PORCELAIN CROWNS

Before

After

Crowns

When does my tooth need a crown (cap)?

The outside of each tooth is made of enamel, which is extremely hard. Although teeth are strong a crown is recommended if there is:
1. Substantial Chips or broken teeth/fillings due to a fall or any other type of trauma.
2. Tooth decay may also severely weaken a tooth, with a high risk that the tooth may fall apart.
3. Root canal treatment, where the pulp of the tooth containing nerves and blood vessels is removed, can also weaken a tooth.
4. Large fillings can reduce a tooth's strength by more than 70% as shown below diagrammatically and eventually the tooth can break.
5. Tooth wear over time can dramatically reduce the size of a tooth and even expose the nerve .

In the above five cases, a crown is often the best way to save a tooth and strengthen it.

6. Cosmetic needs can also treated with crowns, restoring tooth strength, function and enhancing the overall health and beauty of your mouth
7. Very crooked teeth can sometimes be dramatically improved with crowns if braces, invisalign or porcelain veneers are not suitable.

What does a crown (cap) do and what is it made of ?

A crown fits over the existing natural crown, the part of the tooth seen above the gums.

Most crowns on front teeth are made of full porcelain, like veneers, and look every bit as natural, leaving no black line at the gum level like traditional crowns. Porcelain crowns are as strong as natural teeth and are also recommended for replacing old crowns on front teeth. This type of crown is known as a 'Procera Crown'.

Other types of crowns, particularly on the back teeth, contain a high gold alloy and have porcelain fused onto the gold alloy. Our expert advanced dental technician also ensures this type of crown will look as a real as a healthy tooth. On rare occasions full gold crowns are used (83% gold and precious alloys ) when the back tooth is in an extremely heavy bite situation and clearance levels are minimal. The gold contains alloys to enhance its strength.

The tooth opposite has a metal silver amalgam (mercury) filling in it. The silver amalgam filling takes up more than one third of the whole tooth and reduces its strength by more than 70%. The cusp of the tooth can easily break off or a hair line fracture can develop when you eat hard foods. This often causes tooth sensitivity when chewing. This tooth has been crowned and is now stronger and just as real looking as a healthy tooth. This tooth should remain stable for a lifetime with proper preventative care.

If a tooth has a filling in it that takes up more than one third of the natural crown of the tooth then its strength will be reduced from 100% down to approximately 30%. The risk of tooth fracture over time is dramatically increased and often a crown will be needed either as a preventative measure or soon after the tooth fractures

Before	After
Before	After

The old style crowns shown above on the left contain metal underneath them. This makes them look dull, opaque and dark at the gum line. These crowns were replaced with full porcelain crowns ('Procera' System) as seen below on the right. These do not have any metal underneath. This allows light to pass into the crowns and create a result that is realistic and just as nature intended.

Full porcelain crowns are made utilising the 'Procera System'

The 'Procera System' is the most technologically advanced method of producing full porcelain crowns for front teeth that are as strong and as lifelike as real teeth. Procera crowns are completely metal-free. This means Procera crowns do not have a flat, dull or opaque appearance, do not appear dark near the gum line and there is no risk of metal allergy or allergies. Zirconia is the ceramic material used inside the Procera crowns in order to give your tooth the highest possible strength and durability. This means your Procera crown can last a lifetime!

A model of a prepared tooth that requires a Procera crown is scanned on the Procera Scanner shown above and stored into a powerful computer. This computerised image is sent to Sweden and processed in the Procera Mill. An extremely high strength, non-metal ceramic foundation (coping) is produced and sent back to the Australian Dental Laboratory. Special porcelain is then fired onto the Procera Foundation to create a truly lifelike and natural Procera crown.

To date more than 1.5 million Procera crowns have been produced world wide.

Procera type ceramics are also used for other applications such as implants for hip joints.

As with porcelain veneers, all porcelain crowns also carry our exclusive five year guarantee.