Kent E. White, DDS, FICOI, LVIF

This is a good/great question that I’ve heard, even from dentists/team members for 24 years. The material chosen will be determined by th artist/Dr. to fit your Bite, muscle and shade, color and future dental careneeds.

Here’s  the deal: cosmetic, implant...Advanced anything cannot and will not ever be taught in dental school until there are mandated state residencies, imho. A dmd/dds degree gives you the very bare basics, that’s it....This reallly saddens me to say

So, with that in mind, consider and/or  look for someone who is an expert (trained at a specific post-doctoral institute). It will be obvious. They will typically have Fellowship credentials around their name or embedded in their web site. Their cases (before and after) are multidimensional and “specifically say” they are THEIR personal cases....hope this helps.  

Ps the most important investment is the investment in “yourself.”

This one is a very easy answer, for me. After 24years of practicing only contemporary dentistry, I give you my opinion. If the tooth has to have a full crown (60% of teeth can have alternatives such as 3/4 cr, veneer-lay, veneer crown, prepless restoraion...) then I will almost always go with Empress(still a favorite-younger sibling of eMac and more flexible-we need things to flex, not break) Emax or feldspathic porcelain.  Here’s the deal, the greatest material is conservation of tooth. This was made by our Maker, imho. Anything I do/place is only as good as what I leave for now and the tooth teeth’s future.

Zirconia really can’t bond to tooth....or at least like the others....think of comparing glue/cement to superglues chemical formation. Two, you still can’t xray through metal!! Zirconia is a white metal. Three, I love flexure. Why? I would rather to see my glass break, crack, craze...and have the ability to redo/upgrade...rather than wait for the tooth/teeth to rot off, break or start hurting. This is what I see and have seen my entire career. It’s sad to me. Four-I utilize zirconia over titanium and zirconia implant abutments (part sticking out of the gum) I certain cases; however, on most its emac. 

Conclusion: think of what’s needing replacement. If it’s the Enamel, the outer most part of the tooth, like bark on a tree (protects the integrity of the tree pulp)...then I veneer, like wood,furniture, guitars...that region only. The critical part(s) are attention to the adhesive process, selecting the proper ceramist/artist and ensuring the bite/chew cycles aren’t being ignored.

If you’ve made it this far, congratulations on being your advocate for Your healthcare.   Kent

Please be aware of this material    it certainly shows promise; however, it would not be my first top three choices in my mouth or patients     good luck     kew

I see this everyday   Please find someone that is fellowship -trained and is an expert in cosmetic, neuromuscular... and hopefully teaches other dentists....there are a lot of routes...choose the dental expert, not the best price, if you can      good luck    kew

Great question   please do everything you can to avoid extractions Your case, and your airway, will benefit so much from expanding the arches       good luck   kew