Tag Archives: Traditional crowns

CEREC

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

Dental crown looks fake

I’ve had dental crowns before but they’ve always been on back teeth. This is my first one on a front tooth. My dentist did a CEREC crown which was very convenient. I liked that, but for some reason it looks really fake compared to the tooth next to it. It almsot has a painted, dull appearance. Is this typical of crowns? Is there a way to get them to look natural?

Dana

Dear Dana,

CEREC Crown being placed on a tooth
Whether or Not a Crown Looks Natural Depends on Two Things

A crown on a front tooth can look natural and blend in naturally. Whether or not that happens depends on two things:

  • The cosmetic skill of the dentist
  • The materials used

Getting a Beautiful Dental CEREC Crown

CEREC crowns are made of all-porcelain, which is great. Porcelain mimics the appearance of natural teeth by reflecting light. When you get traditional porcelain veneers, they are milled from several different blocks of porcelain.

Our natural teeth aren’t the same all the way down. If you look closely at your front teeth the bottom parts of your upper front teeth are more translucent than the middle parts of your teeth.

Even though it still requires an expert cosmetic dentist to place a dental crown on your front teeth, traditional all porcelain crowns are a little easier simply because they’re milled from several block of porcelain making it easier to get the different levels of opacity versus translucency.

With CEREC crowns, this is more challenging. They are milled from a single block of porcelain. That makes it harder to show the subtle differences in color. Dentists have to be very familiar with color theory and stains to get a front CEREC crown to look natural.

Without that, you end up with a flat looking front tooth as you’re experiencing.

Which Dentists Can Place a Crown on a Front Tooth?

Front teeth are more exposed, making it imperative the dentist has the right skills to match and blend the crown with the adjacent teeth exactly. In your place, I’d only use an AACD accredited cosmetic dentist. Dentists who’ve reached accreditation are the top cosmetic dentists in the world. You can go to aacd.com to find one in a reasonable distance to you.

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

CEREC

Dentist Said No to CEREC Crowns

My dentist has a CEREC machine. We’ve used it for a crown before, but on a tooth on my bottom arch. Now I need one on my top front tooth and he’s saying “No”. He said they don’t look good on front teeth. I truly liked the convenience. Plus, he wants to crown both front teeth to make them match. Is this legitimate?

Anna

Dear Anna,

Block of porcelain for CEREC crowns

You should be aware that only the top cosmetic dentists in the world can match a single crown to a front tooth. That is even more challenging when it comes to using CEREC. If convenience is what you’re after, go with the two crowns and traditional crowns. I’ll explain why in a moment. If you want gorgeous front teeth with just one crown, you’ll need to find an expert cosmetic dentist.

Matching a Single Crown to a Front Tooth

Your front teeth are right next to each other and much more exposed to the light. Even the slightest deviations will be very noticeable. It will be quite obvious your teeth won’t match.

With even the best dentists, it will take a few try-ins before it matches perfectly. That could go faster with CEREC crowns because it’s milled right there and not sent to a lab. It will still likely take more than one try. This method will take even more skill.

With a CEREC crown, that’s even harder because they are milled from a single block of porcelain. Traditional porcelain crowns use several blocks with variations in opacity. Your dentist would have to be very versed in color theory skills which are not taught in dental school. It’s obvious your dentist doesn’t have that training.

It’s actually showing his integrity that he’s being honest with you. He could have bluffed his way through and given sad looking results.

Finding the Cosmetic Dentist Who Can Do Gorgeous CEREC Crowns

Truthfully, because of the difficulty of this type of case, to get a beautiful, natural looking result which will match your other front tooth, you’ll need to go to a dentist accredited with the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry.

AACD accredited dentists have gone through stringent oral and written exams as well as proven their artistry with a large number of cases they’ve done and provided evidence for. All of them have gone through extensive training in advanced cosmetic procedures after graduating dental school.

What it boils down to in this particular case is what’s more important to you— a convenient, fast result, or a natural looking attractive result.

It is definitely your smile and your choice. Don’t feel pressured to go a way you don’t want.

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