What Are Dental Crowns?

Dental crowns are tooth-shaped caps that cover a damaged or weakened tooth to restore its function, shape and appearance. Crowns are often recommended for patients with large cavities, cracked or chipped teeth, root canal-treated teeth or severely worn-down enamel.

Traditional Crowns: The Tried-and-True Option

Traditional crowns have been the go-to for dental restorations for decades. Here is how the process works:

1. Multiple Visits: Typically, traditional crowns require two appointments. During the first visit, one of our skilled doctors will prepare the tooth by removing the damaged or decayed portion. An impression of your tooth is taken and sent to a dental lab, where your custom crown is made.
2. Temporary Crown: While your permanent crown is being crafted, you will wear a temporary crown to protect the prepared tooth.
3. Permanent Placement: After about two weeks, your permanent crown will be ready, and you will return to our office to have it cemented in place.
4. Material Variety: Traditional crowns can be made from a variety of materials, including porcelain, ceramic, metal alloys or a combination of these.

Advantages of Traditional Crowns:

• Customization: Because the crown is crafted in a lab, the color, shape and fit can be highly customized.
• Durability: Lab-made crowns are often stronger and more durable, especially metal or porcelain-fused-to-metal crowns.
• Material Choices: You have more options for the crown’s material, which can impact both cost and appearance.

Disadvantages:

• Time: The biggest drawback is the waiting period. It takes about two weeks to get the permanent crown.
• Multiple Visits: You will need at least two visits to complete the process.

Same-Day Crowns: Modern Convenience

Same-day crowns, also known as CEREC crowns, are a relatively new option that leverages advanced CAD/CAM (computer-aided design and manufacturing) technology. Here is how the process works:

1. One Appointment: With same-day crowns, our doctor will prepare the tooth and create a digital scan using a specialized camera. This 3D scan is used to design your crown.
2. In-Office Milling: The digital design is sent to an in-office milling machine, which carves your crown from a block of ceramic in about an hour.
3. Immediate Placement: Once the crown is ready, it is immediately placed and bonded to your tooth.

Advantages of Same-Day Crowns:

• Time-Saving: You can walk in and out with a permanent crown in a single appointment.
• No Temporary Crown: Since the entire process is done in one day, you will not need to wear a temporary crown.

Disadvantages:

• Material Limitation: Same-day crowns are typically made from ceramic, which may not be as strong as other materials like metal.
• Less Customization: Although the crown can be color-matched to your tooth, the same level of detailed customization offered by traditional lab-made crowns may not be possible.

Which Is Right for You?

At Denver Restorative Dentistry, one of our skilled dentists, Drs. Goggins, Aguirre or Chertok will examine your tooth and prepare it for the dental crown in Broomfield, Colorado. We welcome you to contact us today at 303-586-1019 to schedule a visit and learn how this restoration can complete your smile.

We are committed to helping your teeth and gums stay healthy and strong all year round. Our comprehensive dental cleanings and exams are simple but essential treatments for keeping your smile safe. When you come in for a dental checkup, our skilled dental hygienists will take good care of you. You can count on receiving a professional teeth cleaning that will leave your teeth smooth and gleaming. You will also receive a thorough dental exam from our experienced prosthodontists to make sure your oral health is optimal. During your teeth cleaning appointment, you can look forward to the following treatment.

Routine Dental Cleaning and Exam

-Our hygienist will remove all the plaque or tartar (dental calculus) from your teeth and below the gumline to prevent tooth decay and gum disease from taking hold.

-Your pearly whites will then be thoroughly flossed and polished to make them shine.

-Our prosthodontists will examine your mouth to spot any harmful dental problems that might be developing.

-We may use dental X-rays to evaluate your smile more intensively to detect issues that might not be visible with a visual inspection.

