DENTAL CROWNS
Crowns can help protect what remains of your tooth when it has lost a lot of the original tooth structure.
COSMETIC DENTISTRY | DENTAL CROWNS
DENTAL TREATMENTS
Crowns can help protect what remains of your tooth when it has lost a lot of the original tooth structure. Crowns are also known to improve success rates of root canal therapy therefore you may be choosing a crown in order to protect an investment already made; this is a wise choice.
When crafted with care by our expert technicians, crowns look beautiful whilst also protecting the remaining tooth underneath. This often extends the life of a tooth for many years by supporting the damaged structure while you continue to function and enjoy life as normal.
Porcelain bonded crowns PBCs
These crowns are quite traditional dentistry as they contain metal layer under the natural looking porcelain. Dentistry is moving away from metal in general, however this is still a very reasonable choice at the back of the mouth where the metal provides a very strong base for the natural looking porcelain on top.
At VIDA a PBC can look as natural as your own tooth and if you have other PBCs in your mouth, it may be easier to match the new crown if it is also made as a PBC rather than as a more modern style crown.
We only use the very best technicians and techniques and we will never fit a crown unless it has a natural quality.
Our PBC crowns are made using CADCAM technology for ultimate precision of fit.
Emax crowns and onlays
VIDA patients generally choose highly aesthetic Emax options that are bonded to the tooth and provide a wonderful opportunity to strengthen and protect broken down teeth.
Onlays are very conservative but protective ways of repairing cracks, breaks, or more extensive decay. They are considered a more conservative option to crowns and are particularly useful when the tooth underneath is still alive as your dentist will want to do as little as possible to the tooth, yet still protect what remains of your natural tooth.
For more serious breakages and decay, your dentist will recommend a crown as this covers the tooth more fully and will still give the most aesthetic result.
Emax used in either an onlay or a crown is a great material for disguising joins between teeth and roots. When roots recede this can become a noticeable join and older style crowns can show their edges more than those made with Emax material.
Our Emax crowns are made using CADCAM technology for ultimate precision of fit.
Gold crowns
These crowns are still available however we use them less and less for economic or aesthetic reasons. There is still a time and a place for them, and VIDA dentists still love them for their precision and ability to withstand very strong bite forces which may cause breakages in ceramic materials. Most popular at the very back of the mouth where bite forces are strongest and where the gold may not be visible: at VIDA we also have methods of dulling down the gold effect to make them less noticeable, if you wish.
VIDA dentists are more likely to recommend a gold crown over a pBC or Emax for a second molar tooth as on these teeth the forces are higher and the strength of gold is seen as a very predictable option for these teeth.
Our gold crowns are made using traditional casting techniques rather than CADCAM.
Do crowns harm teeth?
Not when they’re done conservatively. This means, taking as little tooth away as possible in order to protect the tooth with a crown and prevent against big breakages that could render the tooth unsaveable.
VIDA dentists also understand that success rates of root canal treatments are better if the tooth is crowned, therefore we may recommend a crown to protect a previous investment.
Either way, our job at VIDA is to guide you towards the most protective and beneficial treatments, drawing on our vast experience of private dentistry and the best materials and techniques. We want for you the type of dentistry we would choose for our own family and ourselves.
What is involved in having a crown?
To make a crown, an impression of your tooth is taken and our expert technicians produce a tooth-shaped ceramic or metal/ceramic combination crown that fits over your damaged tooth.
The permanent crown is matched to fit the natural colour of your teeth and it is fitted with a special adhesive or cement depending on the materials chosen by yourself and your dentist.
At VIDA you can see your dental crown before it’s fitted and you can even become involved at the design stage if you are having extensive work or have a particular vision in mind that you want to communicate to your VIDA dentist. We can produce wax models to show you how the final result is going to look, taking into account your smile and lip line. We can then make alterations to these until you feel you have a prototype you are happy with.
If you have a big event such as a wedding or reunion, being able to adjust or approve our work before treatment starts you’ll feel even more reassured about the decision you’ve made to improve your smile. This peace of mind is all part of the VIDA ethos of professionalism from a quality team all under one roof.
I’ve heard that a crown can lead to a root canal?
Often teeth that benefit from a crown have a history of decay or breakages, which age the tooth. This predisposes the tooth to needing root canal treatments in future. A proportion of teeth that are crowned will go on to needing root canal work. As a ballpark figure this proportion is in the region of 2-25 %, although research is difficult to interpret because the life of every tooth is different. What matters most is that any treatment you have is done with respect to the living tooth, its structure, and your desire to minimise dentistry- at VIDA, this care and consideration is guaranteed.
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