familiar with what a crown looks like. They are essentially caps that
are placed over your teeth and are a sort of “last resort" for a tooth
that has too much damage for a normal filling to fix. In your father’s
day, technology was such that these special tooth caps had to be made of
metal with a simple porcelain overlay to try to mimic the look of a
normal and real tooth.
Some of you may have this type of crown or have seen it in others. The
aging of the crown can be seen-- even just while talking-- as metal is
exposed at the gum line (showing as a dark gray band along the gumline)
or in the way the color or stain of your crowned tooth just doesn’t
match the rest of the teeth.
But the dark ages are over and no one needs to know which of your teeth
have crowns just by casting a glance. New technology is now available.
Cosmetic dentists can now offer you all porcelain crowns. These crowns
do a much better job of being inconspicuous among the rest of your teeth
and give off a much more natural look.
Traditionally a patient needing a crown comes in for two visits. The
initial visit when the tooth is shaped and an impression is taken of the
teeth, and then a temporary crown is placed on the needy tooth. Their
tooth impression is sent to a dental lab and a few weeks later a ceramic
crown is ready and a second visit is required to place the new crown.
Crowns can now often be made in just one visit. Thanks to newer CEREC
(CAD-CAM) technology, computer images are generated and a new crown
created in a milling machine right in the dental office. The crown is
milled, polished, and bonded into place, all in the same visit. The new
computer technology shortens the process of new crowns into just one
visit. One visit means no temporary crown is needed, no second visit,
and only one time of numbing!
Bard J. Levey D.D.S, PLLC
2010 Winner Westchester Magazine Top Dentist
2009 Winner Westchester Magazine Top Dentist
2005 Winner Empress Cover Model Award
SkinCentre/ Hartsdale
Baltic Place/Croton-On-Hudson
914.271.6224
YourAmazingSmile.com