Our biannual dental cleanings allow us to maximize your preventative dental care regularly. These routine dental cleanings and exams are one of the most valuable ways to help you keep your smile healthy. The goal is to help you prevent tooth-destroying cavities and advancing gum disease (periodontal disease). These regular checkups are designed to spot problems early so they can be treated before they permanently damage teeth and gums and while treatment is least invasive and costly.

Schedule Your Dental Cleaning and Exam

Completing your at-home dental care with daily brushing and flossing, our dental cleanings and exams are two of the most basic yet vital preventive treatments we provide for you. Each time you come in for your dental cleaning and checkup, you can expect a clean bill of health or the information you need to achieve that goal. This New Year’s, be sure to put your smile on the list of resolutions so your smile can continue to serve you well in the years to come!

Please call 303-586-1019 or Schedule an appointment on our online portal for your next cleaning and exam. Drs. Goggins, Aguirre, Pitz, Poineal or Chertok look. We also see patients from the Denver area, including Westminster, Arvada, Thornton, Lafayette, Louisville, Superior, Erie, Boulder and Northglenn.

Your smile deserves to be healthy, beautiful and strong and we are thrilled to be a part of it. In honor of National brush day, we encourage you to help your kids brush and floss every day to keep cavities, tooth decay and gum disease away! Especially when enjoying the holiday treats with autumn in full swing and the temperatures dropping! Get out those cozy sweaters, warm apple cider, pumpkin and apple pies!

National Brush Day is also a great time to review your children’s brushing habits and emphasize the importance of daily care so their teeth and gums thrive! It’s a good idea to get your children to brush after eating sweets, and since sweets are the number one factor for tooth decay, good brushing habits are essential!

Along with daily oral care, remember that regular dental cleanings and exams are needed to keep teeth and gums healthy and strong. As the year is fast drawing to a close, time is running out to use (or lose) your dental insurance benefits, most of which run out on December 31st, and that’s a shame since you’ve already paid your premiums! The good news is, if you are scheduling cleanings and exams, they are considered preventative care so they will be covered at 100%!

Our team is grateful to be your premier prosthodontic dental practice in the Denver metro area. Our skilled prosthodontists have specialized expertise in dental implants, dentures, cosmetic dentistry and restorative dentistry. We provide your family with a full range of dental services from routine cleanings and exams to veneers to full mouth reconstructions. We encourage you to make the most of your dental insurance benefits, so please call 303-586-1019 today to schedule your appointment with Dr. Goggins, Dr. Aguirre or Dr. Pitz. Your smile will thank you!

Dental Fillings

You have probably already had a dental filling done before and it is one of our most common treatments for tooth issues caused by cavities, fractures or chips in a tooth. By placing a dental filling, our prosthodontists can restore your tooth’s original form and function so your smile can continue to thrive. At Denver Restorative Dentistry, we provide patients with a choice of either amalgam fillings or composite fillings. Both are excellent options for restoring damaged teeth.

When you come in for your dental filling treatment, you will be made comfortable so you can relax while we work. The treatment is done in just one visit to our office. First, we will remove any damaged and decayed areas of the tooth. Then we will clean the area so it is pristine and ready to be filled with your filling material of choice which will be contoured to your tooth’s shape so it can blend right in. Lastly, the filling fill is hardened so it can protect your tooth for many years to come!

Dental Inlays and Onlays

The other options we offer for tooth repairs are inlays and onlays. These are also great at fixing tooth damage and decay. Inlays and onlays are used when a tooth needs more protection than a filling can provide, but not as extensive as to require a dental crown. In fact, inlays and onlays are referred to as partial crowns and are crafted specifically to your tooth using either porcelain, composite resin or gold. Just as with fillings, our goal is to restore your natural tooth’s health, structure, function and looks. Inlays and onlays appear so natural that they are hardly noticeable. They also preserve the structure of your tooth. So when do you need an inlay versus an onlay? We will apply an inlay when the damage doesn’t extend to the cusp of the tooth, while an onlay is applied when there is cusp damage.

Don’t Delay, Call Today!

