Hello..
My orthodontist and I have actually agreed upon a fixed amount of
money for the braces fee, which is inclusive of every procedures.
However, after pulling out 2 of my teeth (after 1.5 yrs), the
orthodontist insisted on crowning 2 canine as they are too small to
close the gap between my teeth. Therefore, an additional charge was
imposed for the crowning. I heard that it is unneccessary for a normal
tooth to have crown, and the tooth needs to be re-shape to a small
size, which sounds really scary to me. Thus, I'm quite reluctant to
have crowning as I feel that my 2 canines are normal. Please advise me
on the following.

My orthodontist always mentioned to close the gap of my front teeth
with by enlarging my canine teeth( which i thought it is doing some
filling to the tooth). However, I did not know this term actually
refers to crowning, until he suggested crowning today. (I does not
know what is it until today, and I heard the process is painful)

Is it necessary for a normal tooth to have crowning on it?

Is it ethical or a common practice for a orthodontist to recommend
crowning during my braces period? (I had this thinking, please correct
me if I'm wrong. An orthodontist can simply pull out more of my teeth
so that he can make more money from the crowning charges.)

Should there be additional charges for the crowning in the braces
period?

Thanks in advance

wrote:

> Hello..
> My orthodontist and I have actually agreed upon a fixed amount of
> money for the braces fee, which is inclusive of every procedures.
> However, after pulling out 2 of my teeth (after 1.5 yrs), the
> orthodontist insisted on crowning 2 canine as they are too small to
> close the gap between my teeth. Therefore, an additional charge was
> imposed for the crowning. I heard that it is unneccessary for a normal
> tooth to have crown, and the tooth needs to be re-shape to a small
> size, which sounds really scary to me. Thus, I'm quite reluctant to
> have crowning as I feel that my 2 canines are normal. Please advise me
> on the following.
>
> My orthodontist always mentioned to close the gap of my front teeth
> with by enlarging my canine teeth( which i thought it is doing some
> filling to the tooth). However, I did not know this term actually
> refers to crowning, until he suggested crowning today. (I does not
> know what is it until today, and I heard the process is painful)
>
> Is it necessary for a normal tooth to have crowning on it?
>
> Is it ethical or a common practice for a orthodontist to recommend
> crowning during my braces period? (I had this thinking, please correct
> me if I'm wrong. An orthodontist can simply pull out more of my teeth
> so that he can make more money from the crowning charges.)
>
> Should there be additional charges for the crowning in the braces
> period?
>
> Thanks in advance
>

If your orthodontist cannot achieve an acceptable result without
operative dentistry, the situation should be discussed with your general
dentist. There are times when crowning or other restorative procedure
may be necessary to get an optimal result. This is however more
commonly seen in the lateral incisors, where small, misshapen "peg"
laterals are commonly seen. Often now it is possible to do a less
invasive restoration such as a porcelain laminate veneer to close the
space and give good form to the tooth with much less and sometimes no
reduction of tooth structure. If the extra space is large, sometimes
trying to fill it all with oversized canines may require making these
teeth too large, and sometimes it's best to add a little bit to a few
teeth so that no one tooth looks hugh.
In any case, your orthodontist and restorative dentist should be
talking about this and should be able to address your concerns.

Steve

--
Mark & Steven Bornfeld DDS
http://www.dentaltwins.com
Brooklyn, NY
718-258-5001