This lady had worn and chipped her upper teeth on the inside until they were so thin they were about to break. The yellow tooth on the right second from the middle is an old crown which the patient couldn’t afford to redo so we had to match it in colour and shape. Crowns are hard and durable but bonding often means less tooth needs to be removed and they are cheaper. Because all of this patients teeth had worn we were needed to build them all up (or at least 10 of them) – compare $250-$300 per tooth for bonding vs. $1500 per tooth for crowns. They may not last as long or be quite as perfect in appearance but they can be a great low cost option without losing teeth and getting dentures. It was done in one day and crowns would take weeks or even months. I would be happy to get 5 years up to 10 years for this kind of procedure. Despite the cost, in the long term I would still prefer porcelain crowns.
