1. TOOTH PREP

Tooth preparation is critical for delivering a crown that will have long-term success. If too much tooth is removed during preparation, the nerve of the tooth may be exposed requiring the tooth to receive a root canal. If not enough tooth is removed, the crown will be bulbous and create a food trap. As with all aspects of prosthetic dentistry, there exists a very fine line that between too aggressive and too conservative.

2. STUMPF SHADE

What is a stumpf shade. “Stumpf” is a German word which refers to the reduced tooth structure that remains after preparation. Porcelain crowns are highly translucent and the color of the underlying tooth (stumpf shade) will show through the crown after it is cemented. If the tooth has previously had a root canal, the stumpf will often be very dark - resulting in a gray area at the gumline. The ability to communicate this information with the ceramist is almost universally ignored or unknown, which partially explains why so many patients have crowns do not match the adjacent teeth.

3. TEETH IN AN HOUR

Many dentists offer services advertising “teeth in an hour” or “single appointment crowns". In the absence of a highly skilled certified dental technician or ceramist to handle the computer-aided design, milling and characterization of the final restoration, the extremely technical aspect of producing a functional, aesthetic and biologically specific crown are now in the hands of an under-qualified dentist or staff member. There is no other medical profession that would allow the office manager or assistant to guide a scalpel, insert a pace-maker, or otherwise make treatment decisions that impact that final outcome of a procedure. Faster service is appropriate for an oil change and Big Macs, not optimal oral health.

4. SINGLE CENTRAL

Getting a single front tooth to match the teeth next to it is THEE most challenging procedure for a restorative dentist. It is very important for patients to know that this treatment will typically take 2-3 visits to get a seamless match. It’s the dental equivalent of hitting a hole in one - twice in a row. Your front teeth are so critical to your first impressions with other people. You owe it to yourself to wait an extra week or so to get your smile to look JUST RIGHT!

5. TIME TO BLEACH

Have you ever thought about whitening your teeth? If you are getting any type of restorative work done it is important to realize that porcelain will not lighten with your other teeth. There is a critical time prior to treatment that tooth whitening must be completed, and a very specific window of time that must elapse before the final color of the teeth realizes after bleaching. We perform a 1-hour ZOOM! whitening service with outstanding results for most of our patients who want or need crowns, veneers and bridges in the front of their mouth.