Consultation Room
July 3rd, 2009
Welcome to New Age Cosmetic Dentist’s “consultation room”. You can remain anonymous to protect your privacy. Dr Chan will try to answer any general questions you may have with regards to dentistry. Due to the absence of xrays and clinical examination, Dr Chan will not be able to give definite answers to your queries. All replies to questions posted here must not be taken out of context.
For a proper consultation, you are advised to see us at New Age Cosmetic Dentists.
Hi Dr. Chan,
I would like to do crowning for my 2 front teeth. How long will the procedure take till completion? Do I need to take medical leave from work for this crowning? How much will they cost? Is there any 0% interest plan applicable in your clinic, so i can do instalment monthly?
Hi Ling,
Crowning is not a traumatic or invasive procedure. 2 visits are usually required. On the first visit, your teeth are prepared, impressions are taken and temporary crowns will be fitted. This procedure takes about an hour, so taking 2 hours off on that day should suffice if your office is in town.
Your crowns should be ready in about a week’s time. The second visit is usually much shorter than the first. If everything fits well, expect to spend no more than 15 minutes on the chair.
We do have a 0% interest plan for DBS cards and Diner’s Club users.
Hello Dr Chan,
I did crowns for my two front teeth a few months ago as one of them came off totally, therefore a metal was inserted into my gum for support and it appears greyish on the outside. Plus I am not satisfied with the contour and alignment of both of them as it affects the way I smile compared to how I used to smile before… Can tooth bonding procedure be done in this case?
Thank you.
Rach.
@rach
Hi Rach,
The only secure way out of this is to redo your two crowns. Go back to the dentist who did them and ask him what he can do for you. Perhaps he could change to a better material or technician this time. If aesthetics is a major concern, you must be prepared to stretch your budget as these things don’t come cheap.
Bonding on the metal coping of a crown will not yield desirable or durable results.
Hi Dr Chan,
Does your clinic carry material for the crown that doesn’t have to be thick in order to hide the metal in the crown? What about e.max ceramic?
I wouldn’t consider going back to the same dentist again.
Thank you.
Hi Rach,
Depending on your case (and budget), there are a couple of ways to tackle the problem. I presume that your tooth that has broken off now has a metal post and core. An economical way would be to remove the post/core and replace it with a glass fibre post and composite core which will be almost white in colour. An emax crown can then go over the composite core and there will be no hint of metal. Total cost should be around $900. However, if the metal post is too securely placed, there is a risk of fracturing the tooth. I would rather not take the risk.
An even more economical solution would be to trim down the metal core and then paint a thin layer of opaque composite over it to mask the colour of the metal. An emax crown is then placed over the masked metal core. It costs only $800 to do that. The disadvantage is that a weak link lies between the thin layer of masking composite and the metal. The crown may fall off after some time and require recementation. I have done this quite a number of times and luckily none of them has fallen off yet. You may want to take the risk.
The most secure and least stressful way to deal with the problem is to use CAD/CAM technology to fabricate a zirconia (white in colour) coping to mask the metal. Porcelain can be fused to the zirconia coping and the zirconia crown is then cemented over the metal core. Total cost $1000.
Hi Dr Chan,
I am 54 years old. Lost most of my upper teeth save for two back molars and a canine due to extractions when I was very young. Currently using upper denture. I notice that that when I position my teeth such that the upper and lower front teeth are barely touching each other, I look fine but the moment I attempt a full bite, ie letting my upper and lower molars rest on each other, I look old with two severe lines (& folds) running down from the corners of my mouth to my jaws, and the lower portion of my face from my mouth to my chin appears to have lost much height compared with my younger days. Will asthetic dentistry or implants correct the problems so as to attain a younger appearance? Would appreciate your advice. What will be estimated cost of such procedure? Thank you.
Hi Ash,
The key concern here is to open up your bite. Your remaining teeth could have been shortened or moved such that when you bite all the way, your mouth becomes overclosed.
We’ll need to examine those remaining teeth to see if they are worth saving. If not, a set of full dentures will open up your bite. Bear in mind, however, that we may have to make 2 or more sets of dentures of gradually increasing height so that you can get used to your new bite.
Implants will certainly help hold your dentures, but if you have adequate ridge height, they may not be necessary.
Extractions aside, a full set of upper and lower dentures (acrylic) cost S$1200. Extractions will cost S$80 each. If the remaining teeth are not to be extracted, crowning will probably be necessary. Each porcelain fused to metal crown will set you back S$600. Then, you would also need partial dentures which will cost a little less than full dentures.
You can consider doing implants after you’ve gotten used to your new bite. To improve function and retention of your dentures, you would need 2 implants on your lower jaw and 4 on your upper. They will cost you S$3000 each.
Thanks for your support. We’re seeing a huge increase in traffic and thought it prudent to shift our consultation room to another site/blog. Please check out pamperteeth.com