Tag Archives: one visit crowns

Are Computerized Crowns as Safe as the Regular Ones?

I had a dental crown made by a computer in 2017. I think my dentist said it was a CEREC something or other. It had always bothered me. This year I went to a different dentist and they said that the crown wasn’t fit properly and would need to be redone. This dentist also wants to use the computer crowns. She also said that my old dentist removed the post by drilling and she should have vibrated it out with sonics. Here are my questions:

  1. Are the computer crowns as good as the old fashioned ones?
  2. Did my old dentist damage the bone by drilling out the post?

Aimee


Dear Aimee,

Block of porcelain for a CEREC crown

I’m going to start with your second question. It is always nice when you can get a post out by vibration, but that is not always possible. Drilling them out is also common and will not damage the bone. If you think about it, dentists are drilling on teeth all the time and they do no damage to the bone.

I am a bit curious about your dentist saying that the crown “wasn’t fit properly.” Did she give you any other specifics? Were their open margins?

Some dentists will accuse the previous dentist of doing shoddy work in order to get the patient to re-do the work and give them some business. I am not saying that your dentist did that, but I would recommend getting a second opinion before re-doing your crown.

As for CEREC crowns, they were developed several decades ago. In the early days after their development there were some issues of problems with the fit. However, those bugs have been worked out of the software and, if the dentist knows how to use the software, you will get a more accurate fit than you would with a traditional porcelain crown.

Start by getting that second opinion.

This blog is brought to you by Lafayette, LA Dentists Drs. Foreman and Thimmesch.

CEREC Crown on a Front Tooth

I needed a dental crown on a front tooth. My dentist recently got this new CEREC machine and told me that it would give me the crown in just one appointment. We were close to the holidays so I thought that would be a good idea. It was going okay until the next day. I was going to a friends house and the crown literally just fell off as I parked my car. I was absolutely frantic. My friend called her dentist who worked with CEREC crowns. He got me in right away and said that the crown wasn’t bonded on properly. Once it was bonded on, I noticed it is slightly longer than my other front tooth. The color is a bit off as well. I went in to see my dentist the following day and he told me he’d redo the whole thing free of charge. My question is should I trust him or should I just ask for a refund and get this done by someone else?

Patricia


Dear Patricia,

Block of porcelain for a CEREC crown

It would be hard to answer that question precisely because I don’t know anything about your dentist and his specific training. I can tell you the matching a crown on a front tooth is exceptionally difficult even for skilled cosmetic dentists, so I am not surprised it does not match correctly in just one go. Often, it takes several try ins and tweeks before a front tooth is the exact shade you need.

This is even harder with CEREC crowns because these are milled out of a single block of porcelain. A dentist will need advanced skills in working in stains.

Your dentist has offered to redo the crown. This tells me he is honest and cares more about getting it right than getting money. That is a good sign. Wanting to get it right is not always enough though. If you want to give him a second chance on this, I recommend that you tell him you only want h im to place it with a temporary try in paste so you can be sure you are pleased wtih the results before it is permanetely bonded again.

This blog is brought to you by Lafayette, LA Dentists Drs. Foreman and Thimmesh.

CEREC Crowns on Front Teeth

I had an accident that damaged my front teeth. I am in a hurry to get this fixed and asked my dentist to do CEREC Crowns, but he said he does not do them on front teeth. Should I see a different dentist who does or just spend extra time getting the old fashioned crowns?

Dave

Dear Dave,

Unless your dentist is one of the top cosmetic dentists in the country, I would go with the traditional crowns. CEREC crowns are milled from a single block of porcelain, which will look very uniform or flat. Our natural teeth are varied. They’ll be more opaque in some parts and more translucent in others.

Unless your dentist understands advanced staining and color theory, the teeth will end up looking fake. In this case, it is better to invest the extra time and do the traditional crowns.

A ceramist building crowns with the traditional method can use different blocks of porcelain in order to mimic that natural variation found in your teeth. This will allow the crowns to look perfectly natural.

One other tip. While dental crowns can be made to match any color, once that color is set, it is permanent. If you plan on whitening your teeth, the time to do it is before your dental crowns are completed. This way they can be made to match your new permanent color. If you are in a hurry, Zoom whitening can do it in just one appointment.

This blog is brought to you by Lafayette, LA Dentists Drs. Foreman and Thimmesch.

CEREC Crown Disaster

I’d been hearing how wonderful CEREC crowns were. You could get them done in one appointment and they’d fit perfectly, designed to your tooth. I have experienced something quite different.

First, she said my tooth was in such bad shape that she had to take a generic image off the database. Then, it didn’t fit . She spent three hours grinding down on the sides and top of the crown so much that the top of the crown is flat and shorter than the rest of the teeth. Additionally, the gums are super sore where the crown is. It’s been over a week.

Is this normal?

Katelyn

Dear Katelyn,

porcelain block for CEREC crown

No , this is not normal. I’m a bit thrown off by her saying she had to get a generic image from the database because your tooth was in bad shape. Of course it was in bad shape. That’s why you needed a crown.

The CEREC Crown software is designed to build up a tooth. Your dentist starts by telling it which tooth needs to be crowned. In turn, it builds up what that tooth should look like. Then, your dentist adds the information for the remainder of your bite and the software designs the perfect dimensions.

