Smile case of the day.
Category Archives: crowns
Fractured teeth of the day. Every day I see broken teeth. Here are 2 examples from today.
This patient cracked his molar biting a chicken bone. I was able to save the tooth, and without a root canal, but it did require a crown lengthening periodontal surgery and a crown.
This next patient bit down on a mint candy and fractured her molar down the root. The tooth could not be restored and was extracted and we will place a dental implant.
Retention Grooves to help crowns last longer.
On these 2 crowns, the first porcelain and second gold, that I did last week in my office I show how I place retention grooves in my crown preparations to help lock my crowns in. These grooves prevent rotation and help secure the crowns in place. These slots allows for more surface area for the cement and results in a longer lasting restoration that holds firmly in place. This is especially important in short weak teeth. With this technique I am able to save teeth that otherwise would need to be extracted or require periodontal crown lengthening surgery.
Two patient’s smiles I made happy today.
The first patient was concerned about his broken down front upper teeth and the gap between the teeth.
The next patient broke her lateral incisor tooth. It is very dark since it was traumatized and had a root canal many years ago.
Thank you letter from one of my patients last week :-)))
For 44 years, I have been practicing dental hygiene in Virginia. Recently I had to have a crown prep done on #8 and a replacement crown on #9. My first crown on #9 was stainless steel, placed at age 7 in 1958. Since then this tooth has had 14 replacement crowns that improved the appearance as dental materials progressed over the years.
My new ones though are the best I’ve ever had made. The contacts, size, shape, color & occlusion are perfect and needed no adjustments when they were delivered. I experienced no discomfort during the procedure, even while wearing the temporaries.
I have seen thousands of crowns & fillings by hundreds of dentists over my long career and Dr. Gentry’s work surpasses them all. He is extremely attentive to detail. The perfect fit and aesthetics are evident in every restoration he does. I have no reservations in recommending his work to family, friends & current patients. His sensitivity and approach while interacting with patients is a model for all individuals interested in entering the profession.
I truly feel he is deserving of the recognition equal to his daily accomplishments in the field of dentistry. As a dental hygienist with 44 years of private practice experience, I know who the best dentists are, and Dr. Gentry is one of the best!
I highly recommend Dr. Gentry. His dental work is the best I have seen.
Sincerely,
Alicia Woodall, RDH
Williamsburg, Va. 23185
Fractured molar
This patient fractured the lingual side of his first molar tooth biting down on a Skittle candy. Dr. Gentry was able to restore the tooth with a porcelain crown and was able to avoid a root canal and crown lengthening periodontal surgery.
Crowns
Dr Gentry cementing some of his porcelain crowns
Occasionally Dr. Gentry will recommend a gold crown for a back molar if the patient constantly clenches their teeth or is a severe grinder.
Porcelain Crowns
For most teeth, Dr. Gentry’s first choice for type of crown is Bruxzir Solid Zirconia. This of course depends on the clinical situation and exactly what would be best for each individual patient.
BruxZir® Solid Zirconia is made from virtually unbreakable, biocompatible zirconia. Because BruxZir dental zirconia has no porcelain overlay, it is more resistant to chipping, cracking or breaking in the mouth. This makes BruxZir ideal for bruxers and grinders, who have broken their natural teeth or porcelain restorations in the past.
Dentists have long relied on full-cast gold and porcelain metal crowns & bridges for long-term durability and strength. But with the introduction of BruxZir, an equally strong solution is now available to use in most situations. What’s more, when compared side-by-side to full-cast gold and porcelain metal crowns, BruxZir zirconia crowns are the most natural-looking choice. This is what Dr. Gentry has in his own mouth.
1. Broken down teeth prepared for Dr. Gentry’s crowns.
2. Porcelain crowns cemented on the 2 upper bicuspid teeth. Notice the last upper crown is an old technology PFM crown that has worn through the porcelain in the middle on top.
Another example of one of Dr. Gentry’s crowns:
