Porcelain Crowns

In the past, before bonding technology was available, dental crowns were made with a metal foundation in order to create a strong enough bond to prevent breaking.  Today however, the bonding technologies are advanced enough to allow crowns to be made of porcelain or other ceramic materials that will hold up under the pressure of heaving chewing.

The advantage of using porcelain crowns is they can be near identical in color to the other teeth in the patient's mouth. This is more aesthetically pleasing and is common practice as one of our cosmetic dental and restorative dentistry, and smile makeover procedures.

A dental crown would be necessary for a number of reasons.
• The tooth has more filling than tooth structure.
• There is extensive damage or decay of a tooth
• The tooth is fractured
• Tooth has had a root canal
• If a tooth is replaced by a bridge, adjacent teeth require crowns to support the bridge.

On the back teeth, Dr. Heidari may opt to do what are called a porcelain onlay.  Very similar and often referred to as a crown, there are similarities to porcelain crowns with a couple of exceptions.  One is we grind away less of the tooth and leave the healthy tooth structure in place.  Another is, because we keep the margins away from the gum, there is less inflammation than with a full crown.

The process of getting fitted for a porcelain crown is the same as for a metal crown and the process will generally take two visits. During your first visit, the tooth is prepared for the crown, an impression or mold is made, and a temporary crown is placed over the prepared tooth. At the second visit, the temporary crown is removed and the final crown is fitted and cemented into place.

Here in our Palo Alto dental office, we offer General & Family Dentistry services, Cosmetic Dentistry and Dental Implants, Invisalign and Orthodontics, Porcelain Veneers and Porcelain Crowns, Teeth Whitening, and a wide variety of other dentistry services. Please call our Palo Alto dental office at 650.327.7525 or send an email to APPT@PaloAltoDentistry.com to find out more about our staff and services.

If you're located in the San Jose area, and are in need of dentistry services, please visit our San Jose dental office website at: www.SerenityDentistry.com or call 408.999.0444.

If you're in the Santa Cruz, Aptos, Soquel area and need dental services, please visit our website at: www.CreekViewDentistry.com or call 831.688.6531.