Porcelain Crown Replacement in Milwaukee
Renewing Old Restorative Dentistry
Porcelain Crowns are subject to the same wear and tear dynamics that our normal teeth must endure as we age. Biting, chewing, grinding over the years cause friction and cause biting surfaces to wear down.
The common failure of people “putting things off” just a bit longer (which is normal) can cause an unusual acceleration of wear and bite problems.
As our teeth become shorter, the occlusal relationship changes and can actually cause more harm to our natural teeth than the crowns that are wearing down on their own accord (remember that crowns typically are harder than natural tooth enamel).
A common treatment provided by dentists is the use of porcelain overlays and inlays on natural tooth structures to arrest the excessive wear on a natural tooth structure that opposes a porcelain crown.
Porcelain onlays can be the perfect solution for treating the beginning stages of a changing bite pattern… if treated early enough.
As can be seen in these first two pretreatment photos, our patient had the definite signs of a changing bite. Her smile was becoming more “forced”… in that the upper jaw no longer provided the support for natural lip movements.
The patient had excessive wear, loss of canine guidance and anterior (front) tooth structures that were beginning to rotate due to the unnatural physical forces arising from the changing bite.
The posterior (rear) teeth were hitting hard while the front teeth were beginning to overlap the lower teeth.. all of which indicates a rapidly closing bite (collapsed vertical dimension).
Dr. Winter used a combination of new Empress porcelain crowns and feldspathic veneer laminates to recreate what was once the normal bite pattern for the patient. Ceramic products were used on a tooth by tooth basis to establish once again normal biting surfaces both posteriorly and anteriorly.
The use of diagnostic impressions and waxup models enabled the patient to select the sizing, harmony and colorations for all of the new restorations. Most important for our patient was having new teeth that fit her face, smile and jaw characteristics.
As can be seen in the next postoperative photo, her new smile appears to be very natural and has a near perfect smile line (incisal, lower edges of upper teeth follow the natural contour of the lower lip – when smiling).
The impact of the makeover treatments were very successful. All of the bite and occlusal issues were addressed and treated successfully.
In terms of cosmetics and overall impact on the patient, the outcome became more extended for our patient. The self confidence and esteem issues that accompany the return of a great looking physical appearance can indeed become manifested in the way we feel about ourselves.
Our patient looks and feels years younger. Replacement dentistry, whether it involves replacement of our natural teeth, modifications of our existing teeth to accommodate changes in biting surfaces that occur naturally, or the replacement of “previous replacements” can produce very desirable results.
Cosmetic qualities of teeth as well as the functional qualities (we all tend to disregard the functional aspects until a problem arises) can be modified almost to perfection with today’s rapid advancements in cosmetic, restorative and reconstructive dentistry.
Other crown problems such as suspected leaking crowns, cementation that has become weak or possibly a loose crown that will cause bacteria to seep into the leak site should be treated. Decay under the crown can quickly develop or become more accelerated if decay is already evident.
Call 414-464-9021 for information on any of our services.
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