My front teeth were always different colors and that really bothered me. Now I have compliments on my smile all of the time.
I was always hiding my smile due to crooked teeth. Now I want everybody to see my perfect smile!
The question "How much do crowns cost?" is between "How much does a car cost?" and "How much does brain surgery cost?" First of all, like cars all crowns are not the same. PFM's, porcelain fused to metal, are generally weaker and less natural looking than all ceramic crowns. The metal is usually nickel which can cause inflammation. Porcelain is made of aluminum oxide and chips easily. E.max crowns are made of dilithium silicate and is much harder as well as more natural looking. Zirconium oxide crowns are the strongest crowns though they are rather opaque and preferred for back teeth.Secondly, not all dentists or lab techs have the same artistic skills or functional awareness. If the dental office walls are lined with pictures of sailboats instead of smiling satisfied patients, then the dentist may not have smiling satisfied patients.
If food gets caught between two crowns, the solution you seek is probably to replace one of the crowns. If one or both crowns are new, the dentist should be willing to replace it at no cost to you. If it has been a few years, then the teeth may have moved, and a partial or whole fee may apply.
Pain from your new crown is not normal. Perhaps there is still infection and the root canal should be evaluated. The x-ray as posted does not show the end of the roots and root canal. The other possibility is that the tooth is hitting too hard when you chew, and if that is all it is it will be an easy adjustment at the dental office.
Statistically you do 80% of your chewing on your first molar and 20% of your chewing on your second molar. Once lost, the opposing second molar tends to migrate out of it's normal position and can become problematic. If you are in your teens and your wisdom teeth have not fully come in, it is possible to transplant a still forming wisdom tooth into the lost second molar position. If you are past your 20's, an implant would be a safer alternative.
Your dentist appears to have ordered for you a crown with a nickel substructure covered with porcelain to make it look like a tooth. Not enough of the tooth was removed from the chewing surface to allow for the thickness of metal and porcelain, forcing the lab to make the crown too big for the space. The dentist then ground down the crown exposing the metal. Though the metal showing does not endanger the tooth, if you want to replace the crown you may be able to remove it yourself without drilling by biting into sticky Milk Duds. Then have the tooth shortened a little more where the metal shows through and have the dentist order you a full contour zirconium oxide crown which will need no metal layer underneath.