If you have one or more damaged teeth in your smile, we encourage you to get them evaluated and treated as soon as possible so that you can preserve the natural tooth. Whether you need a dental filling or a dental inlay or onlay, our skilled prosthodontists are ready to take care of all your dental needs. Please give us a call today at 303-586-1019 if you need help with your teeth, gums, breath or TMJ’s (jaw).

A healthy beautiful smile starts in the home and with those biannual cleanings. Along with your daily brushing and flossing routine to remove harmful plaque, those professional dental cleanings are the only way to remove tartar buildup (made from hardened plaque) that can otherwise lead to cavities and gum disease. 

Fact: The leading cause of tooth loss is periodontal disease. Catching it early means it can often be reversed though lost gum tissue doesn’t regenerate.

When you come in for your cleanings, you can look forward to the following:

Our dental skilled dental hygienists will use special tools to floss and polish your pearly whites after removing tartar buildup around the teeth and gum line to prevent tooth enamel loss, allowing tooth decay and gum disease to gain a foothold.

Our experienced prosthodontists will give your smile a comprehensive exam to see if there are any developing problems while they are still in their early stages and least invasive to treat. Dental X-rays are also taken yearly to detect problems that can’t be seen with the eye alone. 

If it is time for your next dental checkup, be sure to come in to stay on top of your oral health game. If you haven’t scheduled a cleaning lately, it’s time to make sure that happens. You can call 303-586-1019 or schedule your appointment with our prosthodontists in Broomfield, Colorado, online. Our Denver Restorative Dentistry team, led by Dr. Taylor Goggins, Dr. Brian Aguirre and Dr. Anna Pitz can make your dental cleaning comfortable and your teeth shine! 

At-Home Routine (Brush and Floss)

Our prosthodontists and team is a firm believer in preventative care, which begins in the home. Daily brushing and flossing with a soft-bristled toothbrush and fluoridated toothpaste will help remove harmful oral plaque that can lead to tooth decay and gum disease. Sticking to a nutritious diet while limiting sugary and acidic foods and beverages will also protect tooth enamel. You are essentially on the front lines of defense when it comes to protecting your smile, and your teeth and gums will reflect this.

Routine Dental Cleanings and Exams

Your daily oral hygiene care, combined with regular, twice-yearly dental cleanings and exams complement your efforts to protect your smile. During these visits, our prosthodontists will assess your oral health with a detailed dental exam using dental X-rays. A periodontal probing will be done to assess your gum health and to diagnose any signs of gum disease. Dr. Taylor Goggins, Dr. Brian Aguirre and Dr. Anna Pitz want to make sure that any dental conditions or diseases, like tooth decay, bone loss or other dental problems are spotted early so treatment is minimally invasive and most effectively applied.

(Optional) Dental Sealants and Fluoride Treatments

One of our skilled dental hygienists will remove all the hardened tartar from your teeth and around the gum line, and polish your teeth to remove stains to make your tooth enamel shine! Depending on your dental needs, this is also the time when applying dental sealants on the hard to clean molars in the back of the mouth may be done, as well as applying a fluoride treatment if your enamel needs strengthening to keep out cavities. While optional, both dental sealants and fluoride treatments are effective preventative measures to take to ensure a healthier smile.

If you have any questions or concerns about your smile or family members, our experienced team is ready to help! As always, we support healthy beautiful smiles to boost self-confidence!

If you have not already done so, it is important to visit your dentist for a routine check-up to determine if you’re brushing and flossing techniques are being done effectively. Your dentist will be able to determine if you are accurately cleaning between teeth and using dental floss as intended. If for any reason you are missing any areas between teeth, they will let you know so you can adjust your flossing methods accordingly.

To ensure your smile can function effectively, it is always a good idea to look for products that can easily clean your teeth effectively. Beyond using floss that is shred-resistant, you may want to try an alternate interdental cleaner such as a water flosser. Water flossers use a steady beam of water to rinse out debris and harmful acids between teeth.

