Oklahoma City Porcelain Crowns

Oklahoma City cosmetic dentist Dr. Michael Forth offers exquisite all-ceramic porcelain crowns. Although many dentists can do porcelain-fused-to-metal (PFM) crowns, only one with advanced training in both porcelain crown bonding techniques and ceramic shading artistry will be able to do all-porcelain crowns that are both strong and completely natural-looking.

Old porcelain fused to metal crown Porcelain crowns placed by Dr. Michael Forth

In the above pictures, you can see a typical porcelain-fused-to-metal (PFM) crown on the right. In the picture on the left, you can see how Dr. Forth replaced that patient's crowns with porcelain crowns that carefully match the surrounding teeth. If you didn't know, you might not be able to tell the difference between the teeth with crowns and those without. (Learn more about Dr. Forth's qualifications.)

What are porcelain crowns?

A crown, also known as a cap, is a dental restoration that completely covers the visible part of the tooth. It is used when the tooth has a healthy root, but too much damage or decay to be repaired with a simple filling. For years, crowns were only made out of a strong metal - usually gold - because it was the only substance strong enough to withstand the strong biting and chewing pressures placed on our teeth.

With advances in ceramic design, dentists began to use metal crowns with porcelain baked onto the exterior (these are the porcelain-fused-to-metal crowns) on front teeth. This provides the same strength of metal, but provides a mostly white exterior so that the crown is not as obvious in the person's smile.

Advances in ceramic bonding technology in the 1980s allowed cosmetic dentists to begin placing all-porcelain crowns on front teeth. these newer bonding techniques require a great deal of additional training and skill, as well as a commitment to getting the color and translucency of the porcelain to match the surrounding teeth. Although many traditionally trained dentists believe that only PFM crowns are strong enough to stand-up to the normal biting pressure, all-porcelain crowns are completely strong enough if the porcelain is bonded correctly to the underlying tooth.

Advantages of porcelain crowns over PFM

All-porcelain crowns have an advantage over PFM crowns in that they can be shaded to match the surrounding teeth and will be translucent, just like a natural tooth, instead of opaque. PFM crowns, because they have metal underneath, will be a solid opaque white color, which doesn't look natural up close.

In addition, unless very careful placed using a special technique, PFM crowns will show a dark line at the margin where the tooth meets the gum. You can see this in the image on the right, above.

If you have a tooth that you are concerned about, or you are having problems with your old PFM crowns, please call our office for an appointment to discuss your options. You can even request an appointment using our online form.

 

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