When a tooth loses too much structure to hold a filling, a crown restores what was lost. It covers the entire visible tooth, returning full chewing strength, protecting what remains underneath, and, done well, matching its neighbors so closely that even you will have trouble picking it out.
We work with all-porcelain crowns because they solve the two problems older crowns created. Metal-based crowns often showed a gray line at the gum and could look flat and opaque. Modern ceramics transmit light the way enamel does, and they are contoured to follow your gumline naturally. Several of the transformations in our smile gallery involve exactly this: replacing older, poorly contoured crowns with all-porcelain restorations shaped to match the gumline and the surrounding teeth.
A crown earns its place in several situations: a tooth cracked or broken by trauma or large old fillings, a tooth worn short by years of grinding, a tooth weakened after root canal therapy, or a tooth whose shape and color no longer fit the smile around it. Crowns also restore dental implants and anchor fixed bridges.
Treatment typically takes two visits. At the first, we shape the tooth, capture a precise impression, and place a well-fitted temporary crown. A dental laboratory then crafts your porcelain crown to our specifications for shade, translucency, and contour. At the second visit we verify the fit and bite, make any refinements, and bond the crown permanently.
With sound home care and regular checkups, porcelain crowns routinely serve for a decade or longer. We inspect every crown margin at every exam, because catching wear early is far easier than replacing a failed restoration late.
Benefits
- Restores full strength to broken, worn, or root canal treated teeth
- All-porcelain construction with no gray metal line at the gum
- Contoured to match your gumline and neighboring teeth
- Protects and preserves the natural tooth underneath
The process
- 1
Numbing, then careful shaping of the tooth
- 2
Precision impression and shade selection
- 3
Comfortable temporary crown while the lab crafts the final one
- 4
Fit and bite verification, then permanent bonding
Is it right for you?
You may be a crown candidate if a tooth is cracked, badly worn, broken below a filling, discolored and misshapen, or recently root canal treated. If we believe a more conservative repair will serve you as well, we will recommend that instead. The right treatment is the smallest one that truly solves the problem.
Why choose our office
Crown work rewards experience and exacting standards, and it is a signature of this practice. Dr. Kaci received the Hanau Best of the Best Award for Excellence in Prosthodontics during her training at the University of the Pacific, and restoring teeth beautifully has been central to her work since.
Look through our smile gallery and you will see real crown cases from this office: single front teeth rebuilt to match their neighbors, and full arches restored crown by crown. Those photos are of our own consenting patients, not stock images, and they reflect the standard we hold every case to.
What to expect at your visit
The first visit is the longer one, usually around ninety minutes. You will be thoroughly numb before any shaping begins. Impressions take a few quiet minutes, and you leave with a natural-looking temporary crown and instructions for the week or two while the lab works.
The second visit is short and usually needs no anesthetic. We try in the final crown, check the fit against the neighboring teeth and your bite, adjust until it is right, and bond it in place. Expect a day or two of mild gum tenderness near the new margin, then the crown simply becomes part of you.
Aftercare
Avoid chewing sticky candy on a temporary crown, and call us if a temporary loosens so we can recement it promptly. Once the permanent crown is placed, treat it like a natural tooth and keep regular hygiene visits so we can monitor the margins.
Costs, insurance, and timing
Crowns are a mid-range dental investment, and most insurance plans cover a meaningful portion when the crown is medically necessary rather than purely cosmetic. We prepare pre-treatment estimates on request, accept CareCredit financing, and will price the full treatment before you commit.
See our financial options and insurance information pages for the full picture.
Real results from our office
Photos of our own patients, shared with written consent. Results vary.
A Front Tooth Made Whole Again
An Upper Arch Rebuilt with Eight Porcelain Crowns