Crowns or surface fillings?

[ShabbyAbby]

On front teeth. What looks better? Lasts longer? Etc.
I can't have implants!
Thanks

Bump

I am not a dentist, and have neither on my front teeth, but I do have crowns on two molars. To place a crown the tooth needs to be drilled and shaped, so it’s quite an invasive procedure. I would go with the most conservative approach possible - filling - and keep a crown up my sleeve for if it was needed down the line.

I keep chipping the surface fillings so was thinking crowns might be stronger and last longer

Also each time they refill it they file more of the natural tooth away and I'm worried there won't be enough left for s crown. Would they inform me if that was the case?

Why don’t you ask the dentist for their opinion? I think my worry would be that the crown will eventually fail years down the line, then what? My friend had one on a front tooth which had had root canal done, decay got in under the crown, but she didn’t know because the tooth had no nerve left. She ended up having to get an implant done because there wasn’t enough tooth to support a new crown after the decay had been treated. In your shoes, my question to the dentist would be “if this was your tooth, what would you want to have done as the next restoration?”

@Judystilldreamsofhorses

My dentist said they would just leave them chipped.

I supremely doubt that they Would though! I think it's easy to say when it's not your teeth! They have agreed to do the surface fillings on the NHS (again) but said they'll probably only last a year (again). I don't think I'd mind so much on a back tooth or even at the side, but noticeable chips in 2 front teeth?

Maybe I'm being precious though?

I guess I'll probably have the surface fillings then if they fail hopefully have enough left for crowns. Then if they fail either a plate or implants (I've been told implants are unlikely).

I've had to have the fillings redone about once every year for a decade now

No, you are not being precious! Given what you say, I would be asking why the fillings are falling out, and what better long-term alternatives there are.

I don’t have fillings on my front teeth (I have several at the back though!) but about 15 years ago I knocked teeth with a guy I was kissing and chipped one of the upper middle ones at the edge slightly. The dentist said a filling would just fall off, and instead smoothed down the rest of the tooth edge. I wonder if front teeth are generally tricky to fill?

@Judystilldreamsofhorses

It was a similar accident and chipped the corners. I asked to have them filed but they suggested small surface fillings. They are not falling anywhere, they chip off I think because of the placement. I do grind my teeth at night but wear a mouth guard. Now they are saying if I have them filed I'll lose too much tooth. Because obviously after 10 years the teeth have been filed Down to fit the new fillings. I am going to get a second opinion, though.

Sorry, I assume my dentist just meant it wouldn’t last, not literally fall off. My teeth are huge, I had to get a load out as a kid for orthodontic reasons, otherwise they would have been all jumbled, so having the tooth smoothed to the chip looks fine - the chip was tiny really. Hope you manage to get it sorted. Maybe a composite veneer would work, but wouldn’t be available on the NHS.