Crowns are traditionally made with a metal thimble or coping. Our crowns, when made in this fashion are made from 87% gold. Most offices use lower grade metals which are more economical to the office. We use high grade gold for esthetics and for low incidence of allergy. Extremely skilled ceramists will methodically hand paint porcelains to prescribed colors to identically match other teeth and then bake the crowns in several steps to produce life-like crowns.
New Technologies for Crowns and Bridges
Even with the use of the best ceramists, crowns may suffer from opaqueness due to the metal layer. Today, metal foundations for crowns or bridges are not necessary. Newer techniques are available to completely eliminate the metal. Some of the newer products are almost as strong as traditional crown and bridge work. It can be bonded for long lasting beauty.
How long does it take?
Fitting a crown requires at least two visits to our office. Initially, we will remove decay, place a core to replace lost tooth structure, shape the tooth, and fit it with a provisional plastic crown.
On the subsequent visit we will remove the provisional 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
- Replaces missing teeth
- Offers support to misshapen teeth or badly broken teeth
- Looks completely natural
- Improves "smile" and functional chewing problems.
- Helps reduce the chances of joint dysfunction
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 fused 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.
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.