Fillings vs. Porcelain Crowns: Cavities, Cracks & Amalgam

Doctor Jones and his staff are professional, courteous and extend more customer service than I believe I've ever seen. I needed a tooth fixed before leaving on an extended trip overseas and while in the office Dr. Jones discovered a damaged crown. He and his assistant stayed quite late to create and install the new crown. I would highly recommend him! He is one of the very few dentists that I fully trust with my dental work.
-C. Johnson

A filling is a great solution for repairing a small cavity, but when the cavity is not so little, fillings aren't such a great solution. The tooth may be weakened and it will need to be protected. In some cases, the amount of missing tooth material is too large for a simple filling to recreate the natural shape effectively. In these situations, crowns are needed. 

A dental crown covers most of the tooth structure, strengthening it and restoring the appearance. Our crowns are made of porcelain, which is considered the ideal material for restoring teeth. It is the same color as teeth and has the same refractive index, which means porcelain is lustrous and slightly shiny just like a tooth. It is also very durable because it has the same hardness as teeth. Basically, we take out what is bad and replace it with porcelain. It will still look, function, and feel, like a tooth.

A crown is particularly suitable for a cracked tooth. They protect it from impact, so a cracked tooth doesn't turn into a broken tooth. They also keep bacteria from entering the crack and causing infection. This problem is especially common with old silver (amalgam) fillings.

Heat makes metal expand. It also makes tooth material expand, but not as fast. Every time you eat something hot, your silver filling is putting pressure on your tooth from the inside. Over time, tiny cracks develop and turn into big cracks. Eventually, part of the tooth can just break off unless the filling is removed and the tooth is crowned. We check every new patient for fractures around fillings. We use an intra-oral camera so that you can see the damage for yourself.

Crowns may be fabricated here in our office or at a laboratory, depending on the complexity. The quality and durability of same day crowns is excellent, and they look quite nice. However, a laboratory can do little things like layering different shades of translucent porcelain, to improve the appearance. This method usually takes one or two additional appointments, but patients find that it's well worth a little extra time to have a fabulous smile!

If you have fractures, decay, or old fillings wreaking havoc on your teeth, call Social Circle Dental today,  at (770) 464-1900 and schedule an appointment with Dr. Jones.