It's finally over

[Buckrub]

2 1/2 months, and about $4,000 later, my crown is on and I just ate lunch and CHEWED ON MY LEFT SIDE!

I never, ever, EVER want to go through all that again!

[BarryBobPosthole]

My tooth that has the crown on it is getting cold sensitive. the dang thing is probably cracked again. I hate going to the dentist.

That seems a long time to wait on a crown. Maybe you should consider going to Canada where the waiting lines aren't so long for stuff like that.

BKB

[Thumper]

Dang! I have TWO crowns. Both cracked teeth were found during regular check-ups (not at the same time). I didn't know I had a problem either time, he simply found them during regular visits. My dentist (who makes his own crowns) would schedule me back in after a day or two, do the prep work, install a temporary and I'd go in 2-3 days later to have the permanent crown installed. WTF took so long and why so much? Both of mine (gold btw) were just under $1000 total. ($900-something)

Edit: That was the price for EACH.

[Buckrub]

I won't go to a dentist that makes his own crowns. My dentist is a lifelong friend of mine, and he explained how they do that, and get crowns back 'same day'. No thanks. They tend to break, and cause sensitivity down the road! ha.

And I only waited 2 weeks for the crown. The first part of it was pure pain while I was at camp waiting on the season to end so I could GET to the dentist. Then I went to an Endodontist that did a Root Canal. That almost killed me. He said "OK, I'm done, now you have to have a crown, go see your dentist". I got an appt 2 weeks ago, and today I got the final crown.

[Thumper]

My dentist is also a personal friend and fishing partner. He makes ALL his own crowns. Mine were put in 10-15 years ago and I've had no problem whatsoever. He's a perfectionist. In fact he re-made one of the crowns as he wasn't happy with it and said it looks like something he'd receive from an outside lab. He said I'd never have a problem with it and it looks fine, but he'd be embarrassed if another dentist saw it. From what I could see in the mirror, it looked perfect ... but he made another one anyway.

His son is his partner and just graduated dental school about 5-6 years ago. He's a chip off the old block and seems to be very good at what he does.

[BarryBobPosthole]

I think I've probably had my crown almost ten years. I'm pretty sure my dentist used the same material and the same CAD/CAM system to feed it with that the mail order crown folks do. Maybe not. I've only had one. I thought it was a pretty cool process.
Last time I saw my dentist I had gotten a lot of sun and got lectured on that. I was also still smoking, so it's been over almost seven years since I've seen him. Got chewed out for that too. and my weight. Yeah, my dentist is a little Laotian bitchmeister.

BKB

[Buckrub]

This is ceramic. He said a laser takes a block of ceramic material, same stuff that's on the nosecone of the space shuttle, and some dude programs the laser machine to make the inverse fit to the mold he made of my tooth........and it cuts exactly what needs to be cut, and leaves the ceramic shell of the crown, and he glues it in.

He said it will withstand up to 3,750 degrees F. So maybe yours has cracked some due to those peppers you suck down.

[Thumper]

The first crown my dentist made was ceramic and after he installed it, he said he was going to change gears and make another in gold. He said my bite is so strong I'd probably end up cracking a ceramic crown sooner or later, so he changed it to gold (with no increase in price). Both of mine are now gold.

[BarryBobPosthole]

That's exactly hat my dentist did. Stuck a light pen looking thing in my mouth after he'd drilled out the tooth and took some pictures of the tooth with it. Sent that over his LAN to his machine, grabbed me by the hand and took me in a room where the machine was and let me watch it make the crown. It was really cool. Also showed me on the screen the 'pictures' the little light pen deal made, which weren't pictures at all.

BKB

[Buckrub]

man, it feels great to chew on this, is all I know. It feels like a year since this felt this good.

WOO HOOOO

[BarryBobPosthole]

I hear ya. It'll feel good when I rinse after brushing to not have to do it with warm water.

BKB