How Much Does A Dental Crown Cost?

When you need to cover your tooth’s decay or cracks, the best option is to cap your tooth with a dental crown. Dental crowns are made out of various materials – gold, Porcelain Fused to Metal (PFM), various metals and so on. Each dental crown costs differently depending on the material it’s made out of, and its thickness.

The most effective dental crowns are porcelain crowns, which not only improve your tooth’s appearance, but restore its size, strength and shape. In several cases, porcelain crowns have been more effective than dental filling. They’re firmly cemented in place so that the visible portion of the tooth that’s above the gum line is fully encased.

A porcelain dental crown might cost you, on average, anywhere from $600 and up to $2,500. The price range is wide, because the price can be affected by various factors. Gold and other precious metals can drive the cost beyond the $2,500 range altogether, though.

• The cost of a dental crown can depend on the following:

• The expertise and experience of the dentist

• The material being used to make the crown

• The dental lab making the crown (big names will charge more)

• Location of the lab (a lab in central New York will definitely charge more than one in rural Idaho)

There are other factors that need to be considered while estimated cost of a dental crown.

• If you pay out of pocket, you could avail of discounts. If you use a click that takes out a lot of insurance, you might get good-sized discounts as well.

• If you are going to rely on an insurance plan, then your crown is paid for in full
Types of Materials Available for Dental Crowns and Their Relative Costs

We’ve listed several materials out of which you can get a dental crown fashioned. The cost varies in each case.

• Porcelain Fused to Metal Crown(PFM): This type of crown is made out of metal and is coated thickly with porcelain. What you’ll see outside is pure porcelain but the cost is that of porcelain and metal mixed. These crowns are strong and are fairly economical to make. The only downside is that you can see the metal peeping out at the gum line when you look closely. Average Cost: $1,093 per crown (without insurance)

• Metal Crowns: Opt for this type of crown for the back of the mouth. Metal crowns last longer than other materials and you won’t find them chipping or cracking. However, it’ll be very obvious that you’re wearing a metal crown. Average Cost: $1,353 per crown (without insurance)

• Full Porcelain: A full porcelain crown looks natural and exactly like a real tooth. People are willing to pay for real porcelain crowns mainly for their cosmetic and aesthetic superiority to other types of crowns, especially the porcelain-coated metal crown. The flipside is that because they are made entirely out of porcelain and there’s no metal foundation, they’re much weaker than the PFM crowns. These porcelain crowns are best suited for replacement of front teeth. Average Cost: $1,430 per crown (without insurance).

• Zirconium Crowns: Zirconium crowns are expensive, but there are good reasons for this. They look totally natural like real teeth, just like porcelain crowns, but they are as strong as metal crowns. So you get both looks and strength with Zirconium crowns.

• Gold Crowns: Gold crowns are very obvious – you can see them in someone’s mouth from a mile away. They are best suited for back molars where they will be hidden. Gold crowns are very rarely chosen for frontal crowns. There’s another way to use gold in crowns – as the base of the crown, with the rest of the mounting made out of porcelain. Gold, of course, is the most expensive option where dental crowns are concerned.

Factoring the Role of the Dentist into Cost Estimation

Your dentist’s technical expertise, experience and competence along with the skill and reputation of the dental lab that is making your crowns must be factored into the cost. Veteran dentists know the actual value of the crown they’re offering you, and will charge you the right price for it. A dentist with less expertise will quite probably charge you more for dental crowns of any type.

Conclusion

Apart from the cost of the dental crown, you’ll have to ask about the additional costs, such as dental exams, x-rays, lab fees, fittings and so on.

Want to know how much will dental crowns cost to you? Visit our dentists in our
Livonia MI Dentist Office or call us at (734) 522-5520 to schedule free initial consultation.