To answer your question about crown lengthing it is necessary when the tooth is broken off below the gum line. A small portion or the gum and bone is remove to allow access to enough tooth structure so the crown can be cemented on to the tooth.

I have been practicing dentistry over twenty years and my experience has been on upper premolars that require that much work to save that often down the road they fracture further and are often lost. If the tooth can be save with a root canal ($840), build-up ($253) and a porcelain crown ($919) and no crown lengthing this is often a very good option.

Glad to hear you like your dentist you can often neogiate the price with him to see if he will work with your budget. With the fee to save the tooth at over $3000 you are already into the price range for an implant and a crown. You did not mention if your dentist talked about an implant or several of the different types of bridges? All of these options are very aesthetic and will allow you to keep your great smile.

Hope you find your perfect solution to your budget and dental needs. The only way to give you an exact fee quote and talk about your options is to invite you into our office for a consultation. We always offer free consultations if you would like another opinion.

Sometimes a limited budget leaves difficult choices. It could be fixed by removing the tooth and having a "flipper" (temporary partial) to fill in the space. The cost would be well under $1000, but it is a limited and temporary solution. It would allow you to keep a great smile and resolve the immediate problem.

In the future you would need an implant (or other options) to permanently replace that tooth. It would be more expensive later on, but maybe your budget would be more flexible then.

I don''''''''t know how many responses you''''''''ve had so far, but I see you posted this yesterday and I''''''''m just now getting a chance to read it. My name is Dr. Jim Craig and I understand from what you said that your smile is one of the few things you like about yourself right now, and I don''''t want to see you lose it! I''''m happy to tell you that given the estimate you''''ve received, I think we can help at a significantly reduced cost. Plus, I can explain what some of those items on your statement mean, and why you may not need them. We''''''''re not the cheapest dentist in town, but we''''''''re definitely not $3100 for the work you''''''''re describing, either! The name of my practice is summerbrook dental group (www.summerbrookdental.com) and we pride ourselves on doing free exams including free x-rays and a free consultation as well, so if you''''''''d like, I would love to meet you and take a look at your tooth to determine if we can help. If you prefer, you can reach me at the office (303-693-1215) or on my cell phone if it''''''''s after 5pm today (720) 277-5446. You can also visit our website to see if our practice fits your overall philosophy for what a dentist''''''''s office should be! I can sympathize with your pain and I am excited to say that I think we can help! I''''''''ll be looking forward to hearing from you...