Should I or Shouldn't I- Dentist question

[wanderlusting]

Ok- so I go in on Saturday to get some fillings and a crown done. Military insurance pays for the fillings but only pays for half of the crown which will be 400Euro (about $650).

I got to thinking: Do I really need the crown? When I was being seen by military dentists, they just put a filling in the molar. There's a little bit of a gap between the two teeth, but I floss every night so food doesn't stay there.

With the civilian dentists, the one I saw while I was pregnant suggested the crown. I saw a different dentist this past visit and he didn't mention a crown- I actually brought it up since the previous dentist said something.

So I guess I'm wondering if I should just suck it up and pay for my share of the crown or is it just something I can cancel? And just get the fillings done.

[savvy_sniper]

Most dental insurance will only pay 50% for a crown. They usually go with a crown with the decay/filling is too large. At one time I was without dental insurance. I paid out of pocket for a huge filling. They told me it might not last. It lasted several years until I had dental insurance. They another piece of the tooth broke off. I had to have a crown then.

As the dentist for the pros and cons of both so you can make an informed decision.

[Contrary Housewife]

I would get another opinion. A crown usually only goes on when the tooth cannot be filled or saved. Some cavities are just too large and deep. In my case my back teeth split into sections and was not repairable, even though the cavity was not deep.

I have had a dentist look at my 2 and 3 year old crown and say "that needs to be replaced" and I knew he was full of it. There was nothing wrong with my crown at the time and there isn't now, going on 10 years. Fact is, there's a lot of dental work that is unnecessary that gets done because the dentist needs to make a payment on a boat or a new car.

And the pain is another thing. There's no way I would ever have another crown done if a filling would suffice.

[lisaflex]

i dont mess around when it comes to teeth. no way no how no matter the cost. find a dentist you are comfortable with and work from there. it could turn bad and you could possibly have to have the tooth pulled and then have worse issues. i would just do it.

btw - 50% is the norm for ins to cover...some cover less than that.

[2ndGenGranola]

Our dentist said if the decay was beyond a certain point, they do a crown. He said if he put in a filling in that kind of cavity the risk of pain would be much greater, sensitivity and/or hot/cold issues would be greater, risk of breaking would be much greater and so on.
At one point I did opt for a large filling instead and regret it to this day. A big hunk of that tooth broke off and I ended up having to get a crown anyway. It is much more sensitive than it would have been had I had it done in the first place.

[Greebo]

I have 2 crowns and am in the process of getting a third. I have *terrible* teeth - always have. IMO the crown is the best way to go - it means you'll never have to worry about that tooth again unless the crown itself comes loose - and then it's a pretty easy replacement.

[2_at_the_farm]

Since your last dentist didn't say you needed a crown, I wouldn't. UNLESS you have a big filling already. Any filling is apt to eventually seperate from the tooth a teeny bit and allow food particles in there and then it goes from bad to worse.

But we had a dentist a long time ago that wanted to put a crown on our daughter's molar. When I questioned it, he told me it was so her entire mouth would be 'white'. That was her only silver type (amalgam) filling. What a rip off.

I worked chairside for a dentist years ago. That's when I learned that some of them are just flat crooks.

And all my crowned teeth? or whats left of them? Through the years, they all ended up breaking off anyway at the gumline..then a post and another crown...then more breaking off...then dig out the tooth root...then bridge or partial...and on and on. Agh! Some of us are just doomed no matter what we do.

[FrabjousDay]

I'd ask for the dentist to lay out all the options so you can weigh out the pros/cons.

Last year I had to have a filling in a back tooth replaced. It was really helpful to have my dentist walk me through the available choices, and explain differences in appearance, cost and durability. It wasn't really a matter of a "right or wrong" decision, but finding the best fit for me.

[wanderlusting]

thanks everyone! I decided to cancel the crown and keep the appointment for the fillings. I had a filling done on the tooth 4 years ago by a military dentist.

Last year when I was pregnant, I went to a civilian dentist who said I needed to get a crown on that tooth- that the filling wasn't enough. But since I was pregnant, they couldn't do x-rays before doing a crown.

I went to the same dentists office but saw a different dentist last month. The X-rays showed no cavitities or anything wrong with that tooth- so the filling is doing a good job in this case

I'm glad I asked everyone- it helped me think things through.

[lparker]

My question is - what ever happened to pulling a bad tooth? Not enough money in it for the dentist? The dentist can make over 2 grand on one with crowns replaced every so often...maybe 2-300 on an extraction. I had all mine pulled when I was 21 - haven't had a toothache or dentist visit since. Saved a bundle.

Lee

[Nishu]

i dont mess around when it comes to teeth. no way no how no matter the cost. find a dentist you are comfortable with and work from there. it could turn bad and you could possibly have to have the tooth pulled and then have worse issues. i would just do it.

btw - 50% is the norm for ins to cover...some cover less than that.

I share the opinion about the teeth. I absolutely do not mess around with them. I would ask him to go over the pros and cons again if you're not sure.

Remember that for nonpreventive care like fillings and crowns, United Concordia only covers up to 1200 a year. If you've already used any coverage, your bill might be higher than you expect.

[Nishu]

I should have read to the end of the thread. Be sure to keep up with your regular checkups just in case something happens to that tooth. I think they're covered for twice a year.