Dentist is putting 20 crowns in - full dental restoration - will it be as nice as what they say

[Crick74]

Hey, hope you are doing very well. I would love to have some input on a dental procedure I am about to have. This is going to be extremely costly and I just want to make sure I am doing the right thing.

I am fifty years old and have always had problems w my teeth. It seems like I am always having to get some procedure done. A few months ago I went to my dentist to have a root canal and crown on a front tooth. Mid procedure, the tooth broke and he couldn’t finish. He put a temporary in its place. He told me that my teeth a very soft and prone to decay. He said that I have patches of decay on several teeth and bc these problems continue popping up he feels that it’s time to start thinking long term. What he is suggesting is putting crowns on the remaining teeth I have which would be around twenty crowns. This would be crowns on all of my teeth top and bottom that you see when I smile. Basically, a full restoration procedure. At first, I felt sick to my stomach bc my dental insurance isn’t that good and I don’t have a lot of disposable income. I was devastated bc I didn’t know what to do. I even began looking into going to another country to have the work done.

After I calmed down and really thought about it, I started to come to my senses and think about how important my teeth are and how much I would love to have a nice smile. I can’t remember the last time I had the confidence to smile bc my teeth look horrible. They are stained, have dark patches, cracks….they are rough looking . It’s embarrassing.

I found a way to have the procedure which is going to cost around $24k. My dentist says that this will completely change the way my mouth looks and that it will last a very long time, possibly the remainder of my life. From what I have been told, this will be like having a chance to start over with a fresh smile and healthy teeth that look great. This sounds like a dream come true and I’m excited but I just want to talk to some people to make sure this is the best option. I can’t spend a lot more than this so a much more expensive procedure is out. My question is this …..

1. Will putting crowns on all of my teeth look as nice as they say it will? Apparently I will be able to have my teeth much whiter but still look natural and they say it will be beautiful.
2. Will this last as long as they say if I take care of them? I don’t want to spend $24k and have to replace them in 5-10 years. I’m going to take great care of them but if I’m spending $24k I expect this to last a very long time.

I just need to be sure that this is going to be worth spending this much money. My dentist is one of the best in town so I trust him and he is always packed w patients so that I’m not worried about. But if I’m spending this money I’ll have to be honest and say that I would expect to basically have a new mouth. Is that what this will be?

Thank you so much . Justin

 

[Dr M]

Good day

I think we need some more information first. There are a lot of dentist out there that unfortunately crown teeth, that don't need crowns. Do you have recent x-rays of your teeth? Or even photos that could give us a clearer picture of what the situation actually looks like?

 

[Crick74]

Good day

I think we need some more information first. There are a lot of dentist out there that unfortunately crown teeth, that don't need crowns. Do you have recent x-rays of your teeth? Or even photos that could give us a clearer picture of what the situation actually looks like?

Thank you for response. I will take a picture and post.

 

[Crick74]

Thank you for response. I will take a picture and post.

First let me say that things with my teeth were not overwhelming bad until a couple of years ago, maybe a little less than that. I had problems but not horrible. Then things seemed to escalate over the course of a year or so. I am posting pics. This is very embarrassing for me. I know they look bad. But if I can spend $24k on my teeth, surely something can be done so I can have a healthy mouth and a smile that looks okay. I’m not expecting perfect but it would be nice to have nice looking teeth that are healthy looking.

 

[Crick74]

And there is some gum recession in the front bottom that I would hope Could look better

 

[Dr M]

If you do a large make-over like this, you can ask the dentist to do a lab wax up first. This will give you an idea of what the end result would be, in terms of the shape of the teeth. The color is something you will need to decide together with your dentist, and you need to make sure you are 100% happy before the final cementation of the crowns.
Based on the photos, it does look like you are a candidate for crowns.
Is your dentist specialized in aesthetic makeovers? i.e has he done a lot of successful cases?
Will there be a period where you will be walking around with temporary crowns, which are based on the final crowns, so that you can get used to the new bite?
Crowns can last a long time, but I don't guarantee my patients anything above 7 years, since there are multiple factors that influence the outcome.
Did the patient come back for regular 6 monthly check-ups? Do they practice good oral hygiene at home? This last portion is extremely important since 70% of the success is actually patient dependent. There was a reason for this massive makeover in the first place.