Chipped porcelain crown - Fix or replace? (photo)

Based on your photos and your description, it sounds like you are having some bacteria accumulation around your gum margins.  This is most often due to poor oral hygiene or a non dental friendly diet.  I would suggest getting regular teeth cleaning by a dental hygienist every 6 months,...

Based on your description, it sounds like you have only a crown prep remaining, in which looks like a short tooth.  If this is the case, it is not difficult at all to re-prep the tooth and place another crown.  It would be in your best interest to take care of this tooth very soon,...

If you have a dark line around your crown, it sounds like you have a metal crown that is coated with porcelain.  If this is the case, it is impossible to remove that line without replacing the crown.  I would recommend getting a full porcelain emax crown on this tooth to get rid of...

In general, most dentist do not guarantee crowns for more than a few months, so I would not expect your dentist to cover crowns that are 4 years old.  However, at my office, we guaranty our crowns will not crack, chip or full off for at least 10 years, but we expect our crowns to last 20-30...

If you were a patient in my office, I'm sure my lab would not mind making the switch.  The full crown would likely cost you more because in would contain a lot more gold.  I am amazed that you decided to go with a gold inlay/onlay, because most cosmetic dentists place bruxzir (full...

Based on the photo that you've provided, it appears that your husband may very well need a crown.  Not having dental insurance should not be a huge barrier, because dental insurance usually doesn't pay more than 50% of the cost of crowns anyway and no more than $1,000 to $2,000 per year....