Re: Question about dental crowns


jXwXeXrXmXoX...@xxxxxxxxx wrote:
Hi all,

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.

Anyway, I recently got dental insurance, and I went in last week to
get a checkup and cleaning. The dentist looked at that tooth and told
me I had a crack along outside edge, and that's what's causing the
sensitivity - from liquids seeping inside the tooth. She said that
there's very little tooth left, just the filling and a fragile bit of
tooth around the edges, and if she were just to replace the filling,
there would be nothing to hold it in place. So she says I need a
crown.

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.

I'm 51, and apparently I do grind my teeth in my sleep, so I guess
it's not that surprising that I would be starting to have problems
like this.

Experiences, suggestions, etc, are welcome!

Thanks,
Joyce

I have six crowns. Some of them were the product of root canals, but
some are to protect teeth that are just too fragile; one is cracked and
one has an extremely large filling. I really don't think your dentist
is recommending work that isn't necessary--you can tell yourself by the
sensitivity there's a nerve exposed that shouldn't be. Crowns are
expensive, but you probably won't ever have to worry about that tooth
again. A couple of mine are over 30 years old and I've never had a
problem with them.

Sherry

.

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