What is a crown and why do I need one? Sometimes tooth decay advances to a point that your tooth is too weak or compromised to be repaired with just a filing. A filing, for the most part, is held in the tooth by the remaining tooth structure.

If the amount of solid tooth is minimal or poorly distributed, a conventional filing will not have adequate support and retention. In these instances, an indirect restoration (crown) made outside of your mouth and cemented over the prepared tooth may be the solution to your problem. Dr. Eric Levine will design and direct a dental laboratory in the fabrication of your crown. Thus, a crown returns your tooth to its proper shape and size and reinforces the compromised area.

Crowns can be made out of gold, porcelain baked to gold, and all porcelain. It is difficult to achieve the natural translucency of your teeth with a crown that has a metal framework. Light does not pass through the metal-based restoration as it does through your own teeth. Porcelain crowns do not have a dull appearance, but rather they mimic enamel with a natural translucency and restore your tooth to its original appearance.

A fixed bridge is a series of crowns that replace a missing tooth or can be used to replace a group of missing teeth.