Dental Bridge - what do I need?

[Franconian]

Hi there,

I recently got a tooth extracted and need to get a dental bridge done. I do not have private health insurance and need to pay for the treatment 100% (Australia).

I found a dentist with a good price, however he recommends a premium, full ceramic crown. The 2 teeth (base for the crown) are currently filled with amalgam. He recommends to remove it and use a white filling.

The white filling and full ceramic crown are expensive add ons. Is this really recommended?

 

[svor1988]

It is up to you really. I don't like bridges as they drill down the enamel on the supporting teeth, possibly leading to premature failure on them. Look up the lifespan of dental bridges. Personally I'd either just get the tooth pulled and deal with it, or do a root canal (even with a substantial amount of tooth structure gone, a professional can place an endodontic post, but if the tooth structure loss/decay (aside from the pulp) extends below the gumline then it may be best to extract). Anyways... different dentists may treat this issue differently.

With whatever service you want, call some more dentists in your area and get quotes from them, their secretary should be able to give you quotes. After they give you a quote ask if they offer a cash discount. Make sure you get quotes on the full service... one lady on here was only quoted for the root canal and not the crown but she was led to believe the $1000+ quote was for everything, she was livid.

If there are no problems with the amalgam fillings I personally would not get them replaced... look at the lifespan of amalgam fillings as compared to composite fillings and do what you want. The most cost-effective choice would be to only replace the fillings when they fail.