Utilising anterior crowns in modern dental procedures is a highly popular choice for many practices and their patients. Whether the tooth restoration be for reasons relating to aesthetics or more functional purposes, anterior crowns can offer life-changing outcomes, providing patients with increased confidence, improved quality of life, and many other benefits.
Circumstances that may call for dentists to recommend anterior crowns for their patients can include:
- When a natural tooth is cracked or damaged.
- When a tooth has undergone a root canal.
- When a larger filling needs to be replaced.
- When an implant needs to be covered.
- When a tooth is weakened from decay or cavity.
- For bite alignment purposes.
- For aesthetic purposes.
Anterior crowns can be crafted from a range of different materials according to the needs of each individual patient and require careful consideration to ensure the correct type of crown is chosen for installation. To achieve optimal results, collaborating with a reputable dental lab in Sydney can enhance the precision and quality of anterior crown restorations.
In this article, we aim to provide dentists and their patients with a comprehensive guide to achieving the best results for their anterior crown restoration cases and answer a range of frequently asked questions about anterior crowns as we go.
Crowns Vs Veneers
When it comes to dental crowns vs veneers, it’s important to consider their similarities along with their differences. Choosing the correct option out of these two for a dental restoration can mean the difference between a successful procedure and one that doesn’t provide an optimal outcome for the patient.
Crowns and veneers are both very common choices for dental procedures, are available in a range of different materials, and are highly versatile.
In saying this, there are important differences between them that must be considered when making decisions surrounding dental procedures, including:
- Crowns usually serve a more functional purpose, with aesthetics also taken into account. Veneers are primarily a cosmetic option, with minimal restorative functionality applied.
- Crowns will generally replace most, if not all, of the biting surface of the tooth. Veneers typically only cover the front-facing surface and are comparatively thinner.
- Crowns can be applied on a dental implant, acting as a replacement for a natural tooth. Veneers must be applied to a natural tooth.
- Crowns are available in a vast range of materials, due to the fact that they need to be made sturdy as they’re under much more pressure than veneers due to chewing force. Veneers do still come in a range of materials as well, but with much less choice compared to crowns.
Pros Vs Cons: Advantages and Disadvantages of Dental Crowns
As with any procedure, there are both disadvantages and advantages of dental crowns, anterior and otherwise. Here are a few points to consider:
Advantages of dental crowns:
- Protect a tooth or teeth from further weakening, stress, trauma, and other damage with long-lasting results.
- Aesthetic improvement to tooth anatomy, along with tooth contour procedures (i.e., making a tooth more attractive than it would naturally look).
- Pain relief and improved chewing and speaking ability for teeth that are causing discomfort and difficulties.
Disadvantages of dental crowns:
- Reduction of dental enamel means your natural tooth becomes a little more vulnerable if the crown were to dislodge or break, however, the alternative is full tooth removal which is a much more invasive option.
- As with most dental procedures, there is a possibility for nerve damage or dental sensitivity to occur. To reduce the chances of this, patients should always ensure they work with a trusted dentist (and dental lab) for their anterior crown restorations.
- The need for replacement can be extended with regular dental cleaning and good oral hygiene practices, however, there will come a time when your dental crown needs to be replaced. It may be anywhere between 5-10 years, or sooner if a crack appears or the crown becomes loose.
When deciding whether to move forward with anterior crowns, it is important to consider both the pros and cons. Do the advantages outweigh the disadvantages? For most patients it comes down to whether they will see a significant improvement in their overall quality of life. As noted above, anterior crown tooth restoration can absolutely offer this in more ways than one.
What Are Other Alternatives to Dental Crowns?
Aside from veneers, other cosmetic dentistry procedures that might be preferred over crowns include inlays and onlays and tooth extraction and dental implants.
Inlays and onlays are used in tooth restoration where the tooth is too damaged for a dental filling to be advantageous, but not damaged enough to warrant the use of a crown.
Tooth extraction and dental implant is the better option for more extreme cases where teeth are severely broken or decayed to a point that a crown may not be able to function as an optimal solution.
What are Anterior Strip Crowns?
The anterior crowns we specialise in are often crafted for adults, however, there are anterior dental crowns that are better suited to children. These are called strip crowns, and they are often required due to early childhood caries (ECC) or dental trauma at an early age.
