Porcelain Crown
Dentist McHenry, IL
 On occasion, a filling, inlay, or onlay is not enough to restore your tooth after repairing the damage. When an injury or decay is too extensive, either most of the natural tooth or the entire natural tooth must be replaced. Crowns are false teeth that, when using the right material, can be made to look like natural teeth. They provide the same function as natural teeth as well. At McHenry Smile Center, we have many crown materials available, but porcelain is the best choice for aesthetics.
Pros and Cons of Porcelain
Porcelain crowns are fantastic if you are mostly concerned about the look, but there are a few considerations to think about first. Porcelain is more fragile than gold or amalgam, though these are metals and do not look like a natural tooth. Porcelain is less expensive than metal crowns but slightly more expensive than composite resin. That said, these are great options for teeth in the front of the mouth that are more noticeable but do not have as much impact during chewing.
Porcelain Crown Placement
We will need to repair any tooth decay or damage and prepare the tooth before crown placement. For this part of the procedure, we use a local anesthetic to maintain your comfort. The natural tooth must be filed down, with the core left intact, to create a base for the crown.
There are cases when the entire tooth must be removed. Should this need to occur, we may opt to insert a dental implant on which the crown will rest. In addition, the crown could also simply be cemented to the adjacent teeth, though this is a bit less natural-looking.
Once the tooth is prepared, we can take a dental impression to give to our dental lab. The lab will use this impression to customize a crown based on your own teeth. There are two types of porcelain crowns that they can make; all-porcelain and porcelain-fused-to-metal (PFM). All porcelain crowns are the cheaper option, but they are also a bit more fragile. Both crown types look very natural. The only difference is that PFM crowns have a metal inner shell to provide more stability, though this is also what makes them more expensive.
Since you will be without a permanent crown for about two weeks, we will provide you with a temporary crown. These are slightly more fragile than permanent crowns, so you will need to be careful with them. Your teeth will also be more sensitive to heat and cold while the temporary crown is being used.
Once we get your permanent crown from the lab, our dentist can easily remove your temporary crown and place the permanent one. This permanent crown will be attached to the dental implant, natural tooth core, or adjacent teeth using a dental cement. We can harden this cement instantly by curing it with a special light. To finish the process, our dentist will check the fit and polish and reshape the crown as necessary. You will need to clean the crown like you would your natural teeth; brushing and flossing daily. For more information on porcelain crowns, call (815) 578-1000 today. |
