Dental: Crown with Post vs Dental Implant

My front 4 teeth had crowns for about 40 years. Two were replaced many times and finally I had to have two of them replaced with post and crowns.

I think it all depends on the length of the post. I had a very short root. Consequently short post. This kept breaking till I finally decided on an implant. Yes it was expensive £2000 seven years ago. I’ve had further problems with one remaining crush at the front. A cracked root. I couldn’t afford 3 implants so had a compound bridge. £2000 2 years ago.

Long story. Sorry. But I’d recommend implants every time. Posts can break and it’s a tricky procedure to get it out.

Hope your appointment went well.

The appointment was the end of May.
I wonder how it went.

Could you go to a dental hospital as an emergency Sue110.
You may not have to pay.

Generally, implants are accepted as a right choice than crowns as they will not affect the surrounding teeth and less bacterial infection. But crowns may sometimes cause bacterial infections and badly affects the underlying teeth and also may cause increased sensitivity.
I had dental implants a few years ago and I can say the spending money for my implants is worth it in my case.

I had an implant done two years ago, cost £2500. It took five appts over a whole year for it to be completed. Its now great, looks completely natural and its wonderful not having to take my false tooth out every night and put it in a glass!
However, it was a lot of money. I am now facing a similar choice on the other side of my gum.

Gwyneth you’re welcome
I hope your crown lasts you many more years

I did have 8 crowns with posts at the front of my mouth, now have 7 and a small denture. I've had a couple of them for just under 50 years. I've never had a problem with any of them till about 8 years ago when one became loose, problem where post was fixed in my jawbone it had to be removed, my dentist advised the denture, it doesn't bother me.

janeainsworth thank you for taking the time to provide really detailed information. I have a crown and post currently but should I need a replacement in the future or need to make a decision re an implant your advice will be invaluable. Thanks again.

NotSpaghetti My teeth are anything but strong, but I'm hanging onto this bridge pretty well so far! The little metal pads they 'glue' onto the back of your adjoining teeth are so tiny and haven't damaged my supporting teeth at all. But I suppose I'm no expert! The dentist will talk you through all the options I'm sure. Good luck!

I have poor teeth and not very strong so the idea of bridge is not for me LadyStardust.
I don't think it would be a good plan at all.
Those of you with super-tough teeth maybe but I'm wary of the damage to the "supporting" teeth.

I had crowns for about 30.years on four front upper teeth that had begun to crumble. One of them.came loose recently and dentist glued it back.in.several times, unsuccesful. The other three are still.fine and I have an implant.where the 4th was.

I had a crown with a post on one of my front teeth from age 21 to 56. I had it replaced once in that time and now and again just stuck back in when it became loose. Sadly the root split eventually and the whole lot had to go. I now have a Maryland bridge which is fixed to my adjacent teeth which looks almost perfect and is still in place after 6 years. I had this done on band 3 NHS charge. I was told my bone density was weak and probably wouldn't be able to have an implant. (not that I could afford one anyway!)

Good advice notspaghetti.

I definitely think you should take note of janeainsworth as she explains about the root length etc.

I suggest writing your questions down so you don't forget anything.
If you are going to see someone other than your own dentist are they an implant specialist? If so, you may need to get the info from the person who would be doing the crown (as well as the person who would be doing the implant). This would give you a rounded opinion.

In my case my own dentist does crowns but not implants.

Also, because implants are engineering, there are slightly different systems. The implant specialist that I went to uses only one system because he said "these are serviced all over the world" so can be fixed by almost anyone!
Not that I'm going all over the world!

Once I had the name of the manufacturer of the system I was able to look it up and read papers on it. Not for everyone, I know, but I do like to see what's what!

Good luck whatever you decide.

Thank you everyone. My dental appointment is at the end of May (thought they’d have said “yeh Sue come right on over” given the amount they’re charging???. I’ll let you all know how I get on????

I have a post with crown and recently the root has split. My dentist has advised that I have a mini implant done to replace it. He says that as I’m so ‘young’ (I’m 67) it’s worth having it done! The cost is exorbitant, but he likened the cost of a set of implants to buying a new car - however, he drives a brand new Mercedes and we have never paid more than £3.5k for a car!

I had front crowns with posts fitted almost 40 years ago. In the past year, one of them fell out and the dentist said that there was some infection around the roots of both teeth and advised a denture. At 80 there's no point in even thinking about implants since the bones of the gums have shrunk (I think) and anyway I would have to take out a second mortgage to pay for them. So a denture it is. It looks exactly like my natural teeth but is taking a bit of getting used to.

The crown is cheaper especially if NHS and should last many years I had an implant £2000 plus - ouch, paying hurt more than the treatment.
Your choice, depending on your circumstances

Hi Sue, ex-dentist here.
You need to ask the dentist how long they think a post would last. It really depends on the length & size of the root. If it’s a long root of reasonable thickness, a post crown will last longer than if the root was shorter or thinner. With a short root, there’s a greater risk of the crown falling out, or the root splitting.

For what it’s worth, I broke my front teeth aged 7, the worst possible age. One was extracted & the space allowed to close.
The other one had a post crown & despite the poor prognosis, it was another 48 years before the root finally fractured and I had an implant done. That was 10 years ago and it’s been fine.

But every case is different and you need to ask as many questions as you can of the dentist you’ve been referred to. A good one is ‘what would you advise if I was your mother?’ Ask how straightforward an implant would be - sometimes you need additional procedures if the bone isn’t good quality or not thick enough.
Hope that helps

I have had both a crown and an implant. The implant looks exactly like my other teeth and is perfect. The crown is fine but just not so perfect. I have had to have it re-fixed once but given that I've had it for 25 years it's ok.

If I had a front tooth needing attention and I had the cash, I'd have an implant. This after all is like having a whole new tooth including the root as it is engineered into your jaw bone with a screw.

If money was an issue, I think I'd be happy with a crown. It's a cap of course (and in my case depends on the cement and the post). I do have a little receding of the gums next to mine now though which is annoying but as it's not particularly visible so I'm not doing anything about it just yet.

There's lots online if you google the comparison.

Good luck.

Wow... that's a lot of money for the implant....I had a crown on one of my front teeth(post) it was perfect and lasted almost 30 years!

Due to an accident I had to have a front tooth crowned. The nerve was removed first. Not a painful procedure with a local anesthetic. Mine is a POST crown. It's perfect, looks natural and is 57 years old.

I had a crown with a post fitted a month ago after I broke my front tooth. I have lots of problems with my mouth due to ongoing health conditions.
An NHS crown wasn't suitable, so I had a ceramic one, which cost about £700. It was almost painless, no anaesthetic, as I had previously had root canal treatment on that tooth. It was uncomforatable, more than anything else.

DD lost both her front upper teeth in an accident, she has two implants, might be worth doing some research with other Cosmetic Dentists price wise.

Phew that's a lot of money Sue I've had several crowns all successful but not on front teeth. Hope someone else may have more info.