I’ve had a dental crown for a bit. I had a mild panic when a dark gray line appeared at my gumline. I googled it and for the first time in history, medical information on the internet calmed me down. I think it was saying it’s because my dentist used a metal-based crown. I think to fix this I need to switch to a different crown. But, I’m not sure if my insurance will cover a metal-free dentist. Do I need a referral or anything?
Annie
Dear Annie,
While some insurance companies have preferred dentists, they don’t really care if they’re metal-free dentists or not. The thing they are picky about is the procedures. While they’ll cover a dental crown, they will only cover the least expensive dental crown, which will be the porcelain-fused-to-metal crowns.
What you need, to avoid that dark gray line is an all-porcelain crown. Just because your insurance doesn’t cover it, doesn’t mean you can’t get it.
Insurance works on codes. So, your dentist will have them cover a porcelain-fused-to-metal crown and you pay him the difference between the two types.
Types of Metal-Free Dentistry
Each dentist is a little different as to how metal-free their practice is. While almost every dentist will provide an all-porcelain crown, they may still use metal-based fillings, such as the amalgam fillings, which are loaded with mercury and other metals.
Other dentists are mercury-free but still will only provide a titanium-based dental implant. While titanium is very “user-friendly” and most dentists have never had a patient with a titanium allergy, there is a way to get a metal-free dental implant as well with a zirconia implant.
Each patient has to decide what’s important to them. If you don’t have any metal allergies, but care about the appearance of your teeth, just about any dentist should be able to give you the crown you want. IF you’re worried about the mercury in fillings, you’ll want to go a step further looking for that mercury-free dentist.
But, if you have metal allergies, as many people do, then you’ll truly need to find a metal-free dentist.
This blog is brought to you by Drs. Drake and Wallace.