Porcelain Crowns Questions

San Diego, La Jolla and Poway

San Diego Cosmetic Dentistry - Dental Crowns FAQ What is a porcelain crown?

A porcelain crown covers your entire tooth, replacing the outside of your tooth and leaving the inside of your natural tooth in place. It is colored and shaped to perfectly match your natural tooth.

Why are crowns used?

A crown is used in a tooth where a filling cannot provide enough coverage and strength. This can be in a weak tooth, a tooth with large areas of decay, or after a root canal.

Do porcelain crowns look and feel real?

Yes. Our advanced technology allows us to perfectly match the color and shape of your natural teeth. The porcelain itself absorbs light in the same way that your natural tooth enamel does, so they look alive.

Your crown will be shaped to perfectly meet up with your opposing tooth and may even be a better fit than your original tooth.

Why use porcelain instead of other materials?

Porcelain will give you the most natural-looking results:

Gold is very visible
Composite bonding and porcelain fused to metal, while tooth-colored, do not interact with light in the same way as your natural tooth enamel and have a less lustrous look
Porcelain fused to metal will eventually develop a visible dark line near the gum line, as the gums slowly recede with age.

Don’t crowns pop off?

If a crown is not properly seated or if it is not perfectly shaped to your natural tooth, it can come loose. This used to be a common problem with crowns. Dr. Coleman’s advanced technology and LVI training allow him to fit your crown perfectly to your natural tooth, so this does not occur.

Will I have to give up coffee and tea to keep my crown from staining?

No. Porcelain is very resistant to staining, even if you drink coffee and tea, or smoke cigarettes.

Why not just replace my tooth?

There are three alternatives to respond to three different degrees of decay:

When a tooth needs only a crown and not also a root canal, the tooth pulp (nerves, blood vessels and other structures) are still functioning. No cosmetic dentist would want to remove a functioning tooth unnecessarily.

If the tooth pulp is decayed and must be removed, a modern root canal procedure can easily replace it and cover the tooth with a porcelain crown. That prolongs the tooth’s life.

But if decay has spread completely through the tooth and its root and is threatening the jawbone itself, then the entire tooth must be extracted. All decay and bacteria must be removed to stop infection and further health problems. Then a dental implant (artificial tooth root) can be used to support a crown, and that gives you a new tooth to fill the gap left by the old one.

Will the procedure be painful?

Dr. Coleman offers sedation dentistry and sleep dentistry to give you a relaxed and comfortable experience. Sedation and sleep dentistry can enhance the effects of local anesthetics for those whose system is resistant to them. And they can reduce or eliminate any memory of the occasion.

The Coleman Center for Cosmetic Dentistry, serving San Diego, La Jolla, and Poway, brings together the most advanced technology and techniques available in cosmetic dentistry , neuromuscular dentistry and general dentistry for your dental care. Contact us today to schedule your complimentary cosmetic dentistry consultation.

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