The Emerson Center for Oral Heath offers a comprehensive array of aesthetic, preventive and reconstructive dental services including state-of-the-art periondontics and implant dentistry.
We provide all forms of dental restorations including crowns, bridges, veneers, composite resin fillings and bonding, and dentures.
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Porcelain Crown
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Why Is a Dental Crown Needed?
A dental crown may be needed in the following situations:
1. To protect a weak tooth ( from decay) from breaking or to hold together parts of a cracked tooth
2. To restore an already broken tooth or a tooth that has been severely worn down
3. To cover and support a tooth with a large filling when there isn't a lot of tooth left
4. To cover misshapened or severely discolored teeth
5. To cover a dental implant
What Types of Crowns Are Available?
Permanent crowns can be made from all metal, porcelain-fused-to-metal, all resin, or all ceramic.
• All-ceramic or all-porcelain dental crowns provide the best natural color match than any other crown type and may be more suitable for people with metal allergies However, they are not as strong as porcelain-fused-to-metal crowns and they wear down opposing teeth a little more than metal or resin crowns. All-ceramic crowns are a good choice for front teeth.
• Porcelain-fused-to-metal dental crowns can be color matched to your adjacent teeth (unlike the metallic crowns). However, more wearing to the opposing teeth occurs with this crown type compared with metal or resin crowns. The crown's porcelain portion can also chip or break off. Next to all-ceramic crowns, porcelain-fused-to-metal crowns look most like normal teeth. However, sometimes the metal underlying the crown's porcelain can show through as a dark line, especially at the gum line and even more so if your gums recede. These crowns can be a good choice for front or back teeth.
• Metals used in crowns include gold alloy, other alloys (for example, palladium) or a base-metal alloy (for example, nickel or chromium). Compared with other crown types, less tooth structure needs to be removed with metal crowns, and tooth wear to opposing teeth is kept to a minimum. Metal crowns withstand biting and chewing forces well and probably last the longest in terms of wear down. Also, metal crowns rarely chip or break. The metallic color is the main drawback. Metal crowns are a good choice for out-of-sight molars.
Temporary versus permanent. Temporary crowns can be made in your dentist's office whereas permanent crowns are made in a dental laboratory. Temporary crowns are made of acrylic and can be used as a temporary restoration until a permanent crown is constructed by the dental laboratory.
Composite Resin Fillings
Bonding of composite resins is ideal for small corrections, in which most of the tooth is healthy and stable. It can be used to correct a wide variety of problems, including minor decay, chips, cracks, gaps between teeth, discoloration and crooked teeth.
Composite resins are a more esthetically-pleasing alternative to metal fillings or restorations. They have similar characteristics to a tooth’s natural enamel, and their color can be adjusted to match the particular color of your teeth.
Bonding is a non-invasive procedure that can provide astounding improvements in the appearance of your teeth.
Procedure
Dental bonding procedures can usually be completed in one office visit.
During the bonding procedure, a mild etching solution is first applied to the area of natural tooth enamel to receive the restoration. This solution roughens the surface which allows for a stronger bond between the tooth and resin. Next, the resin is placed on the tooth and treated with a curing light that activates bonding. Your dentist then sculpts the resin to the desired shape, and finally polishes the area.
