Ideally, yes. Sometimes the durned thing gets wedged in there
so tight without cement that its almost impossible to get off!

Joe

--
Joel34

Is that NHS as in National Health Service, i.e. UK? No, I'm in
Brooklyn NY

Health Maintenance Organization?

No, fee for service dentist but I do have insurance which he files for
me and I receive a check from the insurance co usually for most of the
amount I paid him.

Why is this pertinent?

<OneGoodGuy@SpamMagnet.gov> wrote in message
news:hprmf11qc7uv65c6fueqh6dnii00umhu4b@4ax.com...

Or ....... this is written in scientific jargon ......

SHORT teeth in de back.

Front teeth long ....... sometimes
back teeth short ..... too short.

The patient needs "crown lengthening" to expose more clinical
crown so the artificial crown will stay glued on, but the Department
of Medical Assistance starts laughing very hard when the
pre-determination hits their desk .....

Joe

--
Joel34

Sounds like it.

Of course. His explanation is that over time the cement ages and
eventually gives way and one can't expect more than ten or so years of
life from the bond. Obviously that doesn't apply to something he's
done a few weeks earlier but when he has to replace them he doesn't
charge me. I suppose you could call it warranty service. Why though do
they fail? Well, I can't really ask him. I'd be saying: "Did you screw
up again?" You have to understand there's more than just an arm's
length relationship here.

He must be in his seventies, has scoliosis (limps badly), shakes like
a leaf, has few clients, is only open 1 full day and four mornings a
week, and all his equipment has seen better days. As examples of the
shaking, last time he punctured my lip with some sharp instrument
drawing blood, he drops his attention when he finishes grinding which
leads to him often catching the adjacent tooth as he withdraws the
grinder, and he can't seem to place the crown properly (isn't there
some sort of instrument for this) and often drops it into my throat (I
haven't choked yet though).

On the other hand he supposedly teaches at the dental school
(shouldn't this indicate he's up to date at least theoretically),
doesn't wear gloves or a hazmat suit (neither he nor his other
clientele are likely to be infected with anything), is easy to get an
appointment with (sometimes just "come on down"), is located
conveniently, and has been trained by me about some of my
peculiarities such as no cotton on the tongue side (I have a very
quick gag reflex), no cleaning until everything is in perfect shape
(you break it, you fix it), and no snotty-nose hygienists (he doesn't
have one anyway). Oh yeah and he's cheap.

I've been going to him for around twenty years and although we don't
actually socialize outside of the dental office he and his wife
(receptionist) are sort of friends. He discusses his grand kids, his
new car, his back problems etc. I'd feel like I was stabbing him in
the back if I went elsewhere especially as I don't think he's exactly
wealthy.

Still eventually I'm going to have to change. Is this crown the last
straw...?

So you say. I've never had a painless visit to the dentist (any
dentist!). Oops, I lie. Once I just dropped off an insurance form <g>.

Thanks.

I grew up prior to fluoridation and basically didn't take care of my
teeth. I've only ever broken one tooth and that was during a period
when the tooth was half temporary filling awaiting a crown. I bit down
and broke the entire tooth which then became infected (I'm a little
hazy on the details) resulting in a root canal and a bigger crown.
IIRC this was back in the days when crowns had to be constructed in a
laboratory and you had to return for a fitting.

My wife doesn't think I grind or clench my teeth in my sleep and as we
all know she-who-must-be-obeyed is the final arbiter.

Speaking of not taking care of my teeth, humor me while I bore you
with the story of my first dentist. He was an upscale guy in the
equivalent of Park Avenue (Manhattan) -- only the best for the apple
of my mother's eye -- no pediatric dentists in those days. I was about
eight I suppose. I still had a few baby teeth.

Of course he dug around and found a few holes. He painted on some dye
and told me to look in the mirror.

"You see that," he said. Not knowing what he was talking about I made
some non committal reply.

"You've been drinking soda," he thunders accusingly, "I can tell from
the dye. No anesthesia for you. I only give a needle to people who
take care of their teeth."

Now this was in the days when the drill was operated by what appeared
to be rubber bands on an articulated arm. Even slower than the grinder
you use today and of course it took forever and was predictably agony.
About ten agonizing after-school visits over a month. A eight year old
today wouldn't have stood for this but then, well, you considered
yourself lucky he didn't just rip out the bad teeth.

He gave me one of my baby teeth and to show the destructive force of
soda on children's teeth he told me to put it in a glass of coke and
leave it for a week. I was to note how the tooth had rotted away. A
week passed: the tooth looked fine to me. A month passed: the tooth
still looked fine. After a couple of months I threw out the tooth,
still in good shape, and (probably) drank the flat coke.

This experience taught me:

- all dentists are sadists

- dentists don't know what they're doing

- the scientific method doesn't work

- I'm better off keeping as far away from dentists as possible.

Naturally my views have mellowed over the years but these early
childhood events had the effect of keeping the dentist at bay at least
until my late twenties when the agonizing pain of infected roots made
me relent.

You did read my other post on this guy? He's barely up with the
telephone. No computers.

BTW I didn't see anything on the site about this having an effect on
crowns. I would have thought that grinding and clenching the teeth
would have the effect of seating the crown more solidly.

I didn't really understand that.

Thanks for the information.