| Porcelain Posterior Crown |
These two amalgam fillings have been present for a long
time. the patient has discomfort with hot and cold and when biting on
these teeth. They decision was jointly taken to investigate these and
remove the amalgam to see what was underneath the old fillings. Until
the old amalgam is removed and the extent of the problem is
investigated, the dentist cannot foresee the extent of damage and the
treatment required.
When the amalgam and decay was removed the tooth on the right had a crack running from front to back.
A decision was taken to prepare the crown for an "Onlay Crown" .
This
is akin to "topping" the tooth with a porcelain Veneer that is bonded
to the surface of the tooth. This will protect the tooth from biting
forces and hold the tooth together just as a book on a glass beaker
will allow you to stand on the glass by distributing the weight.
Undetected this crack in the tooth would have lead to the tooth splitting and would have needed extraction.
Normally
a full crown would require removal of all the enamel around the tooth.
With an "onlay crown" or top surface veneer, the bonding of the all
porcelain restorationonto this large surface means the dentist doesn't
need to remove as much tooth!
Finally the all porcelain "crown" is polished and glazed
and cemented. this light transmission through the porcelain means the
tooth looks like a real tooth. The dentist also has the option of using
"E-Max porcelain - three times as strong as a traditional crown.
THIS WAS COMPLETED IN ONE VISIT, and will protect the tooth from more extensive and more expensive problems.
The tooth on the left has an Inlay / Porcelain filling.
These restorations have a 95 % chance of lasting for 20 years. - only a one in twenty chance of failure.
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