Porcelain Crowns
Serving Northern Virginia including Tyson’s Corner, Fairfax, Reston and Washington D.C. and surrounding areas
At Softouch Dental Care in Oakton, Virginia, we have been offering beautiful porcelain crowns to our Maryland guests for many years. You probably know that crowns can be made from gold alloy, and even from other metal alloys. But we offer pearly-white all-porcelain crowns as being cosmetically and functionally the best solution for severely decayed or damaged teeth.
When a tooth has decay only in the visible portion above the gumline, and a tooth-colored filling will not be enough to correct it, a crown can be used to cover the tooth entirely. It will preserve it and prolong its life. If decay has extended into the tooth’s root, endodontic work may also be needed. When a tooth is missing altogether, a dental implant can supply an artificial root, and a porcelain crown can be attached to it to provide a new tooth.
A crown is permanently cemented to the tooth and gives it an entire new surface and shape. Crowns can be placed over any tooth, back or front. Sometimes they are a good solution for a large metal filling which has become old and threatens to crack the tooth. That filling can be removed and a porcelain crown placed over the tooth to strengthen and preserve it.
How crowns are done
Once the decision is made between you and Dr. Chung that a crown is the best option, you will need to come for two visits.
- First visit
After settling you comfortably and numbing the area, Dr. Chung will remove all decayed and damaged tissue, along with all bacteria and debris. He will trim the tooth to a size and shape to best support the crown to be placed over it. Then he will take an impression of it to be sent to the laboratory which will craft your porcelain crown from this model.
Dr. Chung will also choose the shade of porcelain to be used, by using a shade guide against your natural teeth, to most closely match their color. His LVI training comes into play here again, as working with porcelain has an artistic aspect, an approach not taught in traditional dental schools.
While you wait the week or two for your crown to be ready, you can have a temporary crown protecting your tooth. This will be made of a plastic material and held in place with temporary cement. Dr. Chung will tell you how best to care for it. - Second visit
After you are again comfortably settled with neck support, blanket, headphones, or whichever amenities you prefer, and the treatment area is satisfactorily numb, Dr. Chung will remove the temporary crown. He’ll examine your new crown and try it on for fit. It must work well for your bite, not rubbing against other teeth or causing any discomfort when your upper and lower teeth come together. He will slightly adjust its shape or size if necessary. When you and he are both agreed that it fits well, he will cement it permanently in place.
You now have a new tooth, with a new lifespan ahead of it. Give it good daily brushing and flossing, to make sure that bacteria can’t get underneath it. An all-porcelain crown these days is as strong as any other kind, and far more attractive. Your new crown should last you at least ten years, even twenty or thirty, if you care for it well.
All of us here believe that an educated patient is the best kind, and we will always take time to answer questions or explain how things work. Please give us a call, or send an email, if you would like to have a personal consultation.
We are a metal-free dental office serving Oakton, Vienna, McLean, Great Falls, Tyson’s Corner, Reston, Herndon, Fairfax, Falls Church, Chantilly, Centreville, Alexandria, Arlington, Loudon Counties, Washington D.C. and the Maryland area.
2946-E Chain Bridge Road
Oakton, VA 22124
tel. 703 319 6990
