Question: I need some crowns on my back teeth. My dentist says that I must have gold since I am a bruxer and grind my teeth excessively. I sing for a living and would prefer to show only white teeth in the back when I open wide.
Answer: I had a patient who was a ventriloquist who wanted me to perform dental work on his dummy. He returned the bill to me with a note saying: "Please bill my partner. He's the one with the insurance." The newest all-ceramic, metal-free entry for crowns and bridges is a homogenous, monolithic material called zirconia. Special dental labs can fabricate crowns made of this material called BruxZir; they are specially made for bruxers like you who demand esthetic restorations on back teeth. Although, they tend to be somewhat opaque and monotone, they still look good on back molars. For more info on this subject or any other dental topic, contact our office at 239-936-5252.