I got my permanent crowns on Tuesday.

I tried the soda for whitening for a while, but it really irritated my gums....even if I mixed just a tiny amount with my toothpaste. I can only use Sensodyne toothpaste for brushing. The soda as a rinse for a short period of time shouldn't bother me.

My turn---I went in for a root canal today (Oh joy )---even with insurance it is $500, and that's just the root canal. In a few weeks I'll need to go in for the crown.

I'm done with mine and it was $190.00. The final step is the crown which I'm informed with my insurance, is $455! :faint2:

It looks like the insurance paid half of my root canal. My guess is it will be another $500 for my crown. But hey, it could be worse---my sister has a great job but has no dental! So I have to be grateful. It just hurts because we're still paying on my son's wisdom teeth too---those were $1000 for the 4 extractions.

Does it work just to get a Root canel with out the Crown if you are suppose to get a Crown to?

Right now I have a temporary tooth on there where they did the root canal, Jacob. They said they want me to have the temporary no more than 6 weeks. And I wouldn't want it any longer than that---I don't like chewing with a temporary. So yeah, you have to have a crown with it, I do believe. I will have a matching gold tooth to my other side now. Oh yay.

Amy wrote:

My turn---I went in for a root canal today (Oh joy )---even with insurance it is $500, and that's just the root canal. In a few weeks I'll need to go in for the crown.

Glad your surgery is done.

I'll have to get my crowns soon.

Misti wrote:

I'm done with mine and it was $190.00. The final step is the crown which I'm informed with my insurance, is $455! :faint2:

$455.00? Eeek!

I still have just the estimate of up to $700.00 per crown. I haven't called for an appt., yet, as I've just had the second surgery this past Thursday (the 12th).

Good luck!

JW wrote:

Does it work just to get a Root canel with out the Crown if you are suppose to get a Crown to?

You have to get a crown over the tooth. If not, the tooth will eventually deteriorate. Once the root is dead, there are no nutrients going to the tooth, so it basically "dies" from lack of nourishment and falls to pieces. That's what happened to one of my teeth when I had a root canal done several years ago, and I couldn't afford a crown. I eventually had to have the tooth removed after spending over $600.00 for the surgery. I was hoping to save up for the crown, but couldn't. If I had known that, I would have had the tooth pulled from the start and saved several hundred dollars. Oh, well. It couldn't be helped.

LM wrote:

Amy wrote:

My turn---I went in for a root canal today (Oh joy )---even with insurance it is $500, and that's just the root canal. In a few weeks I'll need to go in for the crown.

Glad your surgery is done.

I'll have to get my crowns soon.

You know, for me the root canal is the easy part, even though I'm still sore right now. But honestly, I truly hated getting my crown. It's more 'interactive'......with a root canal you just keep you mouth open and they do all the work. With a crown you have to 'help' them make the mold for the crown. You have to sit there and press your tooth mold down for what seems like forever. So I'm not looking particularly forward to getting that done in the next several weeks.

And I'm sorry about your 'wasted' root canal, LM---that would totally suck, there is just no other way to put it. :sad5: We're going to be financing both the crown and the root canal, but geesh, it's still a LOT of money per month that was not budgeted. Of ALL times, with this stinkin' economy, who needs TOOTH issues on top of everything else?!?!

Yeah, the molds stink. Because my allergies make me stuffy a lot of the time it's torture for me when they have to put molds in my mouth. I feel like I'm gagging and it just is no fun.

I've never had an experience with a crown but I'm with the others; with the gel to deaden my mouth, I felt no pain at all.

As far as the money for the crown, I'm going to have to save up some money & use some income tax money and they recommended I don't wait too long. I imagine it will be sometime in the next month I'll go in to get it done.

Misti wrote:

I've never had an experience with a crown but I'm with the others; with the gel to deaden my mouth, I felt no pain at all.

As far as the money for the crown, I'm going to have to save up some money & use some income tax money and they recommended I don't wait too long. I imagine it will be sometime in the next month I'll go in to get it done.

The gel only does so much. Well, at least in my case. It never numbed me enough for me not to feel anything at all, but I suppose it helped a little around the gum, considering the pain from the abscess, too.
I had sharp pains shooting throughout my tongue as he inserted the needle with the meds. He said it's the nerves running from the tongue, cheek and gums, and that using numbing gel on the gums won't do a thing for pain in the tongue or other areas of the mouth. You just have to wait it out. It only lasted a few seconds, but it was very painful. I'd never had any pain like that in my tongue before, and I don't want it again.

I also have had been plagued with dental problems and I was born in 1968. As a child, my mother gave me a liquid form of iron and vitamin pills. I don't know what she took when she was expecting me, but she also had mumps while she was pregnant. I was always getting cavities, so my dentist ended up prescribing flouride pills, which I took until I was probably 14 or so.

My oldest sister had braces until she turned 18 and once the braces were removed, her teeth literally fell apart. They cracked and fell out of her mouth, sometimes when all she was doing was brushing them. She has severe tooth decay and at this point needs full dentures.

Whoa. I have never heard this before! Well, I have had issues, (born in 69), but my two older sister, both born in the 60's, never have had ANY issues---SO unfair!! :sad5: But of course I'm very happy for them.

