NYC Cosmetic Dentistry – Dental Crowns
The best Cosmetic dental procedures like Dental Crowns and Porcelain Veneers are increasingly becoming more commonplace. There are a wide variety of dental cosmetic procedures that are available. Over time, for a variety of reasons, one’s tooth structure gets compromised aesthetically. Crowns are used to help improve the overall appearance and the strength of the teeth. There are a number of crowns that are available for restorative and top cosmetic dental interventions.
What is a Dental Crown?
A crown is a cosmetic dental restoration material that encircles a tooth or dental implant or caps it completely. The crown is normally bonded to the tooth or implant surface using a special cement that is designed solely for dental purposes. The crown materials are usually fabricated and constructed using indirect methods. Strong restorative materials that require the use of intense heat during their fabrication are used. These materials include casting metals or firing porcelain that is particularly used to fabricate porcelain crowns.
Uses of Dental Crowns
- Decayed teeth
- Fractured or broken teeth
- Cosmetic dental enhancements
- Large or fractured fillings
- Teeth with root canals
Advantages and Benefits of Porcelain Crowns
Porcelain crowns are the most popular types of crowns used in top cosmetic dentistry. This is because they resemble the human tooth aesthetically. The color of porcelain crowns resemble the normal tooth’s color.
Porcelain crowns are highly durable and can last the user several years before needing an inevitable replacement.
The fabricated porcelain crowns can be designed to match the shape, size and color of the patient’s tooth. This inevitably boosts their confidence levels and appearance, as they will be able to have beautiful smiles for all to see.
Cosmetic Dental Procedure for Porcelain Crowns
In order for porcelain crowns to be placed, there are two main dental appointments that are critical for the patient to attend.
First Appointment
The first appointment involves the use of several molds that are highly accurate in order to create a custom, user specific crown mold for each patient. This process enables the cosmetic dentist to create a dental impression of a prepared tooth. The impression will then enable them to fabricate the crown outside the patient’s mouth. The mold creates a temporary crown that will sit on the client’s tooth for about two weeks or so, until a new crown is fabricated.
As the patient’s tooth is numbed using local anesthetics, any existing tooth decay material and debris is first removed. The surface of the tooth is then shaped to ensure that the new crown will fit perfectly. The temporary crown is then attached to the tooth or implant surface using dental cement.
Computers have been increasingly embraced as part of dental crown fabrication as advances in material science and technology are made. Currently cosmetic dentists have delved into Computer Aided Design (CAD) or Computer Aided Manufacturing (CAM) dentistry.
Second Appointment
During the second appointment, the main goal is the insertion of the fabricated crown. The temporary crown is removed and the fabricated crown carefully fit to ensure that bite and spacing are accurate. At this juncture, the patient is given a set of dental care instructions for the crown. The patient will then be advised to have regular dental appointments to check on the new crown placement over time.