I've Just received a dental restoration quote for 31.5K euros, (see photos) is suggested work appropriate ? £27,000 is a lot of money to me and the dentist I saw gave me no alternative to the option I describe below, note that I am in my late 40s:
If you look at the photos posted, my lower four front incisors are worn down like tiny stumps almost at the gum line, I have no enamel on them above the gum line and it's just detina that is exposed, the upper incisors look chipped and worn but at least they have vertical length. I've obviously suffered from teeth gnashing (bruxism) and foolishly have not been to see a dentist in decades.
The dentist I saw suggested that he does root canals on the lower front 4 incisors, increases the exposed crown length of these by cutting away the gum and then creating a bridge for all 4 (after I did look at the pros and cons of bridges), that's all fair and good and I thought that was probably all that was required.
BUT after second consultation with the dentist he showed me a physical model of my teeth and told me that if he were to install the bridge for the front bottom 4 incisors then he would have to put metal crowns on ALL my back molars BECAUSE the introduction of the bridge would lift the back molars 2-3mm (thus creating a 2-3mm gap for all the back teeth) and when I eat my food using the back molars the food would somehow go from the back of the mouth to the front of my mouth (or something along those lines) and wear down the front incisors in no time as they would be doing the lion's share of the tearing of food. So he proposed metal crowns for practically all my back molars (he surprisingly suggested gold, which I know is the best but still - high cost) with porcelain 'side' crowns to hide the metal crowns on the molars. He also suggested porcelain veneers for some of the front teeth and I asked him on the spot that these were a cosmetic addition only aren't they ? and he said in my case 'not just cosmetic', right now I am assuming he wants them for the front top chipped teeth.
What caused me to go to the dentist in the first place is that I ate a corn on the cob and one of my lower incisors started to hurt constantly and it then went away after 2 days, I was told only via the 2nd consultation that it was a minor infection when I saw them the 1st time (although the first time they told me it wasn't an infection). Also note that I had the same pain in the same tooth 19 months before - again after eating a corn on the cob, which only lasted 3 days.
Question:
I am assuming that for the amount of work (a full overhaul of the teeth in my mouth and 6 months work it's about the right price but is so much work necessary for the back molars, he claims that these are worn down also (hence the 2-3mm gap he was talking about) but I have no problem using them; could he not just make the lower bridge height for the 4 front lower incisors 2-3mm lower so that they are more level with the molars at the back as they are ?????
After my first consultation I thought it would be 4 lower incisor root canals, crowns for all of them and maybe some repair work on the two principal upper incisors ...
Anyone have any thoughts on this ??? I include the work required / cost break down in Euros below if anyone is interested:
UPPER JAW (Euros)
------------------
crown lengthening ~(gum reduction) 12 to 22 453.00
porcelain veneer 13,12,11,21,22,23 6,120.00
back crown porcelain 14,15,16,17,24, 25,26,27 5,760.00
pale gold laboratory 2,300.00
LOWER JAW
crown lengthening ~(gum reduction) 32 to 42) (lower jaw) 453.00
root canal 31,32,41,42 1,628.00
Fiberglass posts Whitepost FGM is a brand for example I think) 31,32,41,42 420 00
Front porcelain Crowns 37,36, 35,34,47,46,45,44 5,760.00
Back porcelain Crowns 33,32,31,41,42,43 5,700.00
Pale gold at laboratory 2,300.00
Bite plate to prevent night teeth nashing 660.00
------------------
31, 544.00
------------------
If you look at the photos posted, my lower four front incisors are worn down like tiny stumps almost at the gum line, I have no enamel on them above the gum line and it's just detina that is exposed, the upper incisors look chipped and worn but at least they have vertical length. I've obviously suffered from teeth gnashing (bruxism) and foolishly have not been to see a dentist in decades.
The dentist I saw suggested that he does root canals on the lower front 4 incisors, increases the exposed crown length of these by cutting away the gum and then creating a bridge for all 4 (after I did look at the pros and cons of bridges), that's all fair and good and I thought that was probably all that was required.
BUT after second consultation with the dentist he showed me a physical model of my teeth and told me that if he were to install the bridge for the front bottom 4 incisors then he would have to put metal crowns on ALL my back molars BECAUSE the introduction of the bridge would lift the back molars 2-3mm (thus creating a 2-3mm gap for all the back teeth) and when I eat my food using the back molars the food would somehow go from the back of the mouth to the front of my mouth (or something along those lines) and wear down the front incisors in no time as they would be doing the lion's share of the tearing of food. So he proposed metal crowns for practically all my back molars (he surprisingly suggested gold, which I know is the best but still - high cost) with porcelain 'side' crowns to hide the metal crowns on the molars. He also suggested porcelain veneers for some of the front teeth and I asked him on the spot that these were a cosmetic addition only aren't they ? and he said in my case 'not just cosmetic', right now I am assuming he wants them for the front top chipped teeth.
What caused me to go to the dentist in the first place is that I ate a corn on the cob and one of my lower incisors started to hurt constantly and it then went away after 2 days, I was told only via the 2nd consultation that it was a minor infection when I saw them the 1st time (although the first time they told me it wasn't an infection). Also note that I had the same pain in the same tooth 19 months before - again after eating a corn on the cob, which only lasted 3 days.
Question:
I am assuming that for the amount of work (a full overhaul of the teeth in my mouth and 6 months work it's about the right price but is so much work necessary for the back molars, he claims that these are worn down also (hence the 2-3mm gap he was talking about) but I have no problem using them; could he not just make the lower bridge height for the 4 front lower incisors 2-3mm lower so that they are more level with the molars at the back as they are ?????
After my first consultation I thought it would be 4 lower incisor root canals, crowns for all of them and maybe some repair work on the two principal upper incisors ...
Anyone have any thoughts on this ??? I include the work required / cost break down in Euros below if anyone is interested:
UPPER JAW (Euros)
------------------
crown lengthening ~(gum reduction) 12 to 22 453.00
porcelain veneer 13,12,11,21,22,23 6,120.00
back crown porcelain 14,15,16,17,24, 25,26,27 5,760.00
pale gold laboratory 2,300.00
LOWER JAW
crown lengthening ~(gum reduction) 32 to 42) (lower jaw) 453.00
root canal 31,32,41,42 1,628.00
Fiberglass posts Whitepost FGM is a brand for example I think) 31,32,41,42 420 00
Front porcelain Crowns 37,36, 35,34,47,46,45,44 5,760.00
Back porcelain Crowns 33,32,31,41,42,43 5,700.00
Pale gold at laboratory 2,300.00
Bite plate to prevent night teeth nashing 660.00
------------------
31, 544.00
------------------
