Houston Porcelain Crowns

There are two basic types of crowns that could be called porcelain crowns.

• All-porcelain or all-ceramic
• Porcelain-fused-to-metal

Traditionally, dentists used porcelain-fused-to-metal crowns for teeth that show when you smile. The metal gives strength to the porcelain, and it was felt that the aesthetics were adequate.

However, in recent years with the development in technology that allows porcelain to be bonded directly to tooth structure, the strength of all-porcelain or all-ceramic crowns is enough to hold up very well in the mouth.

The beauty of all-porcelain crowns

The presence of a metal foundation in the crown causes two aesthetic problems.

• First, the metal blocks any light transmission, so the crown must be opaque. Natural teeth, however, are translucent. Eliminating the metal makes it so that the crown can also be made translucent. With the beautiful optical properties of dental ceramics, it is possible to have a crown that looks perfectly like a natural tooth.
• Another problem caused by crowns that have a metal foundation is that they create a dark line at the gum line. You have maybe noticed this in friends with crowns on their front teeth. Over the years, as the gums recede, this line becomes more and more visible and it can be quite unsightly. Pure porcelain, however, can be blended to an invisible transition between crown and tooth.

You can see in the photograph on the upper left four porcelain-fused-to-metal crowns. They show the characteristic opaque look and the dark line at the gum line. In the lower photograph to the right, they have been replaced with all-porcelain crowns that are difficult to distinguish from natural teeth.

Why so many dentists still use porcelain-fused-to-metal crowns

For teeth that aren’t prominent when you smile, the choice between these two types of crowns may not really matter aesthetically. So even some excellent cosmetic dentists will use porcelain-fused-to-metal crowns on molars, but many dentists still use them on front teeth. There are a couple of reasons for this.

• The first is that dentists, as a group, tend to have an engineering mentality. To them, the aesthetics is not a high priority. The metal, they feel, only detracts from the appearance a little, and the technique for placing the crowns is easier.
• Another reason is that many dentists are slow to adapt to new technology, and tend to fall back on the old, tried and true techniques.

Here at the office of Drs. Kathy Frazar and Thomas Hedge, we understand that to most of our patients, the aesthetics of the dental work is very important.

We strongly prefer the beautiful all-porcelain crowns for teeth that are in your smile zone. If you would like to find out if you are a candidate for these porcelain crowns, please give us a call. The initial consultation is complimentary, or you can visit our make an appointment page.