Birmingham, AL Porcelain Crowns
At Alabaster Aesthetic Dentistry, we use porcelain crowns for their premium quality, function, and aesthetics.
When is a Crown Needed?
Crowns are used to replace decayed, damaged, or missing teeth. They are an important part of the following types of treatments:
Our Porcelain Crowns
Our crowns are made of carefully selected materials to create restorations that possess the strength and beauty of your natural teeth. For the base of the crown, from which it derives its strength, we usually use zirconia. Often called “ceramic steel,” zirconia is remarkably strong.
For the aesthetic finish, the zirconia is layered with porcelain. Porcelain is known for its ability to mimic the nuances in color, light reflectivity, and translucency that characterize a natural tooth. The end result is a crown that is as natural-looking as it is durable.
About Porcelain-Fused-to-Metal
Before strong ceramics like zirconia were available, crowns were often made with a metal foundation layered in porcelain. This type of crown, called a porcelain-fused-to-metal (PFM) crown, is still used today, but not in our practice.
As shown in the images above, crowns with a ceramic base blend in naturally with the surrounding teeth, whereas PFM crowns don’t. The opaque metal base of the PFM crown blocks the flow of light through the teeth, giving them an unnatural appearance. What’s more, a PFM crown will also eventually begin to reveal the unsightly gray color you see at the gum line. For these reasons, we believe that a PFM crown should only be used when absolutely necessary — such as in extremely rare cases when exceptional strength is needed — and never in the smile zone.
Your Smile, Restored
If you are disappointed with the aesthetic outcome of your previous dental work, we would love to restore the beauty of your smile with natural-looking ceramics. Give us a call at (205) 663-6545 to schedule a consultation, or simply request an appointment online, and we’ll call you to schedule.
