San Diego Dental Crown doctors
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Rod Strober, DDS
San Diego Cosmetic Dentist
3330 3rd Ave. Ste. 302, San Diego |
1 answer | |
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Douglas Decker, DDS
San Diego Cosmetic Dentist
2533 EL Cajon Boulevard, San Diego |
1 answer | |
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Sam J. Halabo, DMD
San Diego Cosmetic Dentist
239 F Street, Chula Vista |
1 answer | |
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James D. Salazar, DDS
San Diego Cosmetic Dentist
6902 Navajo Road , San Diego |
1 answer | |
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Jimmy C. Wu, DDS
San Diego Cosmetic Dentist
7851 University Avenue Suite 206, La Mesa |
1 answer |
Recent Answers
I have large "black triangles" between my front teeth. They are about 3 mm wide. I wanted to cover up these spaces. My dentist said these spaces are too big for veneers, and he recommended crowns. He said that because of the large spaces, veneers will have more chance of infection since the teeth are only covered on one side. I heard that crowns are more invasive because I will loose even more tooth structure. I am in my mid 50s. My insurance will mostly pay for the crowns.
Before you start treatment you need to discuss all your options with your dentist. The situation that you are describing may need a multidisciplinary approach such as the use of orthodontics, periodontics and restorative/cosmetic dentistry to achieve a stable functional esthetic result. Make sure that you do not make your decision on what your insurance will pay for as this may not be what is best for your case. Good luck. I would love to see a before and after picture.
What kind of numbing agents are offered when Cerec crowns are fitted? Do patients ever need anything more than tylenol afterwards?
In our office the fitting of the CEREC filling or crown is done on the same day as the preparation. That is one of the great advantages of having the CEREC!! Therefore, the patient is aleady numb from the preparation. However, if the CEREC restoration is done on a separate day than most likely you will have to get numb again. (again another disadvantage of not having the fitting the same day) Otherwise you will be too sensitive. If the tooth has had a root canal then no you willnot need to be numb for the fitting.
If i think the patient will be sensitive or swollen after I recommend Advil ( ibuprofen) dircetly after the treatment. We keep Advil in the office for such occassions
Compared to other options for crowns, are Cerec just as reliable? What factors might cause them to fail?
In the hands of a skilled and competent dentist, CEREC crowns and onlays/inlays work well. However, I see alot of people coming in with poorly done CEREC restorations. It seems as though there is a steep and long/tall learning curve. Some dentists do not seem to ever get thru the learning curve. Quite often they are poorly cemented with gaps at the margins or excess cement that cannot be cleaned off. I also believe there is tendency of dentists to overprescribe CEREC crowns when a direct composite filling would work fine. Typically the patients insurance will pay 80% of $150-$330 for a filling vs. 50% of $600-$1200 for a CEREC restoration. This is a huge difference in the out of pocket expense for the patient. The dentist has $100,000 invested in the CEREC system and has to pay that overhead so it seems like CEREC is being over-utilized. The old saying..."if all you have is an (expensive) hammer, everything looks like a nail ! "