Dr. Vlad Fedin offers comprehensive dentistry options in Chicago, Illinois, including porcelain crowns and bridges.
While these two dental restorations serve different purposes, the way they are made and their placement procedures have many similarities.
Are You a Candidate for a Porcelain Crown or Bridge?
To be eligible for a crown or bridge, any existing decay or infection must be addressed first, and if needed, gum disease treatment should be underway. However, minor dental alignment issues can often be addressed with a crown.
You should be able to follow all instructions following the procedure and be committed to maintaining healthy oral hygiene habits to protect your bridge or crown(s).
Schedule a consultation with Dr. Fedin to find out if a porcelain crown or bridge is right for you by calling our Chicago, Illinois, office at (312) 642-6631.
What Are the Advantages of Porcelain Crowns and Bridges?
Porcelain crowns and bridges offer the following benefits to preserve or replace teeth:
Crowns
- Repair a broken tooth
- Restore a badly decayed or infected tooth after root canal therapy (RTC)
- Cosmetically enhance small, worn down, cracked, or mildly crooked teeth
- Complete the dental implant process to restore missing teeth comprehensively
- Serve as anchors for porcelain bridges to replace the visible portion of missing teeth
Bridges
- Simple, non-surgical tooth-replacement solution
- Replace the crown (visible portion) of absent teeth
- An effective, economical tooth replacement option, if most of your teeth are healthy
- Typically replaces one or two missing teeth, but can sometimes replace up to four
- Can be used with dental implants to replace a number of teeth when many are missing
Porcelain crowns and bridges are made from a strong, translucent ceramic material to resist cracking while providing full function and long-lasting, natural-looking results.
Professional Teeth Whitening and Porcelain Crowns and Bridges
If your mouth is healthy and you are happy with the shade of your natural teeth, you can proceed directly to either of these treatments.
Otherwise, Dr. Fedin may recommend professional teeth whitening with Zoom!, especially if the crown or bridge will be clearly visible. This will allow you to brighten your teeth before determining the best color for your restoration, as ceramic materials cannot be whitened after being manufactured.
How Does a Porcelain Crown or Bridge Procedure Work?
You will require two visits to complete these restorative treatments. On your initial visit, as long as your teeth are healthy and you’re ready to proceed, you and Dr. Fedin will choose the color that matches your natural teeth before he prepares the tooth or teeth in question to receive these restorations.
You can expect to receive a local anesthetic for this part of the procedure.
Crowns
Preparation for a crown involves reducing the size of the tooth so that it can act as an abutment (anchor for the crown).
An impression of the remodeled tooth is made and a digital scan is taken to be sent to the dental lab to fabricate the permanent porcelain crown. A temporary crown is provided, and another appointment is scheduled about two to three weeks out for the second half of your procedure.
When you return, your custom-made porcelain crown(s) will be ready for placement. The crown has been designed to fit perfectly over the prepared tooth and securely attached with permanent dental cement.
Bridges
Your first appointment will consist of two crown preparations, a bite impression, and color matching. Depending on the location of your bridge, Dr. Fedin may provide temporary crowns.
Your dental impression will be sent to the dental lab, where they will manufacture your custom porcelain bridge. This will consist of a crown at each end and one or two artificial teeth (pontics) between them.
The porcelain bridge is placed over the two prepared teeth during your second visit.
What Is Recovery Like After Receiving a Porcelain Crown or Bridge?
Hot or cold beverages and foods may cause temporary sensitivity, and you can expect some mild discomfort for up to three weeks. Your bite may differ slightly, but adjustments are made during your second visit to ensure you will quickly become accustomed to it.
Use toothpaste designed for use on sensitive teeth while experiencing post-procedure sensitivity or pain, and stick to softer foods. Avoid chips, hard-to-chew meats, and hard nuts.
Don’t eat acidic or dark food and drink items, like highly pigmented fruits, red wine, tea, coffee, etc.
What Results Can I Expect After Treatment With a Porcelain Crown or Bridge?
You can expect a healthier, aesthetically improved smile as well as the ability to eat properly and comfortably. You are also likely to feel more confident while smiling, laughing, and speaking.
Your new dental prosthetic should look natural and blend seamlessly with your remaining teeth. If you choose to have your teeth professionally whitened or they are already a nice shade, your smile will be beautiful, bright, and functional.
Porcelain crowns and bridges are expected to last an average of 10 to 15 years but can sometimes last up to 30. Dr. Fedin chooses to use a professional dental lab rather than an in-office method, as porcelain restorations made by a reputable lab last longer than CEREC®.
