New Porcelain Crown

I need an 'i don't know option'.

All of my inlays are porcelain. The oldest is close to 35 years now. OKOK, I had a lot of cavities as a kid. They are slowly being replaced - a few every couple of years. My dentist says they are supposed to be good for 10 - 15 years, but that the evidence he sees, in the mouths of his patients, is more like 25+ years.

But, I still don't know. I've just got anecdotal evidence behind my smile.

I'm also at the helfino stage. Most of mine are silver-colored. I don't get an radio stations on them, and I feel cheated.

On a serious note - I have two tooth-colored ones in my two top front teeth. I'm very careful with those. As for the others, they're all silver-colored (probably some sort of silver compound) and I don't think I've lost any of them. The oldest is perhaps 33 years old or so.

That's amalgam jespah. I'll add it to the poll, but it isn't know for longevity, and some people think it's toxic.

Obviously I'm having troubles trying to edit the poll. At least it's up there.

I've some difficulties in understanding the question: are you talking about crowns (ceramic, gold or porcellain-gold material is used here in Europe) or the fillings (you seldom get Amalgan now)?

Hi Walter, I was talking crowns, I think others were speaking of fillings.

As I understand it, a porcelain crown HAS a gold base. I also had an amazing number of cavities as a child and almost all of my mouth is filled with either gold or porcelain now. They did one small amalgam on a teeny cavity a couple of years ago, other than that, everything I ever had as a child was replaced in gold.

Well, I'm not sure, if "porcelain" crowns are the same as "ceramic crowns".

Atleast, there are full ceramic crowns without any metal ... in my mouth. (Thus I hadn't to pay too much, since health security paid most of it).

I believe the one I just got is a gold based porcelain crown. It wasn't cheap, about $750, and I have to pay half.

Okay, I went to Google to check. I was wrong, there are full porcelain crowns without any gold base... I don't have any though.



from: http://www.qualitydentistry.com/dental/restorative/crown.html

here's a little more info:
http://www.qualitydentistry.com/dental/restorative/captek.html

I got rid of the poll - the poll editing feature really doesn't work right.

Good links, Piffka!

You can actually get porcelain fillings...inlays. Its a cosmetic feature here in the US so, its usually not covered and most dont go there. Its alot better to look at though once you see someone who might have had cavities as a child but, doesnt need to get full crowns done...the change from a silver filled mouth to a porcelian filled one is nicer.
Fillings of amalgam are still widely used here.
Crowns can be all porcelain and/or gold based with porcelain...it usually depends on the tooth to be replaced and the way in which it is being done.
The most commonly used crowns here in the US in people of and around middle age are of the gold based porcelain due to them being of the molar or incisors, one at a time.
Those who need a bridge, or few teeth, done usually have a metal base that you wont see with porcelain teeth over it and sometimes will contain a metal area to attach to other teeth, etc. It really has alot to do with whats being done, how many, and where and what works best in each area.
The really neat stuff are the surgical implants that have become more the rage here in the last 15 years or so. Like porcelain crowns the porcelains crowns need a post to be fastened to however, these screw posts are surgically implanted and the porcelain crown is made with an opposing screw post...its fascinating really.
I worked in a dental lab for way way way too long.
Oh yeah...I have one porcelain on gold crown, prolly about 5 wee fillings...I had a permanent retainer as a very young one so....its most likely I will get at least one more crown...but they're straight gosh darn it

phew. i wondered where the poll went. ok - so i thought about this once i got home. i've still got a couple of ancient amalgam fillings. they've lasted 30+ years. I've got full porcelain crowns - the oldest is 25+ years, and one had to be replaced 2x in 3 years. the tooth coloured fillings don't seem to be lasting as long as the amalgam fillings. i've had to have a couple replaced within 10 years.

seems to be a very mixed bag.

Tooth-colored ones are called composite, by the way.

The evidence on whether amalgams are truly toxic is mixed. That is, they have a bit of mercury, which is toxic, but it's not clear if they are toxic ENOUGH to really have any effect. Humans are pretty big, and we're exposed to all sorts of toxins in tiny amounts, which are present without DOING anything. Some people really really think amalgams are eeeeeeeeeeevil, but there haven't been any conclusive studies (as of about a year ago when I was really researching this.)

I would avoid chewing gum and any other sticky stuff, that tends to pull the crown off.

I had a crown, that was about 20 years old and recently it just fell out in my mouth. Seems, it developed a little hole . The dentist fixed the hole and put the crown back on. Total cost was $75.

Any tooth that's had a root canal in my mouth, now has a crown on it. Many of my teeth were filled, but not crowned, years ago, and are probably in better shape than the teeth that have the crowns.

Crowns can't last for ever. As you age, you will loose bone mass in your body. As the teeth shrink, I would suspect that the crowns get a little loose, so it's natural that the crowns will fall off.