Porcelain Crown at Beverly Hills

An Interview With Dr. Vafa, A Qualified Dentist In Beverly Hills

What are dental crowns?

A crown is a very popular dental treatment that covers the whole tooth and supports the tooth structure, in cases of extensive damage to the tooth like trauma, root canal, recurrent cavity under old filling , broken filling or implants.

Crowns are made by various dental materials. Most common type of crowns are porcelain fused to metal or full porcelain usually fabricated using indirect methods. Before making the Crown, I make sure the tooth supporting tissue such as gum, bone and periodontal ligaments are in good condition. The tooth with filled root canal needs a pin inside the tooth to support the filling. We shave the tooth down 1 or 1.5 millimeter at all sides .

Taking the impression is the next step and then it is fabricated in the lab by a technician. Using this indirect method of tooth restoration allows use of strong restorative materials requiring time consuming fabrication methods and intense heat, such as casting metal or firing porcelain which would not be possible to complete inside the mouth.

At the next appointment, crown is bonded to the tooth using the dental cement. The new materials of full porcelain Crowns such as Zirconia, Lava,E-max have the natural look of a crown. I personally prefer to use the full porcelain crown for my patients. They look natural and in the future there is no sign of the dark line close to the gum. In the case of missing teeth, the treatment of choice to restore the missing part is a bridge.

To make a bridge, we should shave down the adjacent teeth of missing area and fabricate the bridge. The bridge consist of at least three teeth attached together. Most af the patients prefer to get the implant instead. By getting the implants, I avoid shaving down the other teeth.