Crowns have served patients as quality dental restorations for centuries, and they have vastly improved over the course of recent decades. While dental crowns were commonly made of metals like gold or silver for a long time, these crowns cause issues both cosmetic and practical, as they can be quite distinct from the natural teeth and can be quite uncomfortable due to metals expanding or contracting due to temperature changes.
More recently, porcelain-fused-to-metal crowns became the norm because they created a more lifelike restoration. Unfortunately, these crowns can begin to show their metal bases underneath their porcelain shells as they age, revealing a thin but unsightly black line underneath them near the gumline. Here’s how this issue can be remedied by replacing porcelain-fused-to-metal crowns with all-ceramic restorations.
Why Is There a Black Line Showing Around My Dental Crown?
Porcelain-fused-to-metal crowns consist of a porcelain shell that looks like real tooth structure with a metal base underneath. If your crown is showing a thin black line around its base, it is because the porcelain shell of your crown is moving farther away from its metal base. Unfortunately, this thin black line is a dead giveaway that a patient has had dental work, so many people dealing with this issue are quite interested in correcting it.
How Can I Get Rid of This Black Line Around My Dental Crown?
The good news is that dental science has produced all-ceramic dental crowns that mimic real tooth structure without any underlying metal parts. This eliminates the possibility of any dark metal components becoming visible and revealing your dental restorations to casual observers. Their lack of metal also makes them ideal for patients with metal sensitivities. Ceramic crowns are strong and dependable, allowing them to restore a compromised tooth to its original size, shape, and function.
How Is a Ceramic Dental Crown Placed?
Modern dental crowns can be placed in two visits separated by two or three weeks or in one visit through the use of CEREC one-visit technology. The process begins with a consultation, during which your dentist will examine your mouth and prepare the tooth being treated to receive a crown. They will then take an impression of your teeth.
If the crown is being placed in two visits, your tooth will receive a temporary crown and the impressions will be sent to a lab. There, a skilled technician will manufacture your crown, and your dentist will receive it in two to three weeks. Then, they will remove your temporary crown and cement the new one into place. However, if you are receiving a CEREC crown, your crown will be crafted in-house and applied on the same day as your consultation.
Dental crowns can restore a patient to a complete smile and the confidence that comes with it. Consulting with your dentist can determine if replacing your old crowns with all-ceramic ones might be a good course of treatment for you.
About the Author
Dr. Rob Schumacher studied dentistry at both the University of Kentucky and the University of Michigan. He is proud to be a member of the American Dental Association, the Massachusetts Dental Association, and the American College of Prosthodontics. His office in Wakefield, MA offers preventive, cosmetic, emergency, and restorative dentistry such as dental crowns. For more information on upgrading your dental crowns, contact the office online or dial (781) 334-3400.