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.

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