If a Crown Only Lasted a Year Do I Have to Pay for a New One?

It is not normal for a crown to only last one year.  Most insurance companies will pay for crown replacement every 5 years or so.  In my experience I have found you should at least see a crown last that length of time; I have seen crowns last up to 30 years though.  A lot depends on home care and lab work.  I would suggest you discuss this with the doctor who placed your crown.  The labs we use warranty their work, if it was due to failure of the materials they will replace it up to 5 years.  If you developed tooth decay around the margin of the crown, that would probably be something, again, you should discuss with your dentist.  Teeth are an investment, just like any investment you want to make sure you take care of them.  Homecare is key to long term retention of any dentistry.

If the failure was due to abuse like chewing ice, grinding or lack or oral hygiene then it is only fair to pay for a percentage. I typically would only charge for the lab fee in a case like this. However my crown fee is rather high. If the failure was due to a material failure, or poor fit, then I re-do the crown at no charge.

This is my personal policy. .

The best thing is to talk it over with your doctor and come to an agreement. If you still think it is nor fair, you could contact your local dental association and have them help you out.

Good luck

Dr. T

Every office has its own financial policy. Why did the crown only last a year? Did it fracture? Did your tooth decay? Talk it over with your dentist and find out why it only lasted 1 year.