What Are Porcelain Crowns?

The most attractive, natural, and life-like crowns are those that reflect light like a healthy natural tooth. Dental crown materials that more closely match the light refraction index of a natural tooth will appear close to if not exactly like an adjacent natural tooth. This should be true in different light settings, meaning sun light, fluorescent and incandescent indoor light, as well as night club lighting. The porcelain (or ceramic) crown is the best choice for achieving the most natural looking tooth replacement. It comes closest to achieving dental work that is undetectable.

There was a time when patients had to sacrifice the beauty of their smiles in order to restore form and function to damaged teeth. In essence, general dentistry treatments such as dental crowns were exceptionally effective, but they would leave the smile looking conspicuously flawed, usually marked by discoloring metal. Ultimately, that was the price patients had to pay to relieve tooth pain and regain the ability to bite, chew, and speak with ease.

At this time, some dentists offered the option of porcelain dental crowns; however, these restorations, while aesthetically superior, were decidedly inferior in virtually every other aspect. Times have changed, fortunately. Advances in dentistry have led to porcelain restorations that are every bit as hard wearing and durable as their metal counterparts. As a result, patients who opt for porcelain crowns can enjoy all of the benefits of silver amalgam crowns in addition to a wide range of unique benefits.

Porcelain crowns are just one example of the restorative dentistry procedures offered to our patients at the LaGrange office of Dr. Janet Visanescu. Other restorative procedures include dental crowns, dental implants, dental bridges, dental buildups, root canal treatment and custom dentures.

Benefits of Porcelain Crowns

Porcelain dental crowns offer a variety of benefits over metal crowns. Porcelain crowns:

• Are aesthetically superior: Porcelain crowns can be crafted to complement surrounding natural teeth in terms of size, shape, color, and even texture. Perhaps most importantly, porcelain, like tooth enamel, is translucent. This means that it allows a certain amount of light to pass through its surface rather than simply reflecting it. As a result, porcelain is the most natural-looking restorative material in all of dentistry.

• Are less likely to expand and contract when exposed to extreme temperatures: One of the biggest problems with metal crowns is that silver amalgam expands and contracts when exposed to hot and cold temperatures. While porcelain crowns expand and contract to a slight degree, as well, they are far less likely to break or become dislodged as a result.

• Are strong and durable: At one point, the argument against porcelain crowns was that they were far weaker and less durable than metal crowns. Now, however, this is not the case. In fact, a well-made porcelain crown may even last longer than a silver amalgam crown since it is less likely to break due to expansion or contraction.

Learn More about the Benefits of Porcelain Crowns

At the office of Dr. Janet Visanescu, we believe that every one of our patients deserves a smile that makes them feel confident. Smiling, laughing, and speaking candidly can come naturally with a healthy, gorgeous grin. If broken, damaged, decaying, or missing teeth are making you hesitate to express yourself, Dr. Janet Visanescu can restore your smile with porcelain crowns from the comfort of her LaGrange office.

Dr. Visanescu details porcelain crown benefits during consultations so that patients understand why they are superior to the metal dental crowns of the past. If you are interested in learning more about porcelain crowns, please schedule a consultation with Dr. Visanescu today.