Why are dental crowns so damned expensive?

[CTyankee]

I'm getting a crown on my back tooth on April 11. I made a "down payment" of $700 on my credit card and will pay the balance at the time of the appt.

Can anyone tell me why this is so expensive? And how long does it take to do it?

[SHRED]

1. Good question

We were quoted about $1,600 for one.

[doompatrol39]

2. I don't know, but as someone with bad teeth....

...I have probably spent the equivalent of a year of college tuition on my teeth, just for functionality, not even anything cosmetic.

As for timing, typically they take a mold/impression and then they get the crown made and back and put in a few weeks later.

Is this due to a root canal or an extraction/implant?

[CTyankee]

6. I dunno. I shudda asked...all I know is that when I feel that back tooth with my tongue

it is hollow...

[doompatrol39]

8. I think typically...

..they don't put a crown on unless a tooth has gone bad and has had a root canal performed on it to deaden the nerve. The reason is that once it's dead it will turn dark and weaken and can chip off. So the crown makes it stronger.

I'm assuming you'd remember having had the tooth pulled and needing an implant/crown since that is a longer process.

[Fla Dem]

13. Most of my crowns are the result of years of filings.

Growing up our local dentist made a nice living off of kids with cavities. My Mom made sure her 4 kids had dental check ups every 6 months, Every time I went to him I had a cavity. It got so I had cavities in teeth he'd already filled. Surprisingly once I moved away, and started using a new dentist, I rarely if ever had a cavity. But as I grew older those back teeth filled with fillings began to crack and chip. The only remedy was to remove them and replace with crowns.

[Ron Obvious]

3. Just spent over $5,000 for a single implant with crown

I'm going to Mexico if I have any more dental issues. This is insane.

[3catwoman3]

4. My husband and I recently watched a documentary on the making of crowns.

We each have several crowns, for assorted reasons, so it was a topic of cosiderable personal interest.

The program was fascinating. It's a multi-multi-multi step procedure, and after watching it, I commented, "No wonder they are so expensive."

There are any number of videos on YouTube that you could check out, should you be so inclined.

[csziggy]

9. My dentist has a crown making machine in his office

It's great for regular crowns - one visit and you've got a new tooth. I have two made with this machine now. They scan your mouth, then the CAD program runs the machine which carves the crown out using water. Then they "bake" it to harden the surface. Here is how it works:

It takes nearly as long to cool the crown off as it does to make it.

For my implants and a crown on a front tooth, the traditional method of making crowns is used since they are stronger.

[3catwoman3]

12. I have both kinds.

I think the esthetic results of the traditional method are better for front teeth

[csziggy]

15. They are definitely stronger

I have very soft teeth and have lots of crowns, bridges and now implants. My first implant was on a molar that had two root canals and finally became non-viable. My three bridges were from three baby pre-molars that had no adult teeth and finally gave up one by one in my 40s.

The bridge opposite the first implant cracked while the first implant was healing in. My dentist sectioned it, removed the cracked part and made a crown for it, all in once visit. Then I got an implant where the original baby pre-molar was and I'm waiting for it to heal in to get the crown on it.

Meanwhile one of my front teeth that has several fillings and has been chipping more and more has a very bad chip in it. So when my dentist takes the impression for the crown for the newest implant, he will prep that tooth for a crown, take the impression for it, and put a temporary crown on it.

In the long run I figure the other two bridges will give up eventually and I will replace them with crowns and implants. They are more expensive but after dealing with bridges for 25+ years I want something that feels like a real tooth!

[Submariner]

5. We're paying a big labor fee compared to materials charges

I just got a quote for 4 implants to hold a full lower denture in place. Four little holes drilled into the jawbone and four little stainless steel implants = $15,000. The new denture is $4K to 5K.

Nuts!

[redstatebluegirl]

7. My husband has really bad teeth from bad dental care as a child.

We have paid a fortune in crowns and other dental work. The last one was 2500, I am still paying that one off.

[LastLiberal in PalmSprings]

10. I am having implants put in by a Tijuana dentist.

Dr. Dalia Dental Care is a small practice that brings in specialists to perform procedures like implants, bone grafts, etc., but otherwise they have two dentists on staff to perform general dentistry -- cleaning, fillings, deep cleaning, etc.

Implants take a while to do, so I'm in the five month period where you wait for the bone to grow around the implants. In a couple of weeks I'll have molds made of my gums and two weeks later the implants -- which are made in the U.S. -- will be installed.

There's a company who handles dental care worldwide. It's called Dental Departures, and they made setting up the first appointment effortless. There's a price list on Dr. Dalia's website, and my experience has been it's pretty accurate. I pay for each procedure as it's done, rather than one upfront fee. My overall cost will be about half of what my U.S. dentist quoted. I get a 10% discount -- more than $500 -- for being a veteran.

This is a little disjointed. Once the process is complete I'll post a summary of the process, including prices and what I think of the final result. Right now my only consideration is the six hour round trip from Palm Springs to TJ for each step of the process. Getting across the border and taking a cab to the dental office is a piece of cake.

p.s., As to why dental procedures are so expensive, I have a friend who has worked for several Palm Springs dentists, and she says that the common thread is their desire to make as much money as possible. That may just be a P.S. thing -- I've gone to several small town dentists in other states who seemed focused more on service than money.

[Thekaspervote]

11. Partly because they have cornered the market.. it's like prescription eye wear

[sweetroxie]

14. Several years ago I travelled to Costa Rica

to have extensive dental works--implants & crowns and a root canal. I could never have afforded the work in the USA.