What is the lifespan of a Dental Crown or Cap and Why do prices vary so much? With Facelift and Anti-aging Dentistry in much demand - How to start

What is the lifespan of a Dental Crown or Cap and Why do prices vary so much?
written by Tess Esterhuizen - wife of DR Nunes

With Buzzwords of Anti-aging and Facelift Dentistry running rampant You get 3 categories of dental crown patients. For those with little time and no concern in colour or shape,or  possibly your only desire to fill that gap and chew , this article is not for you!

Category One Patients

Nothing fancy here. These patients are not too concerned with the aesthetic. They just want to close the gap and as long as the crowns look good from the 5 meter mark, they are all in! If that is you, stop reading now. I don’t want to waste your time. Skip ahead to Tip Number 5 as that talks about Dental Crown Lifespan. See the photo below from the Overseas Tourism Dentist, advertising their results. If

The Dental Crowns that replicate solid lumps of colour - No transparency or life.

this is what you are looking for, your dentist will pull out a normal look shade colour guide, hold it against your tooth and choose the closest colour. Now many patients will fall into this category and are looking for a "gap filler-  a tooth to chew on - simple functionality"  Many Dentists specialise in this quick IN-OUT process - You are not bothered on an Aesthetic result and are looking for a Hollywood White A1 smile- you only request - Hollywood White in colour.

Category Two Patients

These patients want to look good and feel good but their personalities shy away from "demanding on every detail". They want the work to appeal from a closer view, about 1 meter away.  They are thrilled with good looking work and really have never given much thought to how it got that way.  For them the teeth must look real but the smaller details are not such a worry. If this is you, keep reading. This article will guide you through the proper questions and concerns and will show you how to get more bang for your buck and in the end a more real looking crown.   As with any profession, if you don’t ask, you don’t get! WE have a great PDF you can download - Questionnaire which gives you all the cues. Take it with you or use it as a guide when you looking to make that Appointment

 Your dentist will pull out a shade guide and go into some detail on the choices of a dental crown monolithic simple crown or possibly a layered zirconia crown.  These look great from a metre away and more than likely you will choose the Zirconia as the 20 year part longevity is certainly a worthy buy in.

Your category 2 and 3  patient will have much emphasis on the Eye to Tooth colour balance, Once they understand the relationship and  Aesthetic balance + principal in  Natural Anti-aging Dentistry

Category Three Patients

The Digital shopper is your third category and they have really done their homework.  This patient is both knowledgeable and informed in regards to the (1) aesthetic possibilities.  They pay attention to details like colour, transparency, length (a lot of attention to length for the older client), hue, depth and shape. Yes, they know what to look for.

(2) They will ask to see photographs of possible expected results.  They understand that teeth either add years to us or subtract years from us. Category Three Patients are quite savvy.

(3) They are aware that upper crown and bridgework should replicate the line of the lower lip and that a bad aesthetic result will mimic the upper lip line.  See the photo below.  They will want a Wax-up.  Have a look at my article “The Importance of the Wax-up", coming soon.  In brief it’s a model of your mouth with a sample in WAX of what the crowns will eventually look like.

Herewith a link to a Digital Wax-up example- should the digital wax-up interest you
https://plus.google.com/116067315793737499274/posts/HLdKjDceXkr 
This is especially important when aiming for a longer crown.  A great dentist offers this service at a minimal price and allows you to take it home.  Study the final look because all fears must be allayed before you spend your money.  In my case I asked for my front 4 crowns to be longer than the wax up had taken them.  It wasn't what my husband (the dentist) wanted, but it was what I wanted. Hence a second Wax-up was done to confirm that the extra 1.5 mm was acceptable. It was.

On the left - it perfectly portrays the Upper lip Trip Crowns the Category 3 Patient

will go any length to avoid . They understand the Aesthetic Dynamics in following the lower lip curve

This patient wants great Teeth from 15 cm away!  They are from the selfie-generation.  Their photos are closer than ever and they know how important it is to make a good Impression.  Many hold high-attention to detail as their greatest value.  In truth it is a value we should all hold dear.  We are replacing a body part. Let’s get real here. Detail is of the utmost importance!  Your dentist will pull out a 3 D colour chart, bring out detailed sketches of where any variations are that should be replicated from your current natural teeth and then they will either the dental lab technician on hand to consult at the same time or you will be sent to their lab for a colour and transparency review.  They will take you outside on the day the crowns are fitted, straight into natural light as this is the best test.  You will be brought into the lab for the Biscuit stage (prior to the Crowns Final glazing),   for a quick preview on size and tapering the incisal edge. They won’t cement the dental crowns in place first.   Instead they will use temporary cement, and send you away for a week to completely confirm that you are absolutely happy with the outcome before they cement them in place permanently.

Computer Eye traffic data - Focus of attention when looking at this photograph for 90 seconds

Notice the Focal attention around the mouth especially that Dental Crown ( Tom Cruise prior to correcting Dentalwork)

Wow! Now that’s a lot to consider! I’ll just bet you never really thought about all those options. Well, you should and so should your dentist. So where should you start? Right here of course. Keep reading. You’ll thank me later.

How do find that dental technologist who aspires to that perfect crown

There are so many types of dental crowns, but we need to start with the person who designs and builds our dental crowns.

Case Study:

Dacota de Jager was 5 when she won a State School Art award for a hand tapestry sewn in class.  It was so perfect that it appeared machine made.  Thank goodness it was made in class!  Dacota took arts in her year 12 and moved on to an Arts Degree.  Her attention to fine detail is incredible.  Dakota as it happens suffers from Misophonia, a hatred of sound.

