I’m a little nervous and want to make the correct decision. I have to get a dental crown for the first time in my life. In truth, my nervousness comes from hearing my friends complain about their crowns. I was at a party the other night and my pal Dan had a crown fall out right there at the party. I would have been humiliated, but he took it in stride. Apparently, this was the third time he’s lost this crown. His fiance said she once had a crown that looked so obviously fake she had to have it re-done twice until she liked it. She said it cost her a small fortune, but because it was visible it was important to her. I have three things which are important to me in regards a dental crown.
1. I don’t want it to fall out.
2. I want it to match my teeth and look natural.
3. I don’t want it to be noticeable to me, ie. it shouldn’t feel uncomfortable.
I’ve done some research and people are raving about CEREC crowns. Do they meet with the criteria I’m hoping to meet?

Steve L.

Dear Steve,

I love specificity in expectations and questions. This really helps me thoroughly answer. We’ll take your specifications one by one. First, it’s important to you that your crowns not fall out. I don’t blame you. Honestly, that’s the least you should expect.

When a dental crown is properly shaped, it can stay in place by suction alone. Of course, it won’t stay there when you chew on sticky things, which is why we add an additional layer of protection by bonding the crowns. The bonding procedure requires the cement to be up to date and properly mixed. Plus, the tooth must be kept dry. Without a proper bonding, the crown will fall out. With proper design and bonding, a CEREC crown will not fall out (or any crown for that matter). If it does, the problem isn’t the crown. It’s the fault of the dentist.

Secondly, it was important to you the crown look natural and match your teeth. Again, this can be done with either a CEREC crown or a traditional crown. What matters, in this case, is the cosmetic skill of the dentist. An artistic dentist can make it look both natural and beautiful. It is important they use all-porcelain crowns. Metal based crowns require the porcelain to be too opaque to look natural. Plus, they develop a dark line at the gumline. CEREC crowns are all-porcelain.

As I mentioned earlier, the artistic skill of the dentist does matter. The most highly skilled dentists have reached accreditation level with the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry (AACD). You can check their website to see if there are any AACD accredited dentists in your area. If there aren’t any, you can also check the mynewsmile.com website. They have a “find a cosmetic dentist” link. If you input your zip-code and select the number of miles you’re willing to drive, they’ll list out expert cosmetic dentists in that range. You’ll be safe with any of their listed dentists. In fact, most of them have a beautiful smile guarantee.

Your third criteria was that the crown fit comfortably so you’re not distracted by it. Obviously, finding the right dentist for your first point will take care of this one as well. But, it may make you more confident to know that CEREC crowns are milled by a computer, which makes them very precisely milled.

I hope this helps answer your question.
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