Dental Crowns in La Jolla
If you have a severely decayed, weak or damaged tooth, you’ve found the right practice to make your smile whole again.
Dr. David Sabourin has more than 35 years of experience helping patients restore their oral function and smile beauty with dental crowns and dental bridges in San Diego. When you visit his elegant and soothing practice for a dental crown or bridge, you’ll benefit from Dr. Sabourin’s extensive expertise, caring personality, and advanced technologies.
As long as the roots and interior of your damaged or broken tooth are healthy, Dr. Sabourin can restore it with a dental crown in San Diego. Even when the pulp is infected, a root canal followed by a crown on the treated tooth is often a successful strategy for saving it. And if you have a missing tooth, a dental bridge is a cost-effective, alternative option to a dental implant.
What Are Dental Crowns?
A dental crown is a tooth cap that completely surrounds the visible portion of a tooth to strengthen it and reduce the risk of further complications.
In the past, it was common for patients to receive gold or metal crowns, which were unsightly, especially for teeth in the smile zone. For many years, porcelain fused-to-metal crowns were considered the gold standard of tooth restoration and widely used to repair damaged teeth. The drawbacks were that the inner metal layer caused a visible telltale line along the gum line and the porcelain coating on the metal could wear, chip, or break.
Types of Dental Crowns Used in Modern Dentistry
Modern dental crowns in San Diego fabricated from porcelain or zirconia are an ideal solution to restore function and aesthetics to natural teeth with extensive tooth decay or damage. Porcelain closely matches the appearance of natural teeth, especially in translucency, but it isn’t as strong as zirconia.
A zirconia crown fabricated from a solid block of zirconium oxide offers 10 times the strength as natural tooth enamel and a minimum of three times that of porcelain.
A newer and more expensive crown material called E-MAX, made from lithium disilicate ceramic, offers excellent translucency, durability, and natural-looking aesthetics.
Porcelain Dental Crowns vs. Veneers
A zirconia or porcelain crown is a restorative dentistry procedure that protects and restores the integrity of a tooth with severe decay or fillings that are too large to repair. A tooth cap can be used on any tooth, whereas porcelain veneers are used exclusively to conceal cosmetic issues in front teeth.
While crowns restore major structural issues, porcelain veneers are a good choice for discoloration, small chips, minor gaps and misalignment, and rough or worn-down enamel. Porcelain crowns require considerable modification and removal of the tooth structure, while porcelain veneers only require a minimal amount of enamel removal.
What are the Benefits of Dental Crowns?
A porcelain crown fabricated by a skilled dental lab technician blends in seamlessly with your existing teeth. If the integrity of the underlying tooth is strong, you maintain good oral hygiene, and are careful not to bite down on hard foods, a high-quality dental crown can last for several decades.
- Restores strength to a damaged tooth
- Improves tooth size, shape, and color
- Repairs tooth after severe decay
- Preserves tooth after a root canal
- Covers a dental implant
How Do Dental Bridges Differ From Crowns?
A missing tooth can cause an array of problems, including shifting of surrounding teeth, an increased risk of decay and gum disease, and a painful change to your bite. Instead of a single crown, a false tooth in the empty space left by a missing tooth is supported by crowned existing teeth on each side.
A dental bridge eliminates unsightly gaps in your smile, while improving your ability to eat and speak. Although a dental bridge prevents remaining teeth from shifting and altering your bite, bone loss continues in the empty space under the false tooth because the missing root isn’t replaced.
Implant-Supported Crowns and Bridges
Dr. Sabourin also offers implant supported crowns and dental bridges. The same material is used for the crown and false tooth, but the titanium implant post replaces the missing natural tooth root, thereby preventing the underlying bone from deteriorating, while promoting new bone growth.
If a tooth is too compromised, a single dental implant provides greater stability and longevity than a traditional crown. This option also eliminates the need to modify two healthy teeth to support a bridge.
What are the Benefits of Dental Crowns?
During your first visit, Dr. Sabourin will likely take digital X-rays to check the roots of the tooth and determine if a root canal is necessary. Prior to starting the process, he’ll numb the tooth and surrounding gum tissue with a local anesthetic. Tooth preparation requires removal of decay, old filling material, and enough tooth structure on the chewing surface and sides to accommodate the crown.- After your tooth is adequately reshaped, Dr. Sabourin creates impressions with a dental putty that takes about five minutes to set. He chooses a color for your crown that closely matches your surrounding teeth. The impressions are sent to a specialized dental lab to create the permanent crown, which usually takes about two weeks. Dr. Sabourin uses the impressions to create a temporary crown made of composite resin that you’ll wear until the final dental crown comes back from the lab.
- During your second visit, Dr. Sabourin removes the temporary crown and checks the fit and color of your new crown. Before permanently cementing the crown in place, he ensures it’s comfortable by asking you to bite down on a thin piece of colored paper. This occlusal adjustment helps eliminate any high points that can interfere with your bite.
During your first visit, Dr. Sabourin will likely take digital X-rays to check the roots of the tooth and determine if a root canal is necessary. Prior to starting the process, he’ll numb the tooth and surrounding gum tissue with a local anesthetic. Tooth preparation requires removal of decay, old filling material, and enough tooth structure on the chewing surface and sides to accommodate the crown.The process for creating dental bridges is similar to crowns, except Dr. Sabourin needs to modify two teeth and create a temporary bridge that you’ll wear until the permanent one comes back from the dental lab.
Why Choose Dr. Sabourin for Dental Crowns?
Simply put, Dr. Sabourin has been practicing restorative dentistry for over 35 years with excellent results for patients.
Dr. Sabourin understands that every patient has unique needs, so he takes the time to carefully consider your health, medical history, and smile goals before recommending treatment. In addition to decades of expertise creating beautiful crowns and bridges in La Jolla, Dr. Sabourin offers competitive pricing, accepts insurance from multiple carriers, and partners with the leading third-party dental financing company CareCredit.
Schedule Your Consultation Today
No need to suffer with less than perfect teeth when customized crowns and bridges will restore your oral health, dental function, and smile beauty! Enjoy a healthier smile tomorrow by scheduling a consultation today with Dr. Sabourin.
