The Dental Crown Procedure

Dental crowns help maintain the functionality of damaged teeth. Dental crowns, commonly referred to as “caps,” can be used in a number of ways; such as protecting a tooth that has been cracked or damaged by decay and sometimes replacing a preexisting crown. The purpose of a dental crown is to encase a damaged or worn out tooth with a material that has been custom-designed. Today, dentists have an assortment of conservative treatment options to restore teeth. If it is a possibility, these options should be looked at and discussed prior to selecting the option of a full coverage dental crown procedure. Read below to learn more about the dental crown procedure in our San Antonio dentist office.

The Clinical Procedure

During the dental crown procedure process, your San Antonio cosmetic dentist must prepare the tooth and make a molded impression of your teeth to send to a dental laboratory where the crown will be made. During your cosmetic dentistry visit, a personalized temporary dental crown is made to protect the tooth temporarily while the actual custom made crown is being molded completed in the dental laboratory. Once the final mold is finished, the dental crown is cemented or adhesively bonded at a later visit.

Dental Crown Materials: Ceramic and Porcelain Crowns

There are various restorative material choices used for entire coverage dental crowns including:

1. Porcelain-fused-to-metal
2. All-ceramic (all-porcelain)

The material selected for the individual dental crown is determined by the clinical demands at hand such as aesthetic demands, strength requirements, the durability of the material and the space available for the dental crown procedure.

Porcelain-Fused-to-Metal Dental Crowns

A strong, durable, and aesthetic treatment option is provided by porcelain-fused-to-metal dental crowns. A key factor for the aesthetic and functional success of this type of dental crown is ensuring the preparation of the underlying tooth structure provides adequate space for the appropriate thickness of the material selected.

Additionally, the artistic skill of the laboratory technologist creating the crown will determine its aesthetic appeal. One consideration when using a porcelain-fused-to-metal cap is that these crowns may tend to show the underlying metal or gold margin at the gum line as gums recede over time. Some patients opt for this type of dental crown, but replace the crown at a later date in order to maintain a higher esthetic benefit. This vulnerability of porcelain-fused-to-metal dental crowns can be eliminated by having an all porcelain collar.

All-Ceramic Dental Crowns

Zirconia or aluminous materials are the most popular material choices for all-ceramic dental crowns. These materials provide a dental crown option that is a metal-free esthetic with a number of benefits. An esthetic all-ceramic dental crown can be created with a thinner material because the accommodating metal core has been reduced or eliminated. The thinner option makes all-ceramic, or porcelain dental crowns, a treatment choice that is favored for areas with a limited amount of space. Additionally, by getting rid of the metal core, porcelain dental crowns have more life-like  properties and a higher level of esthetics.

All-ceramic materials are continuously evolving in the amount of strength and durability they possess, but an individual must still be careful around areas of the mouth needing heavy function. There is ongoing research being performed, exploring the significant vulnerabilities of the porcelain dental crown procedure systems in such regions.