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Crowns & Veneers

Dr. Hodges has extensive training in the preparation for and fabrication of crowns and veneers.

There are many factors involved in the decision of how to prepare a tooth to be restored and what to use to restore it. Firstly, let's define what these restorations are.

Crowns are used to restore a tooth that has fractured or is likely to fracture, often due to extensive decay, large fillings, heavy wear, or stress fractures. Most crowns cover the entire tooth to the gumline, and can be fabricated from porcelain, porcelain and metal blends, or gold. Modern crowns are as strong as an unrestored tooth, and they wear at the same rate as the natural tooth structure.

Veneers are thin porcelain restorations that only cover the front of a tooth. They are primarily used for cosmetic reasons, such as reshaping teeth and whitening your smile. They can be done in addition to or in replacement of orthodontics. Modern veneers are color stable and relatively strong. The life expectancy of most crowns and veneers is 10-20 years, although it is not uncommon to exceed this.

Many factors must be considered when preparing a crown. The design of the tooth preparation as well as the material chosen is based on factors such as how much tooth can safely be removed, what are the forces on the tooth and where are they coming from, does the patient grind their teeth, does the patient have a stable bite, is the crown in the esthetic zone, is the remaining tooth structure discolored, and what are the patient's wants. Modern porcelain crowns are very strong and they wear like a natural tooth. Older crowns would cause premature wear of opposing teeth, but with quality polished porcelains this is no longer a problem. In most cases porcelain is desired over gold. High noble gold crowns (using precious metals) can be desirable to protect against the forces on a patient's second molars (all of the way in the back). A doctor or lab technician should never use non-precious metals (although, sadly this is a common practice). Non-precious metals are too hard. The lab technician is limited on how well he or she can burnish the metal to the margin (seal between the crown and the tooth). This results in a poor seal that lessens the life expectancy of a crown, often by half. Non-precious metals are also more commonly allergenic.

Porcelain crowns gain their strength either from a precious metal coping (inner lining), a strong porcelain coping (like alumina or zirconia), or from the bond to the patient's tooth. All of these types work well, but the doctor must follow specific principles regarding preparation design that are too often overlooked by clinicians. Dr. Hodges has a thorough knowledge of preparation principles and a thorough understanding of dental materials.

Porcelain veneers gain their strength from the bond to the tooth. They transmit light well which makes them highly esthetic, but this also makes them susceptible to color changes from the underlying tooth structure. Careful planning by the doctor, skilled porcelain layering by the lab technician, and proper cement selection can ensure a satisfying result. Many types of mass production veneers, such as Lumineers, are very opaque. They block out dark stains on teeth, but they have a high risk of not looking natural due to that opacity. Dr. Hodges always recommends the use of a high quality dental laboratory that will customize your veneers to your needs. Quality restorations can last decades. This isn't an area where corners should be cut.

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view out CEREC Crown Photo Gallery

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