Crowns

Crowns

When a tooth needs a restoration or you want to improve your smile, many times a porcelain crown is the best choice.  A porcelain crown is precision-crafted for a custom fit in your mouth through the utilization of Cerec CAD/CAM milling process.  Click here for more info on the technology involved in CAD/CAM crowns.  These same-day crowns are made all in one appointment, saving you the hassle of wearing an acrylic temporary and a second visit to seat the crown.

The Benefits of a Cerec Porcelain Crown

A porcelain crown has several benefits.  Like all crowns, it covers and protects your tooth.  But in addition, a porcelain crown is:

  • Strong and durable - We utilize a leucite reinforced porcelain material called e.Max that is strengthened through firing at a high temperature in our porcelain oven.
  • Beautiful, with the life-like translucency of natural teeth - Utilizing the e.Max material we are able to glaze the restoration to match your natural teeth.
  • Healthier for your teeth and gums because we are able to preserve more of your natural tooth in the crown preparation process.  Also, traditional porcelain with metal crowns most commonly are made to go under your gums to conceal the tooth-crown junction but making for an environment that is difficult for you to clean.  Since the porcelain looks natural, the tooth-crown junction can be kept at or above the gums allowing for a healthier treatment option.
  • Your crowns is milled and prepared in one visit, thus eliminating an acrylic temporary and a second visit to bond the permanent crown.

Restoring a Large Cavity

When a tooth has a large cavity, the best treatment is often to protect the tooth with a crown instead of placing a filling.  A very large filling may weaken the tooth, whereas the crown covers and protects it.  Placing a large filling can leave your tooth without much of its natural structure; so it also loses much of its support and strength.  As a result, a tooth with a large filling is at a greater risk of fracture.

What is a Core Buildup?

When a tooth is severely broken down, there may not be enough tooth structure left to securely hold a crown.  We use a core buildup made out of a composite material or directly milled into the crown to replace the missing portion before placing the crown.  The benefits of a core buildup are:

  • Support of the remaining tooth structure
  • Better stability and retention for the crown
  • Can act as a layer of insulation between the crown and the inner layer of the tooth and may reduce sensitivity.

A core buildup is a necessary and important step before crowning teeth that have damage due to decay.

What is Placing a Post and Core?

A post and core is utilized for a root-canal-treated tooth to further strengthen the remaining tooth structure. The post is placed partially into the space created during the root canal process and partially above to help support the core build-up and crown.   The post is made of a reinforce resin that is compatible with the natural flexing of teeth during normal use.

Give our office a call today (440-282-2023) if you have any questions about crowns or your need for treatment.