Why crowns are priced at the exam, not online
In Line Dentistry publishes a price wherever a fee is fixed: the new-patient visit, a dental implant for candidates, veneers by tooth count, in-office whitening. A crown is not fixed. The same word covers a small porcelain cap on a front tooth and a rebuild of a molar that has lost half its structure, and the two are different work. Rather than publish a range that fits neither, Dr. Chon examines the tooth and gives an itemized written price before anything starts. The number on the paper is the number you pay.
What decides the price
- The tooth. Which tooth it is, how much of it is left, and how much shaping it needs. A molar that takes chewing force and a front tooth that has to match its neighbors are different jobs.
- The material. In Line's crowns are porcelain, matched to the shade of the teeth beside them. The material and the lab work that goes into it are part of the price.
- Lab-made, over two visits. The tooth is prepared and digitally scanned at the first visit, a dental lab makes the crown from the scan, and it is fitted and bonded at the second. A temporary protects the tooth in between.
- Single crown or bridge. A bridge is several crown units joined together, anchored to the teeth on either side of a gap, so it is priced as a plan. The implant alternative is priced beside it: $1,990 per implant, the implant, abutment and crown, when Dr. Chon's exam and 3D scan confirm you are a candidate. See implant or bridge.
- What the tooth needs first. A build-up to replace lost structure, or a root canal before the crown. Dr. Chon evaluates a root canal here and either treats it here, when the tooth suits it, or refers you to an endodontist; the crown that follows is fitted at In Line.
Crown or filling?
A filling repairs a small cavity or chip when most of the tooth is still sound to hold it. A crown covers the whole tooth when too much is missing for a filling to last: a large break, a crack, an old filling that has left thin walls, or a tooth that has had a root canal. The page on dental crowns and bridges in Diamond Bar covers what a crown does and how the two visits run; the exam and X-rays decide which one a tooth needs.
How the written price works
- The visit: exam, digital X-rays and, for a new patient, a cleaning. $95 flat, or $0 with an active PPO plan.
- Dr. Chon explains what he sees and what the tooth needs, and whether a smaller repair would hold.
- You get an itemized written price for the crown, or for the bridge and its alternatives, before anything is scheduled.
- Nothing is added afterwards without a new written price.
Insurance and financing
In Line is in-network with Aetna Dental, Anthem Blue Cross / Blue Shield, Cigna Dental, Delta Dental (Premier and PPO), Guardian Dental, Humana Dental, MetLife Dental and UnitedHealthcare Dental. With any other PPO plan you pay at the visit, In Line files your claim the same day, and your insurer reimburses you, with an estimate beforehand. Benefits are checked for free beforehand, so the estimate comes first. Financing is available on approved credit through CareCredit, Affirm, Klarna, Afterpay, Sunbit, LendingClub and Proceed Finance, and because the crown is priced in writing at the exam, you apply for a known amount. The financing guide compares the partners.
Every published price
The Diamond Bar dental cost guide lists every price In Line publishes in one table, with what is priced at the exam instead.