Need 2 dental crowns dentist said they wont last a life time

[Funkyfish586]

hi all, im 24 and have bad teeth due to childhood habits I have had 2 rc & have a crown over one of them. i am due to go in beginning of july and have the other RC tooth crowned & a broken tooth crowned. I am massive scared of the procedure but my vbiggest fear ever is loosing my teeth. When i was asking the dentist about things he said life span is around 10 years i will only be 34 what happens after that point? when the crown 'fails' will the tooth underneath need to be extracted. Right now i dont want to have the other 2 done, i would rather keep hold of my teeth as they are. I have very good oral hygine which i know will hopefully prolong the time of them but not by 50 years!!

 

[RP]

I'm in my 50's been struggling since I was 5 with decay, abscesses

After the useful life is over- they replace the crown............I have several on the second crown and the root canal/original crown was done almost 30 years ago. I would have long lost the teeth due to them being weakened and decayed. I'm sure without the crowns they would have shattered and left me teeth broken to the gumline.

Worst case scenario, have had a couple implants...........

rp

 

[VTDave]

If you take good care of your teeth a crown should last longer than 10 years. That means flossing regularly. Bacteria tend to get under the edge of crowns so it is VERY important to floss. Implants are extremely expensive so you don't want that to happen.

The most durable type of crowns are the all metal ones especially those high in noble metals such as gold. It is more expensive but it is worth it because it lasts longer. You are also less likely to have an allergic reaction to gold. Cheap dental metals have nickel. Avoid and crowns with nickel since it is pretty common for people to have nickel allergies.

 

[Carys]

Hiyer

I've had my crowns (on both front teeth) for over 30 years. They aren't the same crowns, they have been replaced a few times, however they have never broken; instead have been changed for aesthetic reasons and as my mouth has changed as I've got older, also one needed a root canal filling and twice I snapped one of them off taking a bit of the underneath tooth with it !

Mine are porcelain only, as they are at the front I wanted them to be thinner than the metal bonded and more translucent. So, considering they are fragile, they can last quite a while. They are cemented on so strongly that often they need to be cut off if there is a problem underneath. However, on one tooth the crown has certainly been on there 15 years and still looks great. I am getting both replaced again the next year, as am having orthodontic work done and want to get them both back to being the same as each other again.

My point is that the 'useful life of the crown' doesn't mean that it is the useful life of the tooth, you get another crown. You do have to look after your gums though and take care of them as you don't want to compromise the area where the crown/gum and tooth root meet and have decay starting there. However, even if, as in my situation you don't have much underlying tooth left, and have had a root canal there are still options - like a post crown - before you get to implants.

 

[starladustangel]

I have had crowns on my top two front teeth for 14 years. I broke both teeth off in a bike accident. Both teeth were root canaled then crowned with post/core build ups due to the severity of the damage. I've never had a problem with either crown and my current dentist says there is no need to repair or replace them at this time.

 

[Carys]

Ah you are like me stardust, mine were broken in an accident too - someone pushed me onto a low brick wall.

 

[VTDave]

I would be wary of the newer all porcelain type of crowns. You never know how well the new stuff is going to work or what kind of effects it will have. The older metal fused to porcelain works well for anterior teeth and is very durable. Captek is the type I have.

 

[RP]

I would be wary of the newer all porcelain type of crowns. You never know how well the new stuff is going to work or what kind of effects it will have. The older metal fused to porcelain works well for anterior teeth and is very durable. Captek is the type I have.

I would never do metal in the anterior crowns, even insurance pays for all ceramic there. Back teeth maybe but for the front- no gray, much more natural and translucent. Eventually that metal shows through at the gumline............The newer lab materials are much stronger and natural looking than even Cerec. Check out my smile.

rp

 

[Carys]

One dentist I had, going back a few years, recommended a metal bonded porcelain crown for a top incisor, for reasons of strength- the most obvious tooth in the mouth ! It looked dreadful, it was chunkier than the all porcelain crown next to it and it looked grey, all the time. In certain lights (can't recall which now) it appeared like a seriously dead tooth it was so dark, but I remember feeling so bad about it that I wouldn't smile. Also, yes, you could see the dark line around the gum. I got it changed within months and will take my chances with the supposedly weaker all porcelain. As I said earlier the one on the right has been in place perfectly for 15 years.

 

[Funkyfish586]

Thank you so much everyone. Its so good to hear they have lasted a while. Implants are not a financial option right now but hope fully in 10+ years they might be. My goodness i never thought having to have a crown would upset me so much. im such a wuss zxx