Cosmetic & Restorative Dentistry
Ceramic (Porcelain) Crowns (Caps)

A crown (or cap) is a covering that encases the entire tooth surface restoring it to its original shape and size.  A crown protects and strengthens tooth structure that cannot be restored with fillings or other types of restorations.

Although there are several types of crowns, ceramic, tooth-colored crowns are the most popular, because they resemble your natural teeth.  Ceramic material has some properties that make it very suitable for use in dental restorations.  It expands and contracts in response to temperature changes at a rate approximately half-way between those of enamel and dentin thereby reducing temperature-induced stress on the restoration.  It also wears away at approximately the same rate as enamel.  Ceramic crowns are highly durable and will last many years, but like most dental restorations, they may eventually need to be replaced.  Ceramic crowns are made to match the shape, size, and color or your teeth giving you a natural, long-lasting beautiful smile.

Reasons for crowns:

  • Decayed teeth
  • Broken or fractured teeth
  • Cosmetic enhancement
  • Teeth with very large or fractured fillings
  • Teeth with root canals

What does getting a crown involve?

The dentists at Bass Lake Dental utilize Cerec AC CAD/CAM with Bluecam technology to design, fabricate and place custom, tooth-colored ceramic crowns in a single 60-90 minute appointment.

While the decayed or damaged tooth is numb, the dentist prepares the tooth by removing any decay and shaping the tooth to assure a proper fit for the crown.  The tooth is then coated with a thin coat of white powder and the 3D infrared Bluecam imaging camera is used to obtain an optical impression of the tooth which is sent to the Cerec computer.  The dentist uses the 3D CAD (Computer Aided Design) software to design a crown that restores the tooth to its appropriate form and function.  After the crown design is completed, the data is sent to the CAM (Computer Aided Manufacturing) milling unit which automatically mills the crown from a solid ceramic block.  Milling time varies from a little as four minutes to as long as twenty minutes depending on the complexity of the restoration.  The custom designed crown is then bonded to the remaining healthy structure of the damaged tooth.