I believe that a warranty on crowns should be up to each individual Dentist. A mandate from the Government is an intrusion on the patient/doctor relationship. There are too many variables that accompany a warranty on a crown. Currently, most labs guarantee the product (i.e. porcelain and metal) for 5 years as long as the patient is seen every 6 months for an oral exam and prophy. To guarantee total coverage of a crown is ridiculous. The reason most Dentist oppose this petition is for the following reasons: The best fitting crown can fail in 2-3 years with improper oral hygiene. Plus, I have seen a marginal crown survive 15+ years with excellent oral hygiene. A problem with a guarantee is once you give a guarantee, what happens when the patient does not show up for recall appointments? Why should a Dentist be responsible for a patient's neglect? What happens when a patient refuses radiographs? I can tell you that I have seen this in my own practice.
Due to the problems that we as Dentist face, I strongly oppose this request!!