When too much tooth structure has been lost due to decay or fracture, often the dentist and patient’s best treatment choice is to restore the tooth to normal function and cosmetic appearance is a dental crown [cap or jacket]. Dental crowns are usually made of porcelain fused to metal or all-ceramic depending on the situation and judgment of the dentist. The restoration of the damaged tooth becomes more of an esthetic concern if it is located near the front of one's mouth and is visible when one smiles. Caring dentists try to make the end result as natural and conservative as possible. How we perceive our smile and appearance affects our self-esteem, our moods and how we function in social and business relationships. So, when this “broken tooth” situation occurs, there is a sense of urgency.
The tooth is prepared to allow enough room for the crown to fit over the tooth and avoid without interfering with the person's occlusion [dental bite]. This procedure usually takes 2 visits in the dental office. A provisional (dental temporary) acrylic crown is made and temporarily cemented over the tooth. In the second visit, the crown is "tried in" to see how accurately it fits and to confirm that the ceramic color chosen matches the surrounding teeth. If both the patient and dentist are satisfied, the crown is permanently cemented or bonded to the tooth. For front teeth, it was not uncommon for shade try-in session to need to be repeated. Digital photography has helped the dentist communicate with the technician to ensure natural looking dental crowns (and porcelain veneers). On occasion, there may be too much tooth lost to do a filling, too little tooth structure lost to warrant a complete dental crown, but sufficient tooth structure remaining to create a partial dental crown, inlay, onlay or porcelain veneer. Whenever prudent, dentists espouse preserving as much natural tooth structure as possible when selecting the final restoration for a tooth.
For more details and photos, refer to the Inlays, Onlays and Crowns page, http://www.themanhattandentist.com/inlays.php , Porcelain Veneers page, http://www.themanhattandentist.com/dental-veneers.php , and Smile Gallery page in this web site.
http://www.themanhattandentist.com/smile-cosmetic-dentist-gallery-new-york.php
Contact our office if you think you, or someone you know, is a candidate for one of these procedures.
Elliot Davis, DDS
80 5th Ave. Suite #1607
New York, NY 10011
(212) 645-9255
TheManhattanDentist@gmail.com
http://www.themanhattandentist.com
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