Custom Dental Crowns
Dr. Scott Lampert of Brookside Family Dental will design your custom dental crowns in meticulous detail to make sure they blend with your smile and fully restore your oral function. With his extensive advanced training in prosthodontics and nearly 20 years of experience, you can expect optimal aesthetics, a comfortable bite, and long lasting results.
Dr. Lampert offers a full range of restorative materials, including tooth-colored porcelain and zirconia, porcelain-on-metal, and gold. He will fully inform you about your options and help you decide which choice is right for your circumstances.
What is a dental crown?
A dental crown is a prosthetic covering that fully covers a damaged tooth, extending all the way down the sides to the gum line. A crown covers your tooth the way a glove covers your hand. The advanced materials and exact fit of today’s crowns ensure your crowned tooth will look like a natural, healthy tooth. And, it will have the strength of one, too. With proper care, you crown could last for more than two decades.
Dr. Lampert can use a crown to restore or cosmetically improve a tooth that has:
- had root canal therapy
- been fractured or broken
- suffered extensive dental decay
- become weakened by a large or cracked filling
- become excessively worn
- severe enamel staining or intrinsic discoloration
- an irregular shape or is disproportionately small
Tooth-Colored Crowns
When planning for your crown, Dr. Lampert will recommend materials that provide long-lasting results. For natural aesthetics, tooth-colored crowns are recommended for anterior (front) teeth that show when you smile, talk and laugh. There are four types of tooth-colored crowns
- All-porcelain crowns have the most natural appearance but have limited strength compared to the following options.
- Porcelain-fused-on-metal (PFM) crowns provide more strength and a very natural appearance.
- Porcelain-fused-on-zirconia crowns provide a natural appearance and even greater strength. Porcelain-fused-on-zirconia crowns are a popular choice for longevity plus aesthetics. Zirconia is slightly translucent so when it is used for the core of a crown, the crown has more lifelike sparkle than a metal core. A zirconia core costs a little more than a metal core.
- All-zirconia crowns are the optimal choice when the need for strength outweighs the desire for the more life-like appearance of porcelain.
Both porcelain and zirconia are available in a wide range of colors. Working closely with our expert lab technicians, Dr. Lampert will select the color of porcelain or zirconia for a tooth-colored crown that most resembles your natural teeth. Depending on your goals for your smile, he may recommend teeth whitening or other cosmetic treatment of surrounding teeth in conjunction with selecting the color for your crown.
Gold Crowns
In the past, most crowns were made of gold. This material is incredibly durable, and is still a good choice in some circumstances. For example, you might choose a gold crown to repair a molar. Dr. Lampert will discuss the advantages of the various types of crowns that are appropriate for the tooth you are restoring, including their comparative costs.
The Crown Treatment Experience
After planning your procedure and helping you select the right type of restoration, Dr. Lampert will reshape your tooth, removing any decayed or damaged material. This process will also create room for the crown so that it will lie flat against your tooth and maintain the natural force of your bite. We will apply a topical numbing gel to your gum tissue, and when you are numb, he will gently inject a powerful local anesthetic so you will be comfortable while he is preparing your tooth.
After reshaping your tooth, impressions will be made of your mouth, and Dr. Lampert and his talented licensed dental assistants will quickly create a temporary restoration while you wait. They will place this provisional acrylic crown on the prepared tooth before you go home so you can smile and eat with relative ease while you wait for your custom porcelain, zirconia, or gold crown.
At your second appointment, Dr. Lampert will remove the temporary crown and bond the permanent restoration in place. Before you leave the office, he will ensure you have a comfortable bite and are happy with the appearance of your new tooth. He can make slight modifications in the form and color of the crown before you leave the office. If you experience tooth, gum tissue, or muscle discomfort in the following days, please call us for a complimentary evaluation and adjustment.
Because Dr. Lampert has extensive training and experience in root canal therapy, you will be able to have any needed root treatment and receive a temporary (provisional) crown in a single appointment, in the comfort of our office.
Many patients need more extensive treatment than just a crown if a poor bite contributed to need for the crown. Dr. Lampert has expertise in occlusal (bite) problems. Using his extensive prosthodontics training, he will diagnose your need for more comprehensive treatment to improve your bite for comfort and lasting oral health. Many patients benefit form bite splint therapy, occlusal equilibration (modification of the biting contacts on multiple teeth), and/or orthodontics, in addition to the restoration of teeth.
Implant-Supported Crowns for Missing or Loose Teeth
Although a crown typically goes on top of a damaged tooth, a crown also can be put on top of a dental implant. If you have lost a tooth or will soon lose it due to periodontal or dental disease, an implant-supported crown may be recommended. If you choose this treatment, Dr. Lampert will have an exceptional, local oral surgeon or periodontist place the implant in your jawbone to replace the missing tooth’s roots. After osseointegration, Dr. Lampert will place your permanent custom crown. Like traditional tooth-supported crowns, your restoration will match the shape and color of your natural teeth. Implants are permanent, and they will never slip out of place. They are also the only type of dental restoration that can prevent jawbone recession when natural tooth roots are no longer viable.
Dental Crowns in Tampa Made Easy
Contact our office if you are looking for a dentist and dental care team who care deeply about the patients they serve and will make your visit exceptional.
If you have a painful tooth, need a crown, want to restore your smile, or have delayed dental visits due to dental anxiety, reach out and give us a call! Compassionate, affordable, gentle dentistry is available today. We offer same-appointment root canal therapy, dental crown preparation, and a temporary crown in our one convenient location. Go home in comfort—ready to smile and chew.