Dental Crowns

A dental crown is a tooth-shaped “cap” that is placed over a tooth — covering the tooth to restore its shape and size, strength, and/or to improve its appearance. It is normally made of a stronger material such as ceramic or metal. The crowns, when cemented into place, fully enclose the entire visible portion of a tooth that lies at and above the gum line.

The primary purpose of a crown is to cover or protect a damaged tooth. So, if you have had a root canal or a very big cavity, your dentist may suggest a dental crown to protect the remaining tooth structure. You may also need a crown as a part of a dental bridge or with dental implants

Same-Day Dental Crown Procedure: Quick and Convenient

With our same-day dental crown procedure, you'll experience a streamlined process:

Morning Appointment:

Initial Examination: Evaluation of your tooth's condition, potentially including x-rays. Additional treatments may be considered for extensive issues or insufficient natural tooth structure.

CAD/CAM CEREC Procedure:

Local anesthesia for comfort.
Removal of decay and old fillings.
Tooth reinforcement with a core and space reduction for the crown.
3D digital scan taken using advanced technology.

In Between Appointments:
You have time for lunch or can return to work.

Afternoon Appointment: 3. Crown Design: Our in-house lab technicians design a virtual crown using computer technology.

On-Site Milling: The crown is milled from porcelain, typically within a day. It's then glazed and fired in our in-house lab.

Final Fitting:

The crown is tried in and checked for fit.
Adjustments are made if necessary.
The crown is permanently cemented in place.
In contrast to traditional crown procedures with multiple appointments and interim care, our same-day process offers efficiency and convenience for a quicker solution to your dental needs.ment. Veneers offer long-lasting results, resist staining, and require minimal tooth alteration, making them a popular choice for achieving a beautiful and natural-looking smile. Contact us for an appointment so you can consult with your dentist to see if Veneers are the right choice for you!

Metal Free Crowns

All-ceramic or all-porcelain dental crowns are made from high strength ceramic, typically in a single layer. They provide a natural color match and are hypoallergenic. These crowns require less tooth structure trimming as they can be permanently bonded. They are a good choice for front and back teeth.

Zirconia dental crowns are made from strong white silicate material called zirconium oxide. They come in two types - solid zirconia and high translucent zirconia. Solid zirconia is suitable for back teeth that undergo high stresses, while high translucent zirconia is used for a more natural tooth aesthetic.

At our Clinic, we generally use Metal-free crowns, as they offer natural aesthetics, minimal tooth alteration, hypoallergenic properties, exceptional strength, and versatility for a beautiful, long-lasting smile.

Metal Containing Crowns
Metal crowns can be made from gold alloy, other alloys like palladium, or a base-metal alloy such as nickel or chromium. Crowns with higher gold content require less tooth trimming and are resistant to chipping and breaking. However, they have a metallic color. Porcelain-fused-to-metal crowns have a metal interior and a porcelain layer for a more natural appearance, but they can chip or wear off over time. These crowns can be used for front or back teeth and are typically cheaper.

On average, dental crowns last between 5 and 10 years. The life span of a crown depends on the amount of “wear and tear” the crown is exposed to, how well you follow good oral hygiene practices, and your mouth-related habits (you should avoid such habits as grinding or clenching your teeth, chewing ice, biting your fingernails and using your teeth to open objects such as beer caps, or packaging).

While a crowned tooth does not require any special care, remember that the underlying tooth is still your natural tooth and is still subject to decay or gum disease. Therefore, continue to follow good oral hygiene practices, including brushing your teeth at least twice a day and flossing once a day and make sure there is no food stuck between the teeth.

