Need advice on tooth crowns - gold or white?

zrmac804

My dentist told me I need a crown, and he recommended a gold one because "they're cheaper than white, more sturdy and will last almost forever". I've had white fillings before, but most of them have broken or deteriorated on me within a few years. My current dentist told that my mouth wasn't well-suited to white fillings and I should stick with metal. The only drawback of gold is that I think it would look weird, especially on a woman. With a white crown, no one would know it was there.

The tooth in question is the second-last from the back, so nobody would see it unless I had my mouth wide open. Still, I've always thought of gold teeth as something you only see in old cartoons. I'm single and don't want to weird out potential dates.

So guys and girls, I need to know: what would you think if you saw a girl with one (or more) gold teeth in the back? Would you think it was weird, or would you not give it a second thought? Thanks for your input!

Pink_turnip

if it's in the back, no one is going to see it, so you shouldn't stress so much about it. I would understand if it was a front tooth, but even then, if someone doesn't want to date you because you have a crown, they aren't worth your time.

PDXContessa

I'd get white, but that's just me. Will you be bothered by it when you laugh? That's when people are likely to see it.

zenchild

How would gold be more sturdy? I just had a crown put in last month and my dentist said the new composites are harder than your teeth and will last just about forever. I had two silver fillings that were deteriorating. One was in the very last tooth in the back and had to be crowned. The other one had already partially broken off and the dentist drilled out the remaining bit and refilled it with composite. Gold is a pretty soft metal. It doesn't seem like it would last. Maybe do some more research? Get a second opinion?

Alatariel75

I'd go white, personally. If I could make it look like my own tooth, I would. But, I'm very self conscious about my teeth.

zrmac804

How would gold be more sturdy? I just had a crown put in last month and my dentist said the new composites are harder than your teeth and will last just about forever. I had two silver fillings that were deteriorating. One was in the very last tooth in the back and had to be crowned. The other one had already partially broken off and the dentist drilled out the remaining bit and refilled it with composite. Gold is a pretty soft metal. It doesn't seem like it would last. Maybe do some more research? Get a second opinion?

I asked the same question, and the dentist said gold would actually be mixed into a (harder) alloy. Apparently the real problem is the remaining natural tooth underneath, and the contach with the upper tooth. Fillings and natural teeth can both crack under too much pressure.

I will definitely do some research and get a second opinion before deciding.

Thanks everybody for posting!

misskerouac

I've had issues with the white ones (cracking and so on) and its really a pain in the *kitten*, not to mention with most dental insurance there has to be a certain amount of time between doing a new crown on the same tooth (my insurance is five years) so that means I get a crown, three years later I crack it or chip it, I have to either pay the whole thing out of pocket or wait 2 years to get it fixed.
They are so much more prone to cracking or having issues that our insurance won't even cover white crowns, they will pay up to a gold crown and I have to pay the difference since they are more expensive. But even still right now I have all white ones just because i like the way they look better, so I feel your pain with trying to decide.