TREATMENTS

Dental Crowns

Most dentistry looks like dentistry. Our goal is to provide dentistry that is undetectable. We replace existing crowns and fillings with restorations that look and feel like your natural teeth.

Where damage to a person's teeth is extreme, and apparently beyond repair, we can use porcelain or porcelain "pasted on gold" crowns to make the smile appear "as new". This is an extremely reliable technique for repairing the most severe of dental problems, even permanently replacing missing teeth to offer a complete smile and a functional bite.

We are renowned for the quality of our work and the fantastic changes we make for people using this technology. These treatments are used for a long-lasting correction of major dental problems. With excellent home care and frequent dental visits, these restorations can last for 10 to 20 years, which is as close to permanent as dental treatment can get.

We emphasize excellent home care because even though well done, any restoration can develop decay at the tooth/restoration interface and fail. Proper brushing, flossing and frequent professional cleanings help to reduce this risk. Just like with healthy teeth, the crowns must also be protected from extremely hard foods which can crack the porcelain and require replacement. Clenching and grinding of the teeth is also another risk factor and many times we recommend a clear acrylic mouthguard be fabricated and worn at night to protect your investment.

How long does it take to fit a dental crown?

Fitting a crown requires at least two visits to our office. Initially, we will remove decay, shape the tooth, and fit it with a temporary crown of either plastic or metal. Most of the time a composite core build-up is required prior to preparation to replace damaged tooth structure and provide a good base for the new crown, especially after root canal treatment.

It is highly recommended that all root canal treated teeth are protected with a crown since they can become brittle and very prone to fracture. Full coverage crowns can significantly reduce this risk.

On the subsequent visit we will remove the temporary crown, and then fit and adjust the final crown. Finally, we will cement the crown into place and you have a new beautiful-looking tooth.

Key Benefits of Dental Crowns

Replaces missing teeth
Offers support to misshapen teeth or badly broken teeth; reinforces root canal treated teeth
Looks completely natural
Fixes "smile" and functional chewing problems

What are the capabilities of crowns?

Crown and bridgework is a very reliable solution for major dental problems caused through accidents, diseases or wear and tear. Major problems can usually be corrected using these techniques. Material used in these repairs is either high-grade porcelain, or porcelain bonded to gold. A higher strength of the porcelain and gold materials is recommended to treat the most serious of dental problems.

Where accidental damage has occurred, resulting in lost teeth, or where teeth have broken away through excessive wear, or as the result of old fillings breaking, crowns and/or bridges can be used as a long-term solution. We recommend full gold crowns for most second molar situations where stresses are the highest or where the teeth are so short that there would not be enough room for the proper thickness of porcelain.

Many people have unexplained pain from filled back teeth, which is usually due to hairline cracks in the chewing part of the tooth. Placing crowns on these teeth relieves the pain and allows a return of full dental function for these teeth. In front teeth, older fillings can both weaken the teeth and cause "appearance" problems due to staining or chipping. Porcelain crowns and bridges are suitable in cases where porcelain veneers are not. In teeth with root canal fillings, crowns can prevent breakage.