes your case somewhat different. Of course, the bigger a filling, the weaker your tooth. Eventually, that tooth of yours will end up cracking on you and it will need a crown. However, we have to take into account other factors as well. If finances are a concern (yes crowns are expensive), you don't have any decay under it, and I'm assuming the filling you have is not defective in any way, then it's perfectly valid to leave it until it breaks. I don't necessarily think your dentist was trying to rip you off...I guess that is the easiest way to explain it to patients.
I have many patients in your situation. I tell them that their filling is fine but the tooth is showing signs of wear (cracks craze lines etc) and there's a good chance it's gonna crack. It could be tomorrow, it could be in 5 years, I don't know. You can prevent that from happening at a bad time by crowning it now, or you can buy some time and wait. Perfectly OK.
In 6-5s case, he has a cavity under his filling. Since they will have to remove the old one, and remove more tooth structure, it makes more sense to go ahead and prepare it for a crown.
Obviously, as a little disclaimer this is not official dental advice and if you have any problems or concerns see your dentist. (have to avoid the eddie haskells of the world).
Oh and by the way, crowns don't hurt at all. The only somewhat painful part is the injection but after that you shouldn't feel a thing.
Thanks for the advice.
I've checked around and it seems that owing 659 bucks for 2 crowns (my part on the 50/50 plan I have) is a pretty good deal. Would you agree with that?
I've checked around and it seems that owing 659 bucks for 2 crowns (my part on the 50/50 plan I have) is a pretty good deal. Would you agree with that?
