Taking care to make sure that your crown fits and looks natural is something that we take great lengths to ensure. We use the highest quality materials and all the labs that we use are local. For our crowns on back teeth we typically utilize all zirconia crowns which have an excellent record of being the strongest, most durable, chip resistant crowns available. For crowns that are done on front teeth in order to insure the highest esthetics we use E-Max crowns, these crowns are layered and mimic natural teeth. If one tooth in the front is being worked on and shade matching is difficult we will have our patients visit our lab to ensure that it matches perfectly, this is done at no extra charge. Our crowns will never develop dark margins around the edges because there is no metal used.
Dr. Doty and his team utilize specific protocols to limit any potential sensitivity during the process of fabricating your crown. The materials we use allow us to be minimally invasive when shaping the tooth, allowing us to leave as much of your natural tooth as possible. Our temporaries look and fit great. Patients often comment that we should just leave them in when ready to seat the permanent.
Crowns are used to strengthen damaged teeth, when there is not enough tooth structure to hold in a filing or other dental restorations. Crowns wrap around the tooth covering all surfaces above the gums. After the tooth has been properly shaped an impression is taken and sent to a local lab. While a permanent crown is being fabricated a temporary is placed on the tooth to protect it. A second appointment is scheduled where we make certain that the crown fits with the teeth around it, the shade is a match, and the patient is happy with every aspect of the crown.
Well maintained crowns can last decades. Crowns can still get cavities, we commonly promote and provide our patients with “rubber tips” which we have found an excellent tool used with brushing and flossing to help prevent cavities around crowns and promote healthy gums.