Bedminster Porcelain Crowns

When a tooth has a healthy root but the surface is damaged or weakened—such as with a broken tooth, a tooth with an old filling, a tooth damaged by cavities, or a tooth that may be vulnerable to cracking—a crown can be used to repair it. When a crown is placed, your tooth needing repair is shaved down to make room for the crown. Then it is bonded in place. In the past when porcelain was used for a dental crown, it had to be baked onto a metal foundation. Now, with today’s advanced bonding technology, crowns can be made out of all porcelain.

 

Advantages and Disadvantages of All Porcelain Crowns

• As you can see from the pictures above, all porcelain crowns are much more beautiful and natural looking. They even give the patient’s smile a much more youthful appearance. The smile on the left appears years older than the smile on the right.
• Because porcelain mimics the appearance of natural teeth, all porcelain crowns will have the same translucency and brightness of your natural teeth as well. Porcelain fused to metal cannot do that because it requires a more opaque layer to hide the metal. This takes away from the natural beauty of your teeth.
• All porcelain crowns are strong enough for the front teeth that are the most visible in your smile. The further back a tooth is, the more stress is on it and the less important the aesthetics are. To be safe, we prefer to use the stronger porcelain-fused-to-metal crowns on molars and extra-high-strength ceramics on premolars.
• All porcelain crowns require bonding by advanced techniques that require post-graduate training, so not all dentists can place them. Porcelain fused to metal crowns can be placed by almost any dentist with basic technology taught in dental school.
• The advanced bonding technique used to place all porcelain crowns creates a seamless line with your gums. After time, porcelain fused to metal crowns develop a black line at the gumline, which can be very distracting when you smile.

Procedure for All Porcelain Crowns

First Dr. Mavrostomos will discuss with you what kind of appearance you want your new teeth to have. After that he will prepare the damaged tooth and make an impression of it, so as to place the crown exactly. He will then send all the specifications, including the shade and shape, to a master ceramist to prepare your tooth. While you are waiting on the ceramist to complete the design, Dr. Mavrostomos will provide you with a temporary crown.

If you would like to find out if you’re a candidate for all porcelain crowns, you may request a complimentary consultation. You’ll get to spend about 10 minutes with Dr. Mavrostomos and ask any questions you have while he reviews your case. If you already know that you want a beautiful all porcelain crown, you may call our office to set an appointment.