Totally aware of her Arts Degree and aware as well of her great attention to detail and her dislike of sound. This parent suggested that Dacota enter the dental community and work to create dental crowns. A plus for Dacota?  She will do her final 2 years in Uni and land up as a Practitioner  prosthetist .The labs are quiet and peaceful.  This is but a small example of how many technologists end up in their fields.

There are many dental techs that are not true artists, but they cannot hide and their work is easily identified.   They do provide a great 5 metre crown and there is a place for them as well in this kind of dentistry.

Your first tip (1):   Ask your dentist how involved the dental Lab is with your final cosmetic result.  You will likely be told that the zirconia crown you seek is much more expensive than it actually is.  In truth a layered zirconia crown costs approximately $200.00 more per crown, but they will also last 15 years longer! Do the math! That’s a worthwhile investment in any scenario.

Surely you will hear the cadcam crown sell.  cadcam is a great quick, temporary crown but it’s about warranty, so remember to ask.

If you are receiving a 20 year warranty with your crowns then that’s great!   Do check how long the dentist has worked at their practice.   Your warranty falls with the dentist.  If they move on, you have problems.   Ask the right questions.  How long has the practice been open? What guarantees do you have? Don’t put up with a run around. Get the answers you need or you should move on to another practice.  The right dentist, one that believes in his work will warranty it for many years to come. Don’t settle.  A consult with the dental tech is critical and should always be free.

Tip (2) in a full mouth makeover, even the front 4 teeth, it is critical to follow your lower lip line.  Have they followed the correct aesthetic path? Does your wax-up reflect this?  Is there any discussion of transparencies, gum levels, replication etc.?   All teeth follow the Upper lip and in our world we call it “the Upper lip trip" patients return with an aesthetic result completely wrong. I need to blame the consumer here.  You picked them.  Seriously study those before and after photos.  They should be genuine and 10 out of the 10 photos they show you should be taken in their surgeries.  Ask to see those too. Way too often websites use photographs that are not the actual dentist’s work and when they carry our treatment which contrasts to the quality they see advertised , the Dentist will be taken to the cleaners on the Search Engine Reviews - They will destroy the dentist - consumers are not forgiving and deception these days is taken to the Digital Battleground hence  " The TripAdvisor effect"  . Underpromise and Over deliver a great business model.

Tip (3) Veneers are not dental crowns. They are a quick fix that will cost you dearly as the longevity is only a few years. Yes the tooth is far from damaged and if money is no object to you then having major dental work every few years will be no problem.

TIP (4) Pricing on dental caps or crowns can vary.   Crown prep in unskilled hands can take a very long time. A dentist who prepares  crowns all the time is quick and proficient.  Judge your practice options by the time they say it will take in the chair.  If you need 4 crowns and dentist A says 2 hours, dentist B says 3 hours and dentist C says  3.5 hours, then dentist A is your guy.   Remember it’s not just the prep; it’s also the temporary crown that will be fitted etc.  Deft hands take a 1/2 hour for prep and a temp crown.  Straight away, ask for The Full Monty. Tell them to quote you for a layered zirconia crown. Get pricing up ahead - not on the day of the consult.

In my case, I open packages with my teeth.  My front central and lateral incisors are made of Bruxsim Zirconia, for people who grind their teeth.  I don't grind, but I do bite. Think about your habits and lifestyle before making your final decision.  Decide on a quality dental crown and shop around.  E-mail as many dentists as you can for pricing.

TIP (5) A great zirconia dental crown lasts 15 to 20 years. In fact gum recession will lead to crown replacement before the crown actually gives way.  We all have that one friend with a bad crown and it’s not pretty. It seems they don't notice but everyone else does.   See the photo below of Eye pattern following a picture of Tom Cruise before his dental work was completely revamped. Look how often the eyes focus on the area with the bad crown. Its 45% of the time!  Do you really want someone staring at a mistake in your mouth nearly 50% of the time they are looking at you? No. You don’t.

A Zirconia will give you a 15-20 year  time frame, but incase some super duper material arises whilst this article circulates , you should always ask What Materials are providing the longest longevity. Many dentist have been around for much longer than the 20 years and know exactly what it takes to stand the wear and tear of grinding , gnashing, biting and chewing to these material. Your bite will also make a significant decision here , if you are a Grinder - then you need a Brux Crown. This detail should be one of the most discussed parts of your Treatment ( choice of material for the Dental Crown) Go into as much detail on the warranty as you would the colour. Ask the dentist what he would put in his mouth
the Crème de la crème is only $200 or so more per crown and truly worth that extra money.

Especially for the Aesthetic minded - note how our Upper Lip drops with Gravity over time and our bottom lip doing the same leaves us with Overexposed lower teeth and hidden Upper teeth . Plan your Dental Crown work accordingly

Beautiful Aesthetic work can take 10 years off our age - Ladies lengthen those front crowns

far more Holistic approach to aging.

Good luck as you begin your dental crown venture.  The right crown is life changing when done correctly.

Please read “The top 9 Dental Trends for 2018” should you want insight on where dentistry is heading in the future.

This article is about setting a standard, breaking down the dental crown journey step by step from pricing, to wax-up, preparation, colour and finally completion.  It also covers how important your dental lab is to the equation and YES, Dacota de Jager is her daughter.  So Tess understands to the very minute detail, the passion as well as talent required for a dental lab technician to bring to the party.