Crowns are a mainstay of cosmetic dentistry used to improve your smile’s appearance in a variety of situations. Not all crowns are alike, though — and the differences could affect your cost.

Crowns or caps are needed to cover remaining tooth structure which was previously damaged. Tooth decay and trauma are the major reasons for damage or loss of tooth structure that make crowns necessary. After preparing the remaining healthy tooth to fit into the new crown, we then make an impression mold of the tooth for a dental technician to use to create the new crown. It’s at this point where the road to your new smile can take different paths, both in construction and how much artistry goes in to your crown’s formation.

Porcelain crown construction falls into two general categories. The first category involves life-like porcelain fused to an inner core of metal. Because many older types of porcelain tend to be brittle and subject to breaking under pressure, metals are used to strengthen the crown. A fused crown can thus provide both durability and a life-like appearance.

In recent years, though, new dental materials have made the second category — all porcelain crowns — a viable option. Either lithium disilicate or zirconium oxide account for nearly two-thirds of crowns made today. Although research on their durability is relatively new, initial results have been encouraging, showing advanced all-ceramic crowns can tolerate forces comparable to porcelain fused to metal (PFM) crowns used in bridges.

On the downside, these newer materials may be more expensive than PFM crowns. Costs for manufacturing may also increase depending on how life-like the matching of color with other teeth you desire your crown to be. For example, individual teeth aren’t a uniform color — there are gradations of color that can vary from the tip of the tooth to the root. To capture these gradations in an individual crown requires a high level of artistry and time by the dental technician, which increases the final cost.

If you’re in need of a crown, it’s best to first make an appointment for a consultation to review your options, and to consider both your expectations and financial ability. Together we can determine what it will take to create a new look for your teeth that fits your expectations and your budget.

If you would like more information on dental crowns, please contact us or schedule an appointment for a consultation.

Let’s say you’re traveling to Italy to surprise your girlfriend, who is competing in an alpine ski race… and when you lower the scarf that’s covering your face, you reveal to the assembled paparazzi that one of your front teeth is missing. What will you do about this dental dilemma?

Sound far-fetched? It recently happened to one of the most recognized figures in sports — Tiger Woods. There’s still some uncertainty about exactly how this tooth was taken out: Was it a collision with a cameraman, as Woods’ agent reported… or did Woods already have some problems with the tooth, as others have speculated? We still don’t know for sure, but the big question is: What happens next?

Fortunately, contemporary dentistry offers several good solutions for the problem of missing teeth. Which one is best? It depends on each individual’s particular situation.

Let’s say that the visible part of the tooth (the crown) has been damaged by a dental trauma (such as a collision or a blow to the face), but the tooth still has healthy roots. In this case, it’s often possible to keep the roots and replace the tooth above the gum line with a crown restoration (also called a cap). Crowns are generally made to order in a dental lab, and are placed on a prepared tooth in a procedure that requires two office visits: one to prepare the tooth for restoration and to make a model of the mouth and the second to place the custom-manufactured crown and complete the restoration. However, in some cases, crowns can be made on special machinery right in the dental office, and placed during the same visit.

But what happens if the root isn’t viable — for example, if the tooth is deeply fractured, or completely knocked out and unable to be successfully re-implanted?

In that case, a dental implant is probably the best option for tooth replacement. An implant consists of a screw-like post of titanium metal that is inserted into the jawbone during a minor surgical procedure. Titanium has a unique property: It can fuse with living bone tissue, allowing it to act as a secure anchor for the replacement tooth system. The crown of the implant is similar to the one mentioned above, except that it’s made to attach to the titanium implant instead of the natural tooth.

Dental implants look, function and “feel” just like natural teeth — and with proper care, they can last a lifetime. Although they may be initially expensive, their quality and longevity makes them a good value over the long term. A less-costly alternative is traditional bridgework — but this method requires some dental work on the adjacent, healthy teeth; plus, it isn’t expected to last as long as an implant, and it may make the teeth more prone to problems down the road.

What will the acclaimed golfer do? No doubt Tiger’s dentist will help him make the right tooth-replacement decision.

If you have a gap in your grin — whatever the cause — contact us or schedule an appointment for a consultation, and find out which tooth-replacement system is right for you. You can learn more in the Dear Doctor magazine articles “Dental Implant Surgery” and “Crowns & Bridgework.”

If you’re pregnant, you may find yourself pondering decisions you didn’t have to think about before. Should you have that glass of wine… or skip it, because of the alcohol; go for the sushi… or avoid uncooked foods; take the pain reliever… or live with the headache. And if you have a toothache — or even if you’re overdue for a checkup and a cleaning — you may also be wondering whether having dental treatment (especially treatment that might involve local anesthetics) is safe for you and your developing baby.

Fortunately, a study that recently appeared in the Journal of the American Dental Association (JADA) should let expectant moms breathe a little easier. The research concludes that it’s safe for pregnant women to undergo dental treatment, including procedures that use local anesthetics.

And that’s good news indeed, because while maintaining good oral health during pregnancy is critical for the developing baby, many expectant moms experience problems during this period.  Some common issues include a higher risk of tooth decay due to increased carbohydrate consumption, and sore or bleeding gums from a condition called pregnancy gingivitis.

According to the study’s lead author, Aharon Hagai, D.M.D., "[Pregnancy] is a crucial period of time in a woman’s life, and maintaining oral health is directly related to good overall health." Yet, as Dr. Hagai notes, pregnant women sometimes avoid the dentist even if they have a problem. So his team set out to determine whether having dental treatment with anesthesia affected the outcome of pregnancies. They compared a total of 1,004 women, some of whom had dental treatment with local anesthesia, and some who did not.

The research showed there was no significant difference between the two groups. This applied in terms of both major medical problems (such as cleft palate, heart defects or cerebral palsy) and other issues, including low birth weight and preterm delivery. Dr. Hagai summed it up this way: "We aimed to determine if there was a significant risk associated with dental treatment with anesthesia and pregnancy outcomes. We did not find any."

So if you’re pregnant, there’s one less thing to worry about. Go ahead and schedule your routine dental check up — and remember that it is particularly important to have cleanings during pregnancy.  If you experience changes in your oral health, don’t hesitate to come in for an office visit and cleaning; that way, you can make sure your hormonal changes are not playing havoc with your gums. There is an old saying in some cultures that for every child a woman has, she loses a tooth. Don’t let that happen to you.

If you have questions about oral health and pregnancy, please call our office to schedule a consultation. You can read more in the Dear Doctor magazine article “Expectant Mothers: Dental facts you need to know” and “Pregnancy and Oral Health.”