Visit a Restorative Dentist in San Diego for Dental Crowns

As a restorative dentist in San Diego, we have a variety of solutions that we use to restore dental damage to teeth, decay or erosion. As solutions go, dental crowns are one of the most innovative and have the broadest range of applications in the dental world. Dental crowns can give teeth a new lease on life after they sustain damage from decay, gum disease or an accident. Dental crowns can not only improve appearance but also one's overall oral health, which is why a great deal of time and resources have gone into making this technology better.

This has resulted in a number of innovations, giving patients a choice of the kind of crowns they want to have. Most importantly you get to choose the material we will use when manufacturing your custom-made crowns. While porcelain dental crowns are the most popular, there are other options that you can consider. Given the semi-permanent nature of dental crowns, we can discuss the solution that is right for you before placing them. What is a good fit for someone else may not be a good fit for you, and you want to make sure that you are getting a perfect solution for your teeth.

Porcelain Crowns

Porcelain dental crowns are definitely among the best way to go from an esthetic perspective. Porcelain has the advantage of being very similar in appearance and texture to enamel which gives a patient the opportunity to have crowns that are incredibly lifelike. In other words, a patient's porcelain dental crowns will look exactly like the teeth around them. As a restorative dentist, we also use porcelain because it is extremely durable. It is very hard, like enamel, and this makes the crowns last a longer time.

Another advantage to porcelain is that it is a poor conductor of heat. If a patient has a sensitivity to heat, this can be a blessing since the patient will feel more comfortable immediately following the crown placement. On the other side, porcelain crowns tend to be very hard, which means that can wear down the teeth opposite to them relatively quickly which could lead to additional problems. Another disadvantage to being aware of when using porcelain is that it tends to be fragile. This is exactly like enamel, and in both cases, patients will need to be careful how they treat their teeth.

Gold Dental Crowns

As a restorative dentist in San Diego, we can also provide you with a gold dental crown. Dental crowns of gold have been around for a very long time and were, at one point, the standard to which everyone aspired. There are definite advantages to using a gold alloy. Augmented with palladium and titanium, these crowns are extremely sturdy which means they will last a very long time. Additionally, they are soft, so there is less of a risk of wearing out the opposing teeth. The problem is that gold is a very prominent material that cannot be used on the front teeth unless you like a little sparkle. Gold is also a good conductor of heat, which could lead to some increased sensitivity to heat and cold in your mouth, especially immediately after we place the crowns.