How Much Does a Dental Crown Cost?
Restoring a damaged or discolored tooth will improve your smile, your health, and your confidence, but the dental crown cost may have you wondering what it’s going to take out of your budget.
First you have to know what type of dental crown you’re going to get. The price varies according to what the crown is made of. Here’s a short list of the dental materials used in dental crowns, in order of cost from highest to lowest:
- resin
- all porcelain
- porcelain fused onto metal
- gold alloys (cheaper than porcelain types)
- base metal alloys (cheapest)
Dental crown cost also depends on how much time is required for your dentist to put them in, and how many office visits are necessary. Porcelain crowns take longer to put in than gold crowns so your dentist will charge more. Same goes for porcelain over metal crowns.
The dental crown cost for reinforced resin or bonded all-porcelain crowns is highest, since they are more difficult to apply. They require more expertise not only from your dentist but also from the laboratory used to make the crowns.
Even if you have dental insurance, the dental crown cost will not come cheap. Blue Cross Blue Shield Dental Coverage, a common carrier for dental insurance, covers only the cheapest (stainless steel) crowns under its basic plan. You will have to purchase the enhanced version of their insurance to get coverage for the dental crown cost. And even then, there’s a maximum $1000 benefit each year, there’s a 12-month waiting period, and a $200 deductible. The cost for the enhanced version of dental insurance from Blue Cross Blue Shield is roughly $34 per month, or $400 per year. They only pay 50% of the dental crown cost anyway.
Porcelain, Porcelain over metal, and gold crowns, the most common types, cost an average of $600 to $1200 each. If you go for a $600 crown, and you’re paying $400 per year plus a $200 deductible, there’s really no point in buying dental insurance to cover dental crown costs.
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What is a Dental Crown?
If you break a tooth, you’re going to need a dental crown. If you crack a tooth, you will need a dental crown. If you have a cavity so large a filling won’t take, you’re going to need a dental crown. If you have a tooth so discolored that traditional teeth-whitening processes won’t work, you will need a dental crown.
Dental crowns cover all kinds of flaws in teeth, from worn down, damaged and discolored teeth to teeth that just need some protection so they don’t become damaged any further. Dental crowns are also preventive measures taken by your dentist. If you get a cracked tooth, a dental crown will be placed over that tooth to keep it from cracking more or breaking. If you have a severely decayed tooth, your dentist will place a dental crown over that tooth to prevent further decay.
Dental crowns are permanent and can be made from all sorts of materials. The location of the tooth that needs a dental crown is a major determining factor in what material is used.
There are all metal dental crowns…gold or gold alloy, for example. These last the longest and are least likely to chip or break. Another plus is the dentist won’t have to remove quite as much tooth structure in order to put in a metal crown. But if you’re getting a dental crown on your front teeth, who wants gold teeth up there?
Other types are porcelain, resin, and ceramic. Resin crowns are the cheapest but they’ll wear down faster. Ceramic or porcelain crowns are best for front teeth because they can be matched to be the same color as your existing teeth. They’ll wear down your other teeth faster, though.
A porcelain on metal dental crown is both strong and can be matched to be your exact color.
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