Dental Crowns Archives - Page 2 of 2

My top two front teeth were ground down for crowns but there is no crowns on the teeth. Can veneers work on my teeth now?
– Tim from Louisiana

Tim,
When a tooth has been prepared for a crown, the only restoration that works for the tooth is a crown.

The difference between a crown and a porcelain veneer is the veneer covers the front of the tooth and not the back. A crown covers the entire tooth but there are some slight exceptions as veneers can also include the sides of the tooth. Some dentists charge the same fee for a veneer as for a crown.

Whenever a lot of tooth structure is removed, that is considered to be aggressive dentistry. It seems better when the dentist removes the least possible tooth structure so it’s minimally invasive and still accomplishes the desired result. Excellent cosmetic dentists will be conservative when they work on teeth.

A crown strengthens a back tooth against tooth fracture in almost every situation in which it is used. With front teeth, they are more subject to horizontal stresses and a crown can weaken an otherwise healthy tooth, making it more susceptible to lateral shearing forces. This is why it’s important to be as conservative as possible in treatments to front teeth. A porcelain veneer that’s well-placed and conservative won’t weaken a tooth.

In your case, you will need to have crowns placed for your two front teeth as they have been ground down for crowns. Had they been minimally prepared, you could have had veneers.

This blog brought to you by Dr. Ryan P. Perry of Baton Rouge Family Dentistry

I’m 53 years old, and had six crowns placed a few years ago. Two weeks ago, I had a new dentist fit a porcelain and gold crown to my upper rear right adjacent molars. These are the permanent crowns and aren’t temporaries. These new crowns are at least one mm or more away from touching the opposing lower teeth (these are crowned). I discovered that crowns should slightly touch opposing teeth. I need to have another crown placed on the other side of my mouth and need to know if my dentist made a mistake.
– Doug from Louisiana

Doug,

You’re correct that dental crowns should touch their opposing teeth. If they are created properly, there are other important considerations. It’s important where the crowns touch and this is also called “occlusion.”

Proper jaw function depends on how your upper and lower teeth meet. When your jaw is aligned properly, you should be able to clench your jaw together and have your teeth meet at the same time. You should also be able to grind your teeth to the side and have only your canine teeth touch. This is important because these teeth have sturdy, long roots that help with sideway stress.

Another consideration is called “group function.” This is when all the posterior teeth have the same slope and when you grind your teeth to the side, they all touch evenly.

You have probably had the bite strip procedure done at the dentist. This is where the bite is checked with a thin strip of plastic between your teeth. No matter where it’s placed on your back teeth, you should be able to clench your teeth together and keep the strip from being pulled from your teeth.

If you have back teeth that don’t come together all the way, this may cause a problem because over time, they may drift together and then touch. While this may seem to work, there’s a strong chance they won’t touch correctly and will eventually throw your bite out of alignment. When this happens, you may suffer from TMJ disorder and this has to be dealt with right away as it can lead to other serious issues.

This blog sponsored by Baton Rouge Family Dentist, Dr. Ryan P. Perry