Dentistry has changed dramatically over the last 20 years. Treatment of decay is much more conservative than the days of silver amalgam fillings. No longer do we wait until a tooth has a medium or large cavity to place a filling. Instead, early detection of decay allows us to use conservative techniques to control disease and place bonded tooth colored fillings.

This type of restoration, in addition to being attractive, is usually less invasive and less damaging to healthy tooth structure than the metal fillings historically used to treat decay. The trade off is that we now will recommend treatment of decay earlier in an effort to keep the size and extent of the filling as small as possible. Biomaterial research has indicated that use of this material is best suited for small to medium sized areas of decay. For this reason, it is not always the best choice for dealing with teeth that have been previously treated with large, silver fillings. Take time to talk with Dr. Meek or Dr. Tasch about indications for use of tooth colored composite to learn more.

When a tooth has been affected by new decay around an existing large filling, decay beneath a cusp used for chewing, lost a cusp due to fracture, or presents with a fracture extending towards its root, a crown is usually the best treatment. Crowns act to cover and protect the remaining tooth that contains the living tissue called the pulp, protect what tooth is left from fracture, and restore the tooth's shape so that it can serve its purpose in the dental arch.

Crowns are fabricated from a mind boggling variety of materials. Most types of crowns serve well when placed in the appropriate place in the mouth. In other words, a tooth colored, ceramic (i.e. breakable) crown is not always the best choice for areas that perform high stress roles in your bite. That being said, appearance is also an extremely important consideration when dealing with a damaged tooth and for that reason, 38th Street Dental offers patients a choice when planning treatment.

When a tooth is a prominent member of the smile, an all ceramic crown is the first choice for a natural looking result. With no metal underneath the porcelain, these crowns look like a natural tooth and do not discolor the gum tissue or root surface like their porcelain and metal predecessors. 38th Street Dental uses zirconia based crowns for most porcelain with ceramic substrate crowns and both doctors are satisfied with the intermediate and long term success with these restorations.

These crowns are fabricated on a computer driven milling machine. The result is a precision fit that we often do not see with the old fashioned, hand made style porcelain fused to metal crowns. This sort of technological advance in lab support makes it possible for us to treat fractured teeth and teeth needing the protection of a full coverage crown with greater long term reliability. It is a truly exciting development in restorative care!