West Coast Dental Clinics
Why Do my Dental Crowns Look Fake?
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West Coast Dental Clinics Why Do my Dental Crowns Look Fake?
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The most common complaint associated with crowns is that they look "opaque,"
"lifeless," and "fake" compared to natural teeth. The appearance of a crown is affected by many factors, but ultimately, the
final result is determined by how the crown reacts with light. Natural teeth have a high degree of translucency, which means
a certain amount of light passes through the tooth. The result of this is that the tooth appears to have depth and vitality. Porcelain Crowns With a Metal Substructure Traditionally, crowns are made of two materials: Generally, it is this type of crown that can appear opaque. The reason for
this is that while porcelain is very translucent and lets light travel easily through it, no light can pass through the underlying
metal. In order to prevent the metal color from showing through the porcelain, which would make the crown seem dark or gray,
the metal has to be "masked out" with an opaquing material. It is this masking or opaquing that can affect the final appearance,
giving rise to the opaque or lifeless look. Do All Porcelain Crowns With a Metal Substructure Appear Lifeless? The answer is no. One thing that can be done to improve the appearance is
to remove the metal margin that goes around the crown. By keeping the metal inside the crown and having porcelain at the junction
between the crown and the tooth, the "black line" appearance at the gum line can be eliminated, thereby increasing the translucency
in this area. It also is necessary to have an adequate thickness of porcelain over the metal substructure. If the metal that
has been masked out is too close to the outer surface of the crown, the appearance of depth is lost. What it mostly comes
down to, however, is the skill level and artistry of the technician who is making the crown. When done correctly, porcelain
crowns with a metal substructure can give you the best of both worlds. They can be made to exactly match your other teeth
while still appearing lifelike, and since there is metal in it, they have increased strength. |
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How Do You Get Rid of It? The only way to eliminate the esthetic problem is to replace the crown. When
replacing just one single crown in the front, you should expect that it might take more than one try-in of the new crown before
it is permanently cemented into place. Because your central incisors are the most prominent teeth in the mouth, matching them
is the most difficult esthetic challenge. Only the best dental technicians are able to mimic one central incisor tooth next
to another. All-Ceramic Crowns Today, there are crowns available that do not require a metal substructure
and are made of only porcelain. Depending on the specific type, they get their strength either from the bond to the remaining
tooth structure or from a dense tooth colored substructure. Since there is no metal, these types of crowns allow more light
to pass through, which enables them to have more depth and vitality, much like natural teeth. So why isn't this type of crown
used all the time? The main reason is that they are not as strong as crowns with a metal substructure. So, if a person grinds
their teeth, these crowns have a greater risk of fracture. Another reason why an all-ceramic crown cannot be used in all situations
is if the underlying tooth structure itself is dark. Very dark teeth are difficult to mask with these types of crowns because
of their translucency. In these instances, the dark color may show through the crown. So, for situations where a lot of force
will be placed on the teeth (such as grinding habits) or if a tooth is really dark, a well-made porcelain crown with a metal
substructure may be a better restoration. The best of both worlds
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