Dental crowns are excellent tools that we use to restore functionality, color and/or beauty to teeth and your smile. And while many people may have heard of them, often times there are many questions surrounding the process, costs and their maintenance. This is why we have put together this list of some of the questions we are commonly asked on this subject. Our goal is to provide you with straightforward answers so that you have a clearer understanding of the treatment and are comfortable making the decision to go forward with these excellent tooth restorations should they ever be required.

What Is A Crown?

A dental crown is a tooth-shaped “cap” or cover that a dentist places over a tooth that is badly damaged from trauma or decay in order to restore its color, strength, size and functionality. They are also used for cosmetic reasons to improve discolored or misshapen teeth.

Why Can The Cost Of Crowns Vary?

The reason the cost of a crown can vary greatly, even from dentist to dentist is quite simple. The most beautiful crowns require the artistry and years of experience of a team of dental professionals; your dentist and the laboratory technicians that handcraft crowns. To meet higher expectations of some individuals requires more experience, artistry and skill. And great art just tends to cost more. A customized temporary crown may even be used as a preview to see what a final crown will look like. Another critical factor is the choice of materials used. For example, while all porcelain crowns are made from high-quality ceramic (glass) material, they are not equal. It is therefore more expensive in terms of time, skill and expertise to produce the most natural looking results.

How Long Will A Crown Last?

Most dentists expect a crown to last at least 7-10 years with normal wear and proper maintenance. However, depending on the materials used and location of the tooth, they can last upwards of 50 years or more. For example, a gold crown has the longest lifespan because gold is such a durable material that has little to no negative impact on surrounding teeth. On the other hand, porcelain produces a completely natural look but can cause wear to adjacent teeth.

What Materials Are Most Often Used For Crowns?

The three most common materials used to make crowns are as follows:

• Gold
• Porcelain-Fused-to Metal (PFM)
• All porcelain

To learn more on this topic, read the Dear Doctor article, “Porcelain Crowns & Veneers.” You can also contact us to discuss your questions or to schedule a consultation.

When it comes to restoring both the beauty and functionality of a smile, two of the most commonly used techniques are porcelain crowns and veneers. Why? They consistently deliver beautiful, natural-looking results that are permanent and require very little maintenance. And while they have many things in common, they also have just as many differences.

The Similarities

Here are some facts that apply to both porcelain veneers and crowns:

• Both enable changes to a tooth's color and shape.
• Dental laboratory technicians use precise molds made by our office to hand-craft porcelain veneers and crowns.
• Both are made using high-quality dental porcelain.
• Neither respond to tooth whitening products — the color of the veneer or crown remains the same color as the day it was placed.
• Neither procedure is reversible once completed.

The Differences

Here are some of their differences:

• Crowns are used to replace a larger amount of tooth structure while veneers are thin shells that are placed over the front surface of teeth.
• Veneers require much less tooth preparation (reduction by drilling) than crowns.
• Crowns allow for greater change of tooth shape, while veneers allow for more minor changes.
• Crowns are generally used to restore teeth that have lost tooth structure from decay or trauma.
• Veneers are generally used where teeth are structurally healthy and intact, but color and shape change are required.
• Veneers are used mostly for teeth that are visible when smiling, while crowns can be used to restore virtually any tooth.

Want To Learn More?

To learn more, read the Dear Doctor article, “Porcelain Crowns & Veneers.” Or, you can contact us to discuss your questions or to schedule a consultation.

Being unhappy with your smile can impact your life in ways that you might not even realize. Are you awkward in social situations that require smiling? Do you shy away from becoming romantically involved? You may even miss out on a better job because you don't want to be forced to endure a live interview for fear of smiling!

If you've decided that the time is right to regain some self-confidence by having your smile redesigned, we can help. We will begin with a consultation, during which we will discuss a number of factors that will influence the process and the final result of your smile makeover including:

• What do you want from a new smile?
• How do you want your new teeth to look?
• How we can use photographs and computer simulations to show you what your new smile will look like before we even start.
• How we work with dental technicians to test shapes, sizes, and colors to personalize teeth so that they closely match your natural teeth.
• How we use “customized temporary restorations” to let you test-drive the look and feel of the final crowns and veneers so that we can guarantee success.

