- Contact Info
- P (250) 390-3392
- F (250) 390-3359
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- Clinic Hours
- 8:30am–5:00pm
- Monday–Thursday
- & Some Fridays
- Our Location
- 6441 Applecross Road
- Nanaimo, BC V9V 1K8
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A long-lasting treatment for covering a damaged tooth with a custom restoration.
Crowns usually cover the entire visible portion of your teeth, and are often used when a tooth has become too decayed or damaged to restore through other techniques.
This level of damage may be caused by fractures (through impact, biting on hard things, or clenching teeth, for example), silver amalgam fillings (they expand and therefore crack teeth), or root canal treatments (all molars with RCTs require a crown to prevent fracture of the tooth).
Crowns may be placed on top of an existing prepared tooth and cemented into place, or on top of the abutment of a dental implant (see below image for example).
Porcelain fused to metal molar crown for dental implant Click link above to view photo.
Whenever possible, crowns are created using porcelain because of its excellent esthetic properties (especially when restoring front teeth). Crowns made from porcelain are long-lasting and beautiful.
Zirconia is a type of very high strength/high tech porcelain. Zirconia can be used alone or in combination with other porcelains. Full zirconia crowns are used on molars if the patient has a very strong bite.
Before & after placement of partial porcelain crowns Click link above to view photo.
When crowns are used to restore back teeth, function may supersede esthetics, and gold crowns may be required in some cases to preserve tooth structure. For patients with a very strong bite, gold may still be the best option for back molar crowns.
Inlays, onlays, and partial crowns can also be made from porcelain. However, the price is high and the longevity often not very good.
Of course, every situation is unique, and the final decision for the type of crown can only be made between the dentist and the patient. Contact us to book your appointment.
We don’t do single appointment crowns.
Some history: so-called “single appointment crowns” (Cerec®, E4D®, and others) are porcelain crowns composed of various materials and made with a small milling unit. This technology has been around for over 30 years. In fact, I had a full day discussion with the North American Cerec® representative way back in 1989.
Scanning has improved.
Materials have improved.
And yet single appointment crowns still have the same issues.
Yes, it is technically possible to make a crown in-office within a few hours. But are the trade-offs really worth it for the patient? We don’t think so.
Almost all of our crowns are digital, meaning they are digitally made in a dental lab. With scanners and milling machines and sintering ovens that are very, very expensive. Quality takes time, and since you’re not waiting in the dental chair while they’re being fabricated, these machines don’t have to hurry.
Our crowns are fabricated by skilled lab technicians. With the best and toughest materials available. Where a few hours in fabrication do not matter.
And THAT’S the way we like it.
A bridge consists of one or several crowns and one or several pontics. A bridge is cemented and non-removable.
The false tooth used to bridge the gap between adjacent crowns is called a “pontic”.
These days dental implants are often better than bridges. Similar price and more conservative.