Cheryl, that is such a sad story about your sister. To go through the agony of braces and then have your teeth literally fall apart?!?! And now needing dentures?! How tragic.

bethandmanly wrote:

I also have had been plagued with dental problems and I was born in 1968. As a child, my mother gave me a liquid form of iron and vitamin pills. I don't know what she took when she was expecting me, but she also had mumps while she was pregnant. I was always getting cavities, so my dentist ended up prescribing flouride pills, which I took until I was probably 14 or so.

My oldest sister had braces until she turned 18 and once the braces were removed, her teeth literally fell apart. They cracked and fell out of her mouth, sometimes when all she was doing was brushing them. She has severe tooth decay and at this point needs full dentures.

I was wondering if there was something in the iron they gave us as kids, too. You mentioned that, and it reminded me. It very well could have been that, too.

Wow. So sorry about your sister's teeth.
My cousin who was born in 1965 didn't have her teeth fall apart, but they were pulling away from her gums at a very high rate of speed during her late 20s and early 30s. Her teeth were as loose as a child who was losing her baby teeth. Just eating something as soft as a PB&J sandwich would cause her gums to bleed. She finally found a great dentist who put her on some type of meds, had her go through treatments of the gums, and did some type of surgery that bound her front teeth together for several weeks until her gums were strong enough to hold them in. Bless her heart. She really went through a lot, but I guess not quite as much as your sister.

Amy wrote:

Whoa. I have never heard this before! Well, I have had issues, (born in 69), but my two older sister, both born in the 60's, never have had ANY issues---SO unfair!! :sad5: But of course I'm very happy for them.

Cheryl, that is such a sad story about your sister. To go through the agony of braces and then have your teeth literally fall apart?!?! And now needing dentures?! How tragic.

Hmm. I wish you'd have been as lucky/blessed as your sisters, too.

Please stand. Royalty is on board.

Hello, friends.

I got my crowns today. Well, the temps. I'll get the real crowns in two weeks. It was really an..... adventure. It took 2 1/2 hours for both teeth, and it was painful at times. I had to get several shots to numb the areas because I kept feeling the drill. Not good! It wasn't horrible pain, but enough to make me jump, groan loudly and raise my hand to get their attention. The doctor said "Whoa, whoa. Are you feeling that?" I told him I was and he asked his assistant to reload the needle. He apologized for the pain and told me to always speak up if I feel anything. I had to speak up twice more. He and the assistant said they now know that I wasn't kidding when I said I have very, very sensitive teeth/gums. He gave me more shots and said if they didn't take, he'd take a hammer to me and knock me out. Every now and then, I could feel the cold water and air which hurt a bit, but I managed. The assistant said she was sorry that I was having such a hard time, but understand that it's all in it with those of us with such sensitive teeth/gums. They had to remove the temporary fillings, dig out any of the tooth that wasn't needed anymore, rebuild the tooth with fabricated enamel and place the titanium steel posts inside each tooth to give the new tooth/crown something to be attached to. Whew! Titanium. No wonder these procedures are so expensive!

I'm so glad they didn't have to use that thick and nasty tasting goo to make the molds. Yay! They had a small block...about two inches long and an inch thick that they called "Play-doh". I'm glad it didn't taste like Play-doh, either. LOL! Anyway, the assistant placed it in my mouth and had me to bite down as hard as I could for two minutes the first round on each tooth, and then for ten minutes on each tooth. The "Play-doh"/putty tasted like bubble gum. What a differnce from years ago when I had that splint made for my TMJ. Eww!

I have to wait two weeks for the real crowns to come in, so I have these that are made of a very lightweight plastic. I can't eat anything hard, sticky or chew gum on that side for two weeks.

My mouth is pretty sore, I have some pain, but I'm not having any bad steady pain, thank goodness. I do still have some minor infection, though. Ugh! So, I'll be calling my doctor tomorrow to see if I need more antibiotics. I'm so, so, so sick of taking them, but I know I need them because of the Mitral Valve Prolapse Syndrome. Oh, well. I think once all the infection is gone, I'll be done with the pain for good. I should hope so! I've had root canals, for goodness sake! There shouldn't be pain if the root is dead!

Fingers crossed that I don't forget and chew potato chips or gum on the right side before I should.

I appreciate all the support, prayers and ears that are listening.
_________________
Quote by Stepfanie Kramer - "I feel that if you don't use the gifts you've been given, your time on earth has been wasted."

I'm sorry you had to go thru pain, LM & I'm relieved that the worst is over for you. I've still got my temporary filling; haven't had the money to fix it yet. How many teeth did you have done?

Rhonda wrote:

OH WOW AND OUCH!!! Sorry for the pain....

Thanks, Rhonda.

Rhonda wrote:

When you are truly royalty, I will bow, but for now, the Smiley Queen still sits on the throne......

Ouch!
:haha:

Misti wrote:

I'm sorry you had to go thru pain, LM & I'm relieved that the worst is over for you. I've still got my temporary filling; haven't had the money to fix it yet. How many teeth did you have done?

Hi, Misti.

I'm glad the worst is over, too. It's been a real ordeal.

I had two teeth done. One is directly above the other. They're right-side molars.

I know how it is with the issue of money, and I really hope you'll be able to get your permanent crowns, soon. I also hope that your temps last until you're able to get them.


Take care and good luck!