It sounds to me that one of two things is going on: either your dentist didn’t know what she was doing with the software or there is information she didn’t pass on about your case, such your gums bleeding so much she wasn’t able to get a clear image.

Either way, her decisions after that give me some doubts about her skill with dental crowns as a whole. I’m going to suggest you get a second opinion from another dentist. If it is as bad I think, it will need replacing. In that case, don’t ask for a refund. Instead, have your current dentist pay for the repairs. It will likely cost more to get it re-done than you were originally charged.

Tips for Getting a Second Opinion

When you go to get your second opinion, don’t tell them who the original dentist is. The dental world is a small one. Often dentists are friends with one another. He or she may have a bit of difficulty saying something negative about a friend’s work.

Instead, just tell him you want his opinion, without any previous information, as to what he thinks about the CEREC crown.

Thinking Ahead

Normally, your dentist would have already relayed the information I’m about to give you, but I don’t have the highest confidence in your dentist at the moment.

You didn’t say where they CEREC crown was being placed. If it is in a place that is visible when you smile, you will want to make sure your teeth are the color you want in the long term.

While the CEREC crown can be made any color you want, the color will be permanent. If you’re not completely happy with the color of your teeth, you may want to get your teeth whitened before the crown is made. This way you will be sure to have the color you want for the long term.

Otherwise, if you don’t and decide later to whiten, the crown will have to be replaced again in order to get it to match the new color.

This blog is brought to you by Lafayette, LA Dentists Drs. Foreman and Thimmesch.

Help! Which Crown Should I Get?

I need to get a dental crown on a tooth. My dentist threw all these options at me. While he did explain everything, it was all so fast I can’t remember. I told him I’d let him know this week. I tried to do some research but everything is so confusing. Help!

Lacey

Dear Lacey,

CEREC Crown being placed on a tooth

Sometimes dentists think you can understand everything in 5 minutes that they studied all the way through dental school. Sounds easy, right?

It’s good that you’re doing some research. It’s important to go into these type of decisions informed. One thing to be aware of is that you should always feel free to tell your dentist to slow down and to repeat himself if necessary. You should never feel rushed.

To help, I’ll go over the three most common types of dental crowns.

Three Most Common Dental Crowns

The first has been in place for many years and it’s been a staple in the dental diet. These are conventional crowns, also known as porcelain-fused-to-metal crowns. As their name implies, these have porcelain on top and a metal base underneath. These are best used for back teeth because of the amount of biting force we use with our back teeth. If you have a metal allergy, there are metal-free options.

The second type is all-porcelain crowns. These have porcelain all the way through, even as it’s underside. These are especially useful for front teeth because they look more natural than their metal-based counterparts. With front teeth, there is a completely different biting force and these can withstand the pressure.

Thirdly, there are CEREC crowns. These are also all-porcelain. The biggest differences are they are milled by machine using a single block of porcelain. As a result, they’re able to be done in just one appointment. Be aware, unless you have a highly skilled cosmetic dentist, these won’t have the same subtleties that the non-machine milled crowns will have which are made from several different blocks that have different shades.

There’s really not a horrible choice, though I never recommend metal-based crowns on front teeth. You won’t like the results. I hope this helps.

This blog is brought to you by Lafayette Dentist, Dr. Mike Malone.

What’s a Better Cosmetic Procedure: Crowns or Veneers?

I want to improve my smile. I went to my dentist to discuss getting porcelain veneers. He said they’re not as good as everyone makes out and I’d get a better smile with porcelain crowns. I’m a little worried about that idea because I’d lose so much tooth structure. But, if they’re better I guess I should go for it. What do you think?

Emma T.

Dear Emma,

A gorgeous smile created by cosmetic dentist Dr. Mike Malone
A gorgeous smile created by cosmetic dentist Dr. Mike Malone

If you want a gorgeous smile, what matters more than the material is the cosmetic dentist you have do the procedure. However, that being said, I can tell you right now your dentist isn’t the right one because of the material he’s trying to talk you into.

Porcelain veneers are as good as they say…when the right dentist does it. Your dentist is probably suggesting crowns because he doesn’t have enough experience with porcelain veneers. He doesn’t want to admit that so he suggests a procedure he is good with, porcelain crowns. But, you’re right to be concerned. Why would you want to grind down perfectly healthy tooth structure? Porcelain veneers don’t do that. They only require mild tooth preparation.

How Do You Choose a Cosmetic Dentist?

The easiest way to choose a cosmetic dentist is through the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry (AACD). They have an accreditation program. Dentists who reach accreditation level are among the top cosmetic dentists in the world. They have to pass stringent oral and written exams as well as demonstrate their artistic abilities and quite a few cases they’ve done on patients. They’ll certainly give you a gorgeous smile. In fact, most of them have a beautiful smile guarantee.

What if there’s not an accredited dentist near you? Not having someone who’s reached accreditation level in your area doesn’t mean you can find a highly skilled cosmetic dentist. Some dentists are in the process are obtaining accreditation but already give gorgeous smiles. I’d check the mynewsmile.com website. They recommend highly skilled and artistic cosmetic dentists only some of which have already passed the accreditation exams.

This blog is brought to you by Dr. Mike Malone.