I was in a car accident and damaged both my front teeth. I need to get crowns on them. I am trying to decide between regular crowns and CEREC crowns. Is one better than the other?

Benjamin

Dear Benjamin,

CEREC crowns are made out of single block of porcelain. This will give it a very uniform look. This works fine on most teeth. However, our front teeth are much more visible and exposed to light.

Natural teeth aren’t uniform. Look at this image of a tooth directly below. There are varying levels of translucency and opaqueness depending on where you are on the tooth.

When a dentist does a traditional crown, it is built in layers with varying shades of porcelain. This can make a crown look more natural. However, even then, you’d need an expert cosmetic dentist because this takes a high level of skill.

If you really want a CEREC crown, then having an expert cosmetic dentist is even more important. They need to have a high level of skill in color theory so they can use various stains to give it that variated look while keeping that natural translucency.

Cosmetic Considerations with Dental Crowns

The dental crown can be made to match your teeth exactly. However, the color is permanent. If you are happy with the color of your teeth, then you do not need to take any further steps. However, if you want your teeth any whiter, the time to take care of that is before having the crowns designed.

In that case, your first step is to have your teeth whitened. You can do that in one appointment if you see a dentist who does Zoom Whitening.

Then, give it a couple of weeks for the color to calm down. That’s when your dentist can match the permanent color for you.

When you’re talking about front teeth, whether you get a traditional or CEREC crown, you will need a dentist capable of the skills required. I suggest you see an AACD accredited dentist.

This blog is brought to you by Louisiana Cosmetic Dentist Dr. Mike Malone.