Porcelain Crowns, Veneers, & Onlays
At Summercrest Dental, we think there’s no reason why your smile can’t be both beautiful and healthy. High-quality porcelain restorations allow us to make repairs to damage and fix cosmetic flaws.
Unlike other practices, which often send their restoration work to huge overseas labs, we only use smaller, local labs. This gives us much more oversight and control so you can have better peace of mind. Every one of our restorations is made right here in Kansas by American dental artisans. Your restorations will, ideally, be with you for a lifetime, and we want to make absolutely certain that they are done right to meet our high expectations.
Porcelain Crowns
Crowns are porcelain shells that are carefully shaped and shaded to look just like one of your own natural teeth. Once your crown is placed, it will blend in beautifully. When dentistry is done right, most people never even notice it!
Crowns have a range of uses, from strictly functional to purely cosmetic. We can restore a tooth that is fractured, worn down, or weakened from root canal treatment, or we can improve the appearance of a tooth that is discolored, chipped, or unusually shaped.
Onlays
Onlays are similar to crowns but do not cover the entire tooth. Another way to describe them would be a "partial crown." Onlays are used when the demands of the restoration are
greater than what a simple filling can deliver but when a full coverage crown is not yet needed.
Cosmetic Veneers
Veneers are often the secret behind flawless smiles. These thin pieces of porcelain are artistically crafted to fit right over the front of your own teeth to conceal aesthetic flaws and transform your smile.
Using veneers, we can fix chips and cracks, improve the shape of your teeth, cover discolorations, close gaps, elongate short or worn down teeth, and even give misaligned teeth a straighter appearance. We can place a single veneer to fix a single tooth or we can use several veneers to create a full smile makeover.
Caring for Dental Restorations
For the most part, you can care for dental restorations the same way you would for the rest of your teeth – brushing, flossing, and routine check-ups at our Overland Park dental office. Remember that even though porcelain won’t get cavities, the rest of your teeth still can!
Firm-bristled brushes and toothpastes with abrasive ingredients can damage the finish of your restorations, which may make them more susceptible to staining. Dr. Gilstrap will give you recommendations for products that will help keep your restorations looking their best.
Additionally, it’s important to note that whitening products do not work on restorations. If you’d like to whiten your teeth, we may recommend that you do so before we plan your restorations (particularly if you are getting cosmetic restorations). If you want to whiten your teeth after getting restorations, we may need to replace your restorations so that they match your new, brighter smile.
Call for a Consultation
Want to learn more about how we can enhance your smile using minimally invasive porcelain restorations? Call today to schedule your consultation with Overland Park dentist Dr. Daniel Gilstrap.
