This is probably impossible to answer--or if it could, would probably
not lead to a clear yes or no.  Hindsight is always 20/20, and the tooth
that fractures badly and is lost because it was filled rather than
crowned will generate a lot of bad feelings.  The best I can say is that
if you have doubts about a particular situation, you should ask your
dentist what the rationale is for this case.  Usually it is a large, and
especially a large and wide (compared with the tooth) cavity.  This will
weaken the cusps of the tooth, predisposing to fracture.  Usually, these
fractures (in vital teeth) will be out and away from the chewing
surface, and the tooth can still be crowned.  But occasionally it
fractures way under the gumline, or even between the roots, and the
tooth is lost.
    What MIGHT be true is that given the situation of large wide fillings
crowns are overused compared to onlay restorations, which can give
equivalent protection from fracture while sparing more tooth structure.
 But while saving tooth structure, it will not likely save significant
money.
    BTW, even in Manhattan, $2k is a high price for a crown (though not for
a root canal and crown) and in Brooklyn it's often less than half that.

Steve

It's your mouth, you make the decisions. You now have permission to
make your own decisions, if you check with me first.

I have tooth with a filling that has come out and the dentist is
recommending a crown. They have recommended crowns on several of my
teeth. My teeth have always had fairly deep 'valleys?' in the molars.
I
don't experience any pain in the toot, and the tooth is in the back of
my mouth, so I have no cosmetic concerns with it.

It seems that over the past 10-15 years, I hear from a lot of people
that their dentist is recommending crowns. Are these really necessary
that frequently? I'd rather have a filling and be done with it. I
can't
see paying 2,000-3,000 dollars for something that doens't hurt. From a
layman, it seems like the more 'profitable' route for the dentist. I'm
sure they may be better, but are they 'necessary'?

Thanks,

Gabe