Dental Crowns

If you are unhappy with a cracked, broken or decayed tooth, a dental crown may be just what you need to restore your smile. A dental crown is a restoration that protects a damaged tooth and its root, along with preserving functionality. Dental crowns are commonly called “caps” because they fit snugly over your natural teeth. Crowns are often the restoration of choice for fixing dental problems caused by trauma or natural wear and tear when the problem is not severe enough for a dental implant.

Our cosmetic dentistry office in Columbia, Missouri is designed for your needs and your comfort. Columbia cosmetic dentists Valle and Jon Rischer will listen to your dental goals, answer your questions and create the smile you have always dreamed of.

Types of Crowns

At Dentistry for Design, we offer three types of crowns:

• All Porcelain: These crowns look indistinguishable from your natural teeth. Therefore, these restorations are ideal for correcting a tooth in the front of your mouth that becomes broken or suffers from decay. All-porcelain crowns allow the color of your original tooth to shine through, as they are truly translucent, and will never show metal at your gum line. 

• Porcelain-Fused-to-Metal: This is the strongest restoration, composed of two different types of materials: metal alloy that fits directly on your tooth and porcelain that forms the tooth-shaped part. The main disadvantage of these crowns is that over time, the restoration can wear, exposing the metal alloy. Therefore, porcelain-fused-to-metal crowns are not as natural-appearing as all-porcelain crowns and are best suited for the back of your mouth.

• LAVA: This full-porcelain crown is one of cosmetic dentistry’s best restorations, as it has the highest strength of all ceramic, metal-free restorations. Lava dental crowns present an innovative computer-aided design/computer-aided manufacturing (CAD/CAM) technology to produce an all-ceramic crown on a zirconia base. They were designed because of the need for all-porcelain crowns in the back of your mouth, where strength and durability is essential, and are also suitable for the front of your mouth.

Am I a Candidate?

You may be a good candidate for a dental crown if:

• Acid erosion or tooth grinding has significantly damaged your teeth
• You have a major cavity and want added protection
• Your tooth has severe decay, and there is not enough remaining tooth structure to support a porcelain inlay/onlay.
• A large portion of your tooth has cracked or broken and it cannot be repaired with dental bonding
• You need strengthening after root canal treatment

If you suffer from tooth decay or feel you may benefit from a dental crown, please contact Dentistry by Design in Columbia, Missouri to schedule your consultation today.