The fee for a dental cap varies with geographical area.  Also, the fee may be more if done by a specialist in crowns, a prosthodontist, or "crown and bridge" dentist.  In my office, which is in a suburb of a large Northeastern city, the fee ranges from $950 to $1450.  A specialist would charge more. Some areas (e.g. NYC, SF) are notoriously expensive in general and dentistry will be no exception since the dentist's overhead will be higher.  For some,  it may be worth a bit of travel to check with an equally qualified dentist in a lower priced geographic area.  (This estimate is just for the cap fee and would not include any buildups or posts, root canals, etc.)

There are several reasons why a crown costs what it costs.  First of all it is custom work made to fit.  It takes a couple longer visits in the dental office and it is usually sent to a dental lab which will charge the dentist for time and materials. Add to this the amazingly high overhead in a dental office today, salaries, equipment, rent, supplies, etc.  Gold and porcelain fused to gold crowns are made like jewelry,  carved in wax, cast and polished.  Also,  it is jewelry that is custom made for one tooth.  If porcelain is used, the lab tech creates that out of powder and water at a tiny oven.  The work is exacting and intricate.

There are many materials now that are used in caps:
   1. Gold alloy (A solid gold crown used to be more expensive than a gold and porcelain crown.  Not any more.)
   2. Porcelain fused to gold alloy (Different alloys are available; the more precious metal, the higher the dentist's lab fee)
   3. Porcelain fused to non-precious metal  (This takes the same amount of work for the dentist but the lab fee is lower)
   4. All porcelain
   5. Composite resin.  (Some dentists are using CAD CAM technology to produce crowns in their office.  This type of crown works where the margin of the crown is above the gum. The equipment is so expensive it may motivate the dentist to do as many crowns as possible so that the monthly equipment loan payment can be made.

Different materials are used for different parts of the mouth and you should discuss the alternatives with your dentist.  The fee may also vary with the cost of the lab work. It is the dentist's responsibility to choose a quality lab to fabricate the crown.

In our office,  if a patient really cannot afford a crown,  we will do a large amalgam filling,  if possible, so the tooth can be preserved until a crown is possible.  Dentists in some countries place stainless steel crowns that are ready made on permanent teeth that need crowns.  This may work for a while but it is hard to get a good fit and frequently the gum is irritated by these stock crowns. 

I researched this and the results of different studies were widely divergent.  In some studies an average length of a crown life was around five years;  in others, it was 18 years!  Some crowns lasted 50 years.  It seems to me that a crown will last longer in general if it is done correctly (those made in dental schools lasted longest) and made of quality materials.  It will last longer in a clean mouth that is free of decay.  It will last longer if it is done on a solid live tooth (not always possible).  Sometimes, where there is not much tooth structure left, a post will be necessary.  Crowns do not last as long on these teeth, probably because posts can cause a tooth root to fracture.

Many insurance companies have an arbitrary "five year rule."  They will not pay for a second crown on a tooth unless the first crown is at least five years old and, of course, is necessary.

Not all dentists can do good crown work.  Some patients are in need of many crowns and other advanced work. Some patients do not really need crowns and can be restored adequately with amalgam or other types of fillings.

If you go to a new dentist and are told for the first time that you need extensive crown work, and if you are having a problem believing that your condition is that bad, it is not unreasonable for you to get second, and third, opinions.  If a dentist advises you to have teeth crowned to eliminate amalgam in your mouth,  perhaps to prevent or cure a disease,  head for the door and don't look back.  Check with the Ada and/or Quackwatch.com.

It is important to be sure a dentist is experienced and skilled enough to do your case and that he or she uses quality materials, etc.  Find a dentist that you trust, for whom you have gotten good recommendations (perhaps from other dentists in the area? Specialists in the area?) And do not try to find the cheapest crown because if it is not done correctly,  looks bad, does not fit right  and has to be redone, it will not turn out to be a good deal at all.



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Please remember that information on these site is not all-inclusive and it may or may not apply to your situation and you need to call your own dentist.  A dentist needs to see the tooth, take and x-ray, etc. to diagnose and treat.   I cannot respond to email inquiries or phone calls.  Thanks for visiting!

"Some dentists boast that they have CAD CAM crown making machines on-site.  These computer-made crowns are not appropriate for all situations., especially where the edges of a crown must tuck far under the gum.  Also, the machines are expensive and the dentist must do enough crowns to make  the purchase pay for itself."