Protecting Permanent Teeth

Your child’s teeth are important and it is critical that their permanent teeth are protected. Dr.Anna Lee suggests following these simple rules in order to keep your child’s teeth in great shape for a lifetime.  

·      Avoid sticky and sugary foods.  Some of these foods include cookies, dried figs, granola bars, jelly beans, doughnuts, potato chips, pretzels, cereal, and raisins

·      Avoid sugary drinks such as soda and fruit drinks

·      Avoid skipping regular dental appointments

·      Avoid going days without brushing & flossing

A smile can last a lifetime if they are taking care of it everyday.

Cosmetic Dentistry & Your Smile!

Porcelain-Fused-to Metal (PFM) Crowns are fabricated from both metal and porcelain. Porcelain is fused to an underlying metal substructure to form the overall shape of the crown.

The advantages of PFM Crowns are esthetics, strength and durability. The principal uses are crowns and fixed bridges. Different shades of porcelain can mimic natural tooth appearance.

The disadvantages of PFM Crowns are that they may wear opposing teeth, porcelain on the crown may fracture, dark lines along the crown margin and lifeless appearance.  Dental studies have shown that the porcelain of PFM Crowns can rapidly wear opposing teeth when the porcelain becomes rough; the porcelain surface should be re-glazed or polished adequately after occlusal adjustment. Another disadvantage is that the porcelain portion of PFM Crowns may fracture or separate from its underlying metal substructure. Sometimes, replacement of a new crown may be needed.  One of the esthetic complaints from patients is the dark line at the gingival margin of the crown. This usually occurs when the gum tissues recede and the metal margin of the crown shows. The porcelain that is used to mask the metal substructure gives a lifeless or dull appearance of the crown. This would be an important concern for front teeth crown restorations.

"Porcelain-Fused-to Metal Crowns are good choices for crowns and fixed bridges in the posterior area (molars)," Dr. Anna Lee.