Considering having all my teeth crowned to make them white

[karentokylie]

OK, so I saw the dentist today. My teeth are very yellow. I have had them whitened a number of times, but it never lasts and they never get white enough.

I asked the dentist about veneers, and he said he didn't recommend them anymore as they fall off. He instead uses crowns.

So I am considering having 20 of my teeth crowned. Am I mental? Has anybody else done this? I would really appreciate some views. Thanks.

Did he give you an estimate for that amount of work? Would think it would be exorbitant!

unless there is something wrong with your natural teeth i would consider you, ehem, unwise
sorry
i can never understand people undergoing expensive and invasive treatments for the sake of vanity

Yes, it would be the equivalent of GBP 435 per tooth (I live overseas and things like this are a bit cheaper here, although most other things are more expensive).

So for all 20 teeth it would cost me GBP 4,350.

If you can afford it go for it.I know how you feel. I have very yellow teeth and it makes you incredibly self-concious.
I don't smoke or anything. My dentist has advised me not to whiten mine as they're too weak and it wouldn't have any effect anyway. But if I could afford to have them crowned I would!

... no it wouldn't, it would cost GBP 8,700.

I have a few crowns, and have always been advised that they need to be replaced every 10-15 years. So, if you do this, you should probably expect to have them replaced at some point.

Also, my crowns are on teeth that have had root canals (so your situation might be different), but they have to 'file down' the sides of your teeth to make room for the crown to fit over your own tooth. So, there really is a lot of work involved.

Did your dentist's quote cover crowns and all prep work?

What you are considering is a big undertaking, and a big expense.

It is a big commitment so only go into it if it is something that really bothers you.

I had 6 teeth veneered, yes I know it's vain but my gappy teeth really had a negative impact on my confidence and affected my day to day life. Best decision I ever made but they now need replacing and I'm not in the same financial position I was 15 years ago.

Earlybird, are you happy with your crowns? Are they any different to your other teeth?

Yes, I'm glad I did it. I now no longer have a mouth full of 'metal' due to big, old silver fillings.

It was time for the old fillings to be replaced (after 20 years). In some instances there was decay under the fillings that required a root canal (possibly tmi?). After all that work, i had the option to either replace silver fillings (which would last longer), or do a few crowns. I opted for the crowns.

It definitely looks better (but in reality, how many times is the interior of my mouth going to be on display?), but am aware that crowns will require more 'maintenance' and investment in future.

Make sure you have a very good dentist (we've all seen the Hollywood stars with bad crowns/veneers that make their teeth look like 'tombstones). And as far as possible, only do it if you think (know) you will be in a financial position to replace when needed. Once you have the work done, you won't have the option of going back to your natural teeth (refer back to the filing prep work i mentioned in an earlier post).

Is there anything wrong with your teeth? Is it just the colour?

To fit a crown on every tooth, wouldn't that involve filing the tooth into a peg shape to receive the new crown?

I would only get it down if there was something seriously wrong with your teeth. Not just for 'whiteness' reasons.

20 crowns is mental to say the least. I can't imagine the GDC being impressed with a treatment plan like that when it goes wrong. Teeth which have been prepared for crowns have a 1:5 chance of dying and needing root canal treatment (if they haven't had it already and no-one I have ever seen, read or dreamt about has 20 root canal treatments!).

This can be done through crowns but they will often need replacing. It is also costly.

20 crowns, wow. Pretty radical. Your dentist should give you a list of options starting at doing nothing and ending with removing them all, that number of crowns should be well down the list.

Used in the right place crowns are briilliant and can (can) look amazing. Done badly and you will have been unwittingly signed up to a lifetime of expensive treatment and poor cosmetics which may or may not cause you toothache.

The dentist off a well known makeover programme has been in front of the GDC for treatment plans such as this.

Please PM me if you would like more info on the options you can ask about as this sounds like a really bad idea.

Earlybird has summised well.