Much like adult anterior crowns, anterior strip crowns for children can be made from a range of materials and will generally resemble natural teeth. They mostly offer support for the restorative material during a child’s tooth restoration procedure.
The name ‘strip crown’ comes from the way that it is applied, the mold being peeled off or stripped from the surface of the tooth, leaving the restoration behind.
We don’t offer anterior strip crown services here at Smile Art Lab, but patients can speak with their dentist it, if they wish to find out more information.
Types of Materials for Dental Crowns: What are Dental Crowns Made Of?
As mentioned above, dental crowns are available in a vast selection of materials from zirconia to Emax and everything in between! Let’s discuss a few of the most popular types of dental crowns in use today.
Zirconia Crowns
Anterior zirconia crowns are a fantastic choice for many patients. They are free from metal (biocompatible) so unlikely to cause adverse reactions. Other zirconia anterior crowns benefits include great aesthetic appeal, as well as incredible durability and longevity. Zirconia dental crowns disadvantages are far and few between, but their strength can cause wear on surrounding teeth if the patient is a serial jaw clencher or tooth grinder.
Metal Crowns
Historically, metal crowns have been made of various alloys including gold, nickel, palladium, and chromium. Due to their metallic colour and the inability to create them to look like a natural tooth, many patients prefer to have them installed for out-of-sight molars rather than anterior crown cases. They are, however, incredibly durable and require minimal enamel removal.
Porcelain Fused-To-Metal (PFM) Crowns
These anterior crowns are often preferred by dentists due to their combination of aesthetics and strength, and their longevity as a tooth restoration option. They consist of a metal base with porcelain cap, and though they can’t offer the same level of aesthetic quality as some other crown varieties (the grey metal cap at the bottom of the crown is a giveaway), they can be a more cost-effective option and provide a higher level of protection and durability.
Ceramic Crowns
For a truly natural-looking appearance, ceramic crowns are a top choice. Ceramic material offers colour matching and sculpting capabilities that allow the restored tooth to mimic light handling characteristics of a natural tooth. Light easily passes through the porcelain material and is reflected out, just like it would be in the case of a natural tooth. Prices for dental crowns made out of ceramic are often more expensive than other materials (namely metal), but they are definitely a more aesthetically appealing option and worth the cost, if it fits within the budget.
Porcelain Crowns
One of the most popular types of crowns, anterior porcelain crowns (a specific type of ceramic) are incredibly suited to aesthetic cases. They offer a highly natural look and are easily able to match surrounding teeth when prepared correctly. Other benefits of anterior porcelain crowns include the fact that they are biocompatible and can last for an extended period of time if proper dental care and hygiene efforts are prioritised.
E-Max Crowns
One of the newest and most innovative dental crown materials in the industry today, Emax anterior crowns are made from super thin and lightweight advanced lithium disilicate that offers fantastic aesthetics, great colour match ability, enhanced durability, and comfort. It is a very strong material that doesn’t compromise on aesthetics. Customisation is easily carried out and the level of translucency closely matches that of natural teeth. Like other ceramic crowns, Emax is biocompatible, meaning it is gentle on gums and highly unlikely to cause allergic reactions.
Ultimately, when it comes to choosing the perfect crown for each unique case, it’s not just the material itself that needs to be considered. Patients and dentists both need to think about the following points in relation to each type of material that might be suited to the case:
- How long do dental crowns last when this material is used?
- How much do dental crowns cost when made out of this material?
- How are dental crowns installed when this material is part of the process?
- Where are dental crowns made and how easily are they accessible using this material?
- Have you seen pictures of dental crowns before and after the procedure when made out of this material?
- What other kind of considerations need to be taken into account with this material (i.e., crown preparation, gingival margin, shade matching, etc.)
Colour Matching with Different Materials
The colour matching (or shade matching) process is an incredibly important piece of the puzzle when creating a tooth restoration treatment plan, especially for anterior crowns as they often sit front and centre in the patient’s mouth.
There have been many innovative (and seriously exciting) breakthroughs in recent years in relation to colour matching in dentistry. One of these is Matisse AI, which we have implemented here at Smile Art Lab. We are known for supplying dentists in Sydney dental crowns that have been created using the latest and most sophisticated dental technology, and Matisse AI is our most recent addition to the tech team.
