Your comfort is essential

Fabricated on a model

Completed anterior crown

Anterior Porcelain Crowns

It takes two or more appointments to restore a damaged tooth with a porcelain crown. That's because a crown is fabricated in a dental laboratory to precisely fit your tooth.

The first visit

We want the entire procedure to be comfortable for you, so the first thing we do is make sure your mouth is thoroughly numb. We then use the handpiece to shape the tooth and remove any decay.

To create models of your teeth on which the dental laboratory will fabricate your crown,we must first take impressions of your mouth. Sometimes, to help us take a more accurate impression,we put a small piece of string in the space between the tooth and the gum. This allows us to gently push the gum away from the tooth. After the impressions are complete,we place a temporary crown, which you'll wear for the several weeks that it takes the dental laboratory to fabricate your new crown.

The second visit

During your next visit,we remove the temporary crown and place your new crown. We check the fit and your bite. When everything looks good,we cement it in place and you'll have a new porcelain crown.

Not enough tooth left for a crown

Broken teeth need buildups

Placing the crown

What is a Core Buildup?

Restoring a tooth before placing a crown

Fracture or decay can cause a portion of a tooth to break off, and in some cases, there's simply not enough tooth left to place a crown. Fortunately,we can replace the missing portion and save the tooth by building it up with one of the new resin/plastic filling materials. Once the tooth is built up,we can place a crown. Building up a tooth before placing a crown:

• Strengthens the tooth
• Provides better retention for the crown
• May reduce sensitivity by providing insulation for the sensitive inner pulp

The procedure

We want the entire procedure to be comfortable for you, so the first thing we do is make sure your mouth is thoroughly numb. Then, we use the dental handpiece to remove any decay. To prepare the tooth for the resin filling material,we apply a mild etching solution. Next we build up the tooth by carefully placing the resin filling material, layer upon layer. Finally, the filling material is hardened with a high-intensity light.

A core buildup is necessary before crowning teeth that have been significantly damaged due to decay or fracture.

Post in place

Post and core buildup

Placing a crown

Postand Core

Sometimes, when a tooth has broken off due to fracture or decay, there's simply not enough of your natural tooth remaining to place a crown. Fortunately,we can replace the missing portion and save your tooth by placing a post inside your tooth. This will then anchor a filling material, called a core.

The post and core procedure

The first step in placing a post is performing root canal therapy on the tooth to remove any infection and shape the root canal to receive the post. We'll use a small instrument called a dental file to shape the top of the root canal, select a post, and then cement or bond it in place. Depending on the situation,we may use posts made of metal, fiber-reinforced plastic, or carbon fiber.

After the post is in place,we fill the tooth with the new core material. Once it has hardened, the core material is shaped and prepared to receive a crown. We then take an impression of your teeth so that a dental laboratory can custom-craft a crown that will precisely fit your tooth.

We'll place a temporary crown to cover and protect the prepared tooth while your custom crown is being created. To ensure the proper fit of your final crown, it's important that your temporary crown stay in place, but on rare occasions, it may become loose or fall out. If this happens, keep it and call us and so we can re-cement it. You'll also need to be careful when you floss, removing the floss from the side of your tooth rather than the top so you don't pull off the temporary. Avoid eating hard or sticky foods (especially gum), and if possible, chew only on the opposite side of your mouth.

At your next appointment,we'll remove the temporary crown and replace it with your new custom crown.

Fabricated on a model

Gold crown in place

Posterior Gold Crowns

It takes two or more appointments to restore a damaged tooth with a gold crown. That's because a crown is fabricated in a dental laboratory to precisely fit your tooth.

The first visit

We want the entire procedure to be comfortable for you, so the first thing we do is make sure your mouth is thoroughly numb. We then use the handpiece to shape the tooth and remove any decay.

To create models of your teeth on which the dental laboratory will fabricate your crown,we must first take impressions of your mouth. Sometimes, to help us take a more accurate impression,we put a small piece of string in the space between the tooth and the gum. This allows us to gently push the gum away from the tooth. After the impressions are complete,we place a temporary crown, which you'll wear for the several weeks that it takes the dental laboratory to fabricate your new crown.

The second visit

During your next visit,we remove the temporary crown and place your new crown. We check the fit and your bite. When everything looks good,we cement it in place and you'll have a new gold crown.

Crowns cover and protect

A natural-looking result

Posterior Porcelain Crowns

It takes two or more appointments to restore a damaged tooth with a porcelain crown. That's because a crown is fabricated in a dental laboratory to precisely fit your tooth.

The first visit

We want the entire procedure of getting a crown to be comfortable for you, so the first thing we do is make sure your mouth is thoroughly numb. Then we use the handpiece to shape the tooth and remove any decay.

To create models of your teeth on which the dental laboratory will fabricate your crown,we must first take impressions of your mouth. Sometimes, to help us take a more accurate impression,we put a small piece of string in the space between the tooth and the gum. This allows us to gently push the gum away from the tooth. After the impressions are complete,we place a temporary crown, which you'll wear for the several weeks that it takes the dental laboratory to fabricate your new crown.

The second visit

During your next visit,we remove the temporary crown and place your new crown. We check the fit and your bite. When everything looks good,we cement it in place, and you'll have a new porcelain crown.