Dental Crowns

What Are Dental Crowns?

Dental crowns are used for many reasons. Sometimes all porcelain crowns are used for smile line makeovers and other cosmetic issues or concerns. Other times, crowns are used in single applications to improve a tooth structure that has been decayed away, chipped, broken, cracked, or is naturally undersized. Dental crowns, in some cases, replace the crown of a tooth when an implant is placed. The crown gets cemented on or screwed into the implant for unparalleled tooth replacement.

Why Choose Koeppel Dental Group?

An experienced and seasoned restorative dentist can be expected to have the specific product knowledge and skills required to create a perfect match for esthetics and function, depending on the location, using modern crown technology. Dr. Koeppel, director of Koeppel Dental Group – A Dental365 Company, has participated in advanced postgraduate training provided by advanced dental training institutes such as LVI, AACD, AGD, and PAC-Live. These courses have allowed him to stay on the cutting edge of dental crown advanced technology.

How to Choose A Dental Crown Material

As a Long Island cosmetic dental crown expert, Dr. Koeppel works with a vast selection of material choices for crowns, allowing him to achieve any function based or esthetic result wanted. Depending on the patient’s specifications and needs, products from 3M-Lava, DaVinchi, Ivoclar Vivadent (IPS Empress), Ivoclar Emax, Bruxzir, Zirconia, Feldspathic Porcelain, P2Z, and Nobel Biocare Procera may be used. With his keen eye for perfection and knowledge of the best materials, Long Island cosmetic dental crown specialist, Dr. Koeppel is able to avoid common mistakes such as placing crowns that cause unsightly black lines at the top and that cause sensitivity.

Some materials work best for anterior (front) teeth, and some for posterior (back) teeth. Depending on each specific case, Dr. Koeppel, and the patient, will determine the esthetic goals for the tooth, and the area of the mouth will determine the functioning goals for the tooth. Posterior teeth, for example, endure extreme forces when we chew and grind our food. They need to be made from durable materials that will last. Crown product failures usually occur when the wrong type of crown is used in a particular area, so it is imperative to use the correct materials in the correct locations, and to evaluate the patient’s occlusion (bite).

Porcelain Crowns

Before, it was thought that the beauty of an all porcelain crown could only be achieved on front teeth. But with new advances from 3M, including the Lava Porcelain Line or Ivoclar’s Emax Porcelain Crowns, 100 % porcelain crowns can be placed almost anywhere desired! The real advantage to having all porcelain crowns is that they allow natural light to shine through, making them look like natural teeth.

Ceramic Crowns

In the past, in bicuspid or molar teeth, where strength is needed, a porcelain fused to metal crown, or PFM was the only option. Now, a brucZir crown can be used, which is extremely strong as seen in the video. Beautiful esthetics can also be achieved using this type of crown if done correctly and fabricated by great ceramists.

Benefits of Ceramic Crowns

Ceramic crowns come with a number of benefits including is aesthetic, strength, and the protection it provides. Ceramic material is incredibly diverse in the shade that it can be made with meaning that ceramic crowns can look almost identical to the color of your natural teeth making them indistinguishable when placed. In addition, ceramic crowns are made individually for your teeth meaning that they provide a perfect fit for whatever tooth it may be covering which helps to protect the underlying tooth from any further damage. Lastly, ceramic dental crowns achieve the best balance between appearance and strength. Metal crowns are naturally stronger and more durable, but do not have the luxury of appearing natural the way ceramic crowns do.

Metal Crowns

In rare cases where a metallic infrastructure is required, high noble metal or gold is utilized to assure the best dental function and long-term endurance. All gold crowns are used in areas of the mouth where space is a challenge. Using gold allows for the crown to be thinner, because there is not an extra layer of porcelain covering it. Gold crowns are usually placed on the very last teeth in the mouth if there isn’t enough room for strong porcelain. If the patient objects to this, Zirconia crowns, or Bruxzir crowns can be used when more of a cosmetic solution is desired. Zirconia is extremely strong and will hold up in this critical area also. The Long Island cosmetic dental crowns doctors at Koeppel Dental Group are proud offer the latest technology for the particular situation that exists, so that crowns are esthetic and last a long time.