A healthy brushing and flossing routine is essential to protect your natural and restored teeth.
Check out these before and after photos of our cosmetic dentistry results
Your Chicago, IL Porcelain Crown and Bridge Provider
Choosing Dr. Fedin as your general or cosmetic dentist and Chicago crown and bridge provider means you’ll be treated like family. He listens carefully to your oral health and cosmetic dental concerns to recommend treatments that will best meet your unique needs.
Schedule a consultation or learn more about your Chicago, Illinois, porcelain crown and bridge options by calling our Chicago Dental Arts team at (312) 642-6631 today!
Before & After Images
Pictures 1-3 The patient presented with a severely worn, collapsed, and decayed dentition. Years of grinding and poor dental care caused the patients teeth to over close or loose vertical dimension, making him look much older than his actual age. You can also see that both his teeth and gum height was severely angled or sloping from right to left.
Pictures 4-6 Over several visits, 21 -EMAX porcelain crowns were placed to correct the vertical dimension. We were also able to reverse both the sloping gum height and tooth alignment, restoring the midline. The final result demonstrates healthy gums and a youthful, natural smile.
Pictures 1-4
This patient presented with 3 major issues affecting his smile:
(1) Severe chemical erosion caused by frequently sucking on lemons which almost completely removed the enamel of his 8 front teeth, making them look brown.
(2) The existing cosmetics were made worse by the patient’s tooth and jaw position in the front of his mouth, creating an edge-to-edge bite (usually the top teeth sit in front of the lower teeth).
(3) The patient had poor home care, which allowed a lot of stain and calculus to buildup.
Pictures 5-8
Initially, we thoroughly cleaned and Zoom! whitened his teeth, spending a lot of time educating the patient regarding proper methods of brushing and flossing.
I prepared and completed 8 EMAX all porcelain crowns ( full coverage veneers)von the 4 front top and bottom teeth, correcting shapes, position ,contour, and color, dramatically improving the patient’s smile and occlusion.
Patient presented with poor-fitting anterior porcelain to metal crowns (note the black at the gum line ) and severe cracked and malpositioned lower-anterior teeth. The patient’s teeth were whitened using Zoom! bleaching-porcelain crowns were placed in both areas, creating an ideal natural result.
Patient presented with 2 unattractive porcelain-to-metal crowns. Note how irritated the gum is around them. Post-op photos show a completely natural result with 2 porcelain crowns. Note how the gum has healed completely.
20 all-porcelain crowns replaced old and unsightly porcelain-to-metal crowns
Single tooth implant replacement. From the start, the patient showed a decayed (gray) tooth to its removal and placement of a custom temporary. Once the implant was placed and healed, a custom zirconia (tooth colored) abutment was screwed down to the implant. A very translucent and natural all-porcelain crown was cemented creating a lifelike result
Bridges
When patients are missing one or more teeth and the placement of dental implants has been ruled out or postponed, teeth can be replaced using different forms of prosthetic dentistry.
Partials and dentures are removable appliances replacing some or all teeth. They are made of acrylic or combinations of metal with acrylic. Wearing something removable can compromise speech, cosmetics, and eating certain foods. With adjustments and some time to acclimate, patient acceptance is usually very good.
A more permanent solution is fixed bridgework. A bridge consists of at least two natural teeth which have been reduced to accept a crown. These two crowns are connected by the pontic or missing tooth. Bridges can be various lengths depending on the number of natural teeth supporting it. A bridge resembles natural teeth in cosmetics and function, but because they are all connected, flossing and home care for the patient may be difficult. Patients with prosthetic dentistry should visit for regular cleanings three to four times a year to prevent failure.
If you are missing one or more teeth and would like to restore your ability to smile, speak and eat with comfort and confidence, then dental implants may be right for you.
Perhaps your dentures don’t fit as securely or comfortably as they once did. Perhaps you hide your smile because of spaces from missing teeth. Or, perhaps you have loose teeth that need to be stabilized after treatment of advanced gum disease.
Perhaps you have crowding and/or misalignment of your teeth and don’t want to deal with the time and cost involved with orthodontics. Porcelain veneers provide a fast and easy way to a beautiful smile.
If any of these situations keep you from feeling good about yourself and your smile, dental implants may be a solution for you. Technological advancements in dental materials and techniques have improved the success rate of implants, enabling many patients to enjoy comfort and confidence in their oral health.
Before & After Images
Two three unit bridges were replaced from porcelain to metal (dark at the gumline to all porcelain bridges) giving the patient a youthful smile.
If you’re interested in this procedure, pleasev contact us to book an appointment. We are also happy to assist you with any questions you may have.