We can even show you “before and after” photos taken of our many patients throughout the course of their makeovers. And, of course, we will discuss the costs to you with respect to both time and money based on the extent and type of work that is necessary to give you your ideal smile.

The tools that are now at our disposal can make the entire smile redesign process an essentially painless and highly creative collaboration that includes constant interaction between you, us, and dental laboratory technicians as we all work together to create your new smile. If you think you are ready to start exploring the possibilities, please call our office to set up a consultation. To learn more about cosmetic dentistry, read the Dear Doctor magazine article “Cosmetic Dentistry: A Time For Change.”

“Smile, and the world smiles with you,” the old saying goes. For people who are afraid to smile because they don't like how their smile looks, the twenty-first century offers a myriad of solutions. Smiling shows your teeth in their various shapes, colors, and sizes, your gums and gum line, your tooth alignment, spacing, and bite all in relation to the rest of your face. Any of these can now be improved.

Through the knowledge, skills, and combined experience of our dental team, it is now possible to make teeth whiter, brighter, and more evenly aligned, to alter tooth shape and size, and to make the teeth and gum line more proportionally balanced. Here are some options for cosmetic dentistry:

• Polish. Remove unwanted stains on outside tooth surfaces by having your teeth polished.
• Teeth Whitening. If teeth are stained or have just lost their luster, whitening is a safe and effective way to lighten a smile.
• Porcelain veneers. Applying a thin layer of dental porcelain restorative material to replace stained or damaged tooth enamel can truly change a smile.
• Porcelain crowns. If teeth are damaged by decay or trauma, porcelain crowns can replace the parts of the teeth that show above the gum line.
• Orthodontics. For teeth that are not in their correct and functional position, a variety of orthodontic techniques can be used including traditional braces, clear aligners and more—to improve crooked teeth or a malaligned bite.
• Dental implants. Nothing ruins a smile more than missing teeth. Entire teeth can be replaced, including the roots and the crowns, using dental implants. These are exact replicas of the natural teeth and can be made to match their neighbors exactly.

To learn more about all types of cosmetic dentistry, read “Cosmetic Dentistry, a Time for Change.” Or if you prefer, you can contact us to discuss your questions or to schedule an appointment.

Projecting a healthy, radiant smile can help boost self-confidence and lead to increased comfort and success in both personal and career-oriented situations. Yet, many people are unhappy with their less-than-pearly whites, causing them to avoid social interaction and even lose out on opportunities because they are too self-conscious.

Your dissatisfaction with the appearance of your teeth may also be causing you to stifle one of nature's most endearing and intrinsic impulses, simply smiling!

For example, do you:

• Avoid posing for pictures that require a smile?
• Cover your mouth when speaking or laughing in public?
• Avoid dating because you feel unattractive?
• Feel that people think less of you because your smile is flawed?
• Think your smile makes you look older than you are?

If you've answered yes to any of these questions, you are certainly not alone. A poll conducted by the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry found that, while a whopping 99.7% of respondents said they considered a good smile to be a highly important social asset, only 50% of those same respondents indicated that they were satisfied with their own smile. In addition, the Academy reported that people between the ages of 31 and 50 are most unhappy with their smile, are most concerned with making a good first impression through a strong smile, and most frequently seek out information on cosmetic dentistry.

The good news is that advances in cosmetic enhancement and restorative dentistry, including treatments like teeth whitening and the application of porcelain veneers to correct tooth crowding, make it possible for anyone to enhance or improve their smile and boost their self-image. And a complete “Smile Makeover” has been shown to positively impact the perception that others have with respect to attractiveness, popularity, and even wealth — all based on the quality of a person's smile.

Our office can work with you to determine just what it will take to improve your smile and self confidence from as little as a minor enhancement to a complete smile makeover — anything that would best match your idea of the perfect smile. To get started, give us a call.

To read about others who have regained their confidence after brightening and whitening their smiles through cosmetic dentistry, read the Dear Doctor magazine article “The Impact of a Smile Makeover.”