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Single Visit Ceramic Crowns

Patients in White Marsh and Perry Hall, MD love single visit ceramic crowns

Dental crowns are one of the most common restorations we use in dentistry.  These caps fit over broken or decayed teeth, and protect them from further damage.  They are also used after a root canal to give strength and support to a tooth that may have large portions missing.  Dental crowns have been used for decades in dentistry, however materials and technologies have continued to evolve in both strength, beauty, and convenience.  Dental Designs of Maryland, in select locations, offers CEREC single visit ceramic crowns, and patients in White Marsh, MD and Perry Hall, MD are thrilled.  

Are PFM or Ceramic Crowns Better?

The two primary crown materials used in modern dentistry are PFM and ceramic.  PFM stands for porcelain-fused-to-metal, and has been the standard for many years.  It consists of a metal shell that fits over the natural tooth, with layers of porcelain placed onto the metal shell to give the crown shape and aesthetics.  PFM crowns are durable and can be made beautiful if using the right lab, and has great bio-compatible properties that make it great for use in the mouth where it is often in touch with tissue.  Because of the layered nature of the crown, it is only made in a dental lab.   Ceramic is the other material predominantly used for crowns.  Ceramic crowns are mostly not layered (except for special circumstances) and milled out of one piece of glass based resin ceramic, in other words there is no metal shell underneath the white crown.  Because of the lack of metal, ceramic crowns are often more natural looking than PFMs and offer a higher level of translucency.  They blend in with the surrounding teeth and often are indistinguishable from real teeth.  The downside is that preparing the teeth to accept a porcelain crown can be more technique sensitive, and if improperly done the ceramic crown can be weaker than that of a PFM.  

So which one is better? 

All things being equal, we believe that a ceramic crown is better as long as it is properly prepared and inserted.  It offers similar strength to PFM while giving a lifelike luster and translucency that you will simply not find with a metal based restoration.  At select locations in Dental Designs of Maryland, we have a CEREC single visit crown system that is able to capture a 3D impression of your tooth, and create a beautiful ceramic crown in one visit, while you wait!  Which means no more goopy impression material, no more wearing a temporary crown for three weeks; by the time you leave you will have a brand new permanent ceramic crown.  

The Beauty of Ceramic Crowns

You may not realize, but the enamel of your teeth has an incredibly complex translucent character that reflects light at different rates and angles which creates the “pearly” character that beautiful teeth are known for.  Ceramic crowns that offer translucency aim to mimic the characteristics of enamel, and give it a life-like appearance.  Unlike a PFM, ceramic crowns have no metal substructure, which requires a chalky white porcelain to mask.  Ceramic crowns use the underlying color of your natural dentin to create a natural layered translucency that match real enamel much more closely.   Porcelain is also an extremely bio-compatible material because it contains no metal.  Women in particular can be prone to metal allergies and eliminating its use altogether creates a material that works better in the body.  Ceramic crowns are strong and durable, however have about the same hardness as tooth enamel, which means there is no excess wear on opposing teeth.   Lastly, our CEREC single visit crown system is able to make you your crown in one visit.  This eliminates the traditional use of goopy impression material, as well as waiting for three weeks for a dental lab to make your final crown.  Our patients love getting their dental crown done in one visit!  To learn more about ceramic crowns, schedule a visit to Dental Designs of Maryland in Perry Hall, MD and White Marsh, MD.