• Discomfort or sensitivity. 
  You may experience some heat and cold sensitivity on your newly crowned tooth immediately after the procedure as the anaesthesia begins to wear off if the tooth that has been crowned still has a nerve in it. Your dentist may recommend that you brush teeth with toothpaste designed for sensitive teeth. This sensitivity is usually temporary and will go away in a few day. Persistent soreness or sensitivity that occurs when you bite down could mean that the crown is slightly too thick and is hitting the opposing tooth in some positions, and this needs to be highlighted to your dentist who can fix it.
• Chipped crown. Crowns made of all porcelain or porcelain fused to metal can sometimes chip. If the chip is small, a composite resin can be used to repair the chip with the crown remaining in your mouth. This is usually just a temporary fix. If the chipping is extensive, the crown may need to be replaced.
• Loose crown. Sometimes the cement washes out from under the crown. Not only does this allow the crown to become loose, it allows bacteria to leak in and cause decay to the tooth internally. If a crown feels loose, contact your dentist’s office.
• Crown falls off. Sometimes crowns fall off. Reasons include decaying of the underlying tooth and loosening of the cementing material used to place the crown. If your crown comes off, clean the crown and the front of the tooth. You can replace the crown temporarily using dental adhesive or temporary tooth cement that is sold in stores for this purpose. Contact your dentist’s office immediately. He or she will give you specific instructions on how to care for the tooth and crown for the day or so until you can be seen for an evaluation. Your dentist may be able to re-cement the crown in place; if not, a new crown will need to be made.
• Allergic reaction. Because the metals used to make crowns are usually a mixture of metals, an allergic reaction to the metals or porcelain used in crowns can occur, but this is extremely rare.
• Dark line on crowned tooth next to the gum line. A dark line next to the gum line of your crowned tooth could be present if you have a porcelain-fused-to-metal crown. This dark line is simply the metal of the crown showing through. While not a problem in itself, the dark line may be cosmetically unacceptable and you can request to replace the crown with an all porcelain or ceramic one.

The dental crown will never stain or change color, unlike natural teeth. Crowns containing metal usually appear different or unnaturally opaque compared to your other teeth. However, ceramic crowns can be made indistinguishable from your existing teeth.

Onlays and 3/4 crowns are variations on the technique of dental crowns. The difference between these crowns and the crowns discussed previously is their coverage of the underlying tooth. The “traditional” crown covers the entire tooth; onlays and 3/4 crowns cover the underlying tooth to a lesser extent.
Inlays are only possible when the cavity is less than 1/3 the size of the tooth and are an alternative to large fillings. They tend to have a better shape for cleaning and to prevent food getting stuck between the teeth, and last much longer than conventional fillings.

The advantage of onlays, “3/4 crowns” or inlays are that they involve much less removal of the tooth structure, while still protecting the weak areas of the tooth. Also, if the restoration fails in future, there is more tooth remaining which makes it more likely to survive rather than requiring an extraction.

For tooth decay or fractures that are not as large, we recommend ceramic onlays and inlays as explained above.

However, if the tooth is badly damaged, we will need to place a dental crown.

The purpose of the crown is to protect the tooth by covering it, and it has to be made of strong enough materials to serve its purpose. Some people may think about using a normal filling material to directly place a large filling over the surface of the tooth. This may work in the short term, but as the normal filling material is not rigid enough to hold the tooth together, cracks will continue to progress and the filling will break. The tooth will still need to be prepared or drilled again to fit a dental crown, causing more issues.

Porcelain veneers or a combination of braces and teeth whitening for the front teeth can help you achieve a purely cosmetic treatment by changing the shape of the teeth.

A dental bridge or implant can replace missing tooth if you choose to extract the tooth rather than to do a crown.

References:

1. The Evolution Of the Cerec System
   Werner Moörmann – https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0002817714652995
   

2. Influence Of Different Convergence Angles and Tooth Preparation Heights on the Internal Adaptation Of Cerec Crowns
   Shu-Hui Mou-Tsongi Chai-Juo-Song Wang-Yuh-Yuan Shiau – https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0022391302727376
   

3. Marginal Adaptation Of Cerec 3 Cad/cam Composite Crowns Using Two Different Finish Line Preparation Designs
   aber Akbar-Cynthia Petrie-Mary Walker-Karen Williams-J. Eick – https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1532-849X.2006.00095.x
   

4. Cerec Cad/cam Chairside System
   G Sannino-F Germano-L Arcuri-E Bigelli-C Arcuri-A Barlattani – https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4402686/
   

5. An Up To 5-year Clinical Evaluation Of Posterior In-ceram Cad/cam Core Crowns
   Andreas Bindl-Werner Mörmann – https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12375459
   

6. Full-ceramic CAD/CIM anterior crowns and copings https://europepmc.org/article/med/11351494