Currently, we are putting Matisse AI to the test to ensure its shade matching abilities are foolproof, and we have had incredibly promising outcomes so far. We are very much looking forward to incorporating Matisse AI technology into more of our processes and cases (including anterior crowns) over the coming months.
In dentistry, accurate colour matching is crucial, and for this, we primarily recommend the use of two different shade guides. For matching the colour of teeth, the Ivoclar classic shade guide is the go-to tool. This guide helps dentists to precisely determine the shade that best matches the natural colour of the patient’s teeth. On the other hand, for the colour of tooth stumps, particularly in anterior cases, we advise using the Ivoclar stump shade guide. Dentists can use these guides to take a high-quality digital photograph of the teeth or stump alongside the chosen shade from the respective guide. This photograph is then sent to our dental lab in Sydney, for approval, ensuring that we accurately match the correct shade in our work.
Our comprehensive teeth colour matching guide will help you determine your ideal tooth shade and achieve the perfect smile!
Workflow for Anterior Crowns for Smile Art Lab Dentists
When it comes to improving patients’ smiles and lives with quality anterior dental crowns, we understand just how important it is to make the entire tooth restoration process as simple and streamlined as possible, not only for dentists but for their patients as well. Knowing this, we’ve put together a helpful step-by-step workflow guide to ensuring the best possible outcomes for anterior teeth crowns. This guide is an extremely helpful resource for dentists and patients to read in the lead up to aesthetic case procedures.
Step 1: Digital Smile Design (Digital Wax-Up) and Planning
In this step, the dentist and patient work together to provide our lab with high-quality photos and digital scans or impressions of the patient’s upper and lower (while following DSD protocol). The dentist is also expected to discuss the procedure and expectations with the patient surrounding the shape, design and expected results of the cosmetic dentistry procedure they are undertaking for their anterior crown restoration.
Once all relevant information is received here at our dental lab Sydney, we create a digital smile design (digital wax-up) of the patient’s expected resulting smile after their procedure. This digital wax-up is an absolute game-changer as it allows the dentist and patient to see a 3D picture of their own face with their new smile digitally crafted before any work is put into creating the physical products. This saves a whole lot of time and effort for both the dental lab and the dentist. It also allows the patient to gain confidence in their new smile before it even reaches their face.
We send the digital smile design across to the dental practice, and once the dentist and patient are happy with the digital design, we create, print, and dispatch a 3D model of the smile design for the patient to physically try in.
Step 2: Patient Try-In
Using our 3D model as a guide, patients can have a physical sneak peek at their anterior crowns before and after look, boosting their confidence in the expected results. This step in the anterior crowns dental restoration process also offers dentists the chance to review the aesthetics and functionality of the try-in and request any adjustments.
Back at the lab, alterations are made according to the dentist’s feedback and a new 3D try-in is provided if required.
Step 3: Final Preparations for the Anterior Crown Restoration Procedure
This is the third and final step in our guide to anterior crown preparation procedures. This step is all about the small (but super important) touches that ensure a high-quality result. Dentists can follow our helpful Prep Guide (ask us about this when you next reach out) to gather impressions, photos and other details surrounding shade matching, stump colour, gingival margin, restoration material preferences, and scans of the temporary. The more accurate and full information we have to work with, the better the final dental prosthesis will be.
Once all the prep work is complete and with us in our dental lab, we will work our magic to craft the final restoration and dispatch it as soon as possible (within 10 working days under normal circumstances).
Hopefully this guide has been helpful and answered most, if not all, of your questions surrounding anterior crowns and the processes and procedures involved in their creation and installation.
Whenever crowns in dental restorations are required, it takes much communication between the patient, the dentist, and the dental lab in order to achieve the very best outcomes with the least amount of hassle.
We are proud to say that we offer high-quality dental crowns Sydney-wide, and throughout Australia. We utilise advanced dental lab technologies including Matisse AI and Asiga 3D printers in order to provide our dentists and their patients with outstanding products and services to meet their specific needs, including custom dental crowns.
To work with our friendly and experienced team on your next case involving functional/cosmetic dental crowns, please don’t hesitate to reach out.