When flossing between your teeth, it is important to make sure no teeth are left behind. This means flossing between each and every tooth on all sides of each tooth. Also, don’t forget the back row as they tend to be neglected during flossing sessions. To prevent contamination, always make sure you’re using a new strand of thread each day when flossing.

When flossing between teeth, it is important to use gentle movements that will not easily cut or damage your gums. Go slow so you can accurately clean between each and every tooth. Try to use a strand that is roughly 16 to 20“ in length, so you can move up and down the strand as necessary to accurately clean between each and every tooth and avoid contamination.

Seeking a better smile and better oral health without interdental treatments is a difficult task to comprehend for individuals who seek true oral health superstardom. For more interdental treatments or to schedule an oral exam or professional cleaning with Dr. Taylor Goggins and our team at our dentist office in Broomfield, Colorado, please contact Denver Restorative Dentistry at 303-586-1019.

 #1 Dental Flossing

Brushing only cleans 50% of your tooth surfaces, because 50% of the harmful bacteria in your mouth accumulate between the teeth where the teeth meet because your toothbrush can’t reach those areas. This is where flossing comes as it can clean between the teeth and along the gumline, effectively fighting off cavities and gum disease from harming your smile.

 #2 Daily Habits

What habits do you have that show up in your smile? The condition of your teeth and gums reveal the following:

• If you are a regular soda, coffee, tea or wine drinker.
• Whether you are having excess stress in your life.
• If you are eating a nutrient-poor diet.
• If you have an eating disorder.
• If you use tobacco or drink alcohol excessively.

Clues that give away your daily habits include tooth stains and discoloration, tooth enamel erosion from acid, bruxism (teeth grinding), dry mouth, halitosis, and even various medical conditions such as diabetes and pregnancy can be revealed by looking at your oral health.

#3 Dental Anxiety

You might be experiencing dental anxiety if you avoid dental visits because you are afraid of experiencing pain during a procedure, or you feel nervous about having someone working in your mouth. Whatever your reason, thanks to modern advances in dental sedation, you can have the care you need in a comfortable, relaxing environment. Whether relief comes in the form of taking a pill, breathing in nitrous oxide, inhaling anesthesia, or using numbing agents, you can get the help you need to have a pleasant treatment.

#4 Dental Visits

When you come in for a dental cleaning and exam, dental issues will be detected while they are still easy and economical to treat and hardened dental plaque will be removed, which can cause tooth decay and gum disease if ignored. Both gum disease and early tooth decay are unnoticeable until they cause pain, and by then, some damage has been one.

To keep your smile healthy, eat a balanced diet, brush, and floss daily, and see your dentist regularly. To schedule your next visit with our team, please call 303-586-1019 to give your smile the care it deserves!

– Dental crowns are a tooth restoration procedure that can completely conceal a tooth down to the gum line to not only give it the look you desire but also to prevent any further damage from occurring to the tooth.

– Dental fillings are wonderful treatment options used to fill in the gaps for teeth that have been ravaged by cavities. Dental amalgams are great for large teeth and durability, while tooth-colored composites can be used to maintain the natural appearance of your teeth and are great choices for small and medium-sized cavities.

– Dental veneers are highly effective forms of cosmetic dentistry that are directly bonded to the fronts of teeth and can take any challenging teeth and hide the damage or irregularities behind a beautiful façade.

– Teeth whiteners are implemented to make your natural teeth whiter and brighter by removing deep stains and discolorations, with professional whiteners working by applying gel to your teeth that is safe, effective, and able to vastly improve the color of your teeth in a single day.

No matter which tooth restoration service you choose, the real importance is the oral health benefits each can provide. If you would like Dr. Taylor Goggins and our team at Denver Restorative Dentistry to bring you in for an oral exam to determine which treatment is best for you, please contact our dentist office in Broomfield, Colorado, by calling us at 303-586-1019. We can get you on the path to smiles for miles!