Porcelain Vs. Acrylic Teeth

[karinayogateacher]

Hello

My last dentist made a crown in 1 hour using CEREC I can't go back because he is in another country, My new dentist says that
they only do Acrylic crowns and DONT use the Cad Cam system because the results are absolutely NOT natural as in doesn't have the transparency as an Acrylic crown has....
Thoughts?

 

[Rhea]

Hello

My last dentist made a crown in 1 hour using CEREC I can't go back because he is in another country, My new dentist says that
they only do Acrylic crowns and DONT use the Cad Cam system because the results are absolutely NOT natural as in doesn't have the transparency as an Acrylic crown has....
Thoughts?

Porcelain crowns can be made in the lab not necessarily using cad/cam

 

[Busybee]

I think you meant ceramic and not acrylic? Acrylic might be used for a temp.

I' ve not had a cerec crown but it must be a bit strange. You really have to rely on the technology being perfect (which I am sure it never is)

 

[karinayogateacher]

Yes I meant ceramic sorry!

 

[Busybee]

It depends on where the crown goes, because a front tooth crown is a work of art by the technician. Perhaps the technology can make it special too, but the human input is not easily replicated. Depends how fussy you are about appearance. Some people don't mind if it doesn't look as translucent etc.

 

[karinayogateacher]

Thanks for your reply... I already have a front crown made with CEREC couple of years ago and honestly, it looks more natural than the ones that were made at labs

 

[KVMCruces]

Hi Karinayogateacher,

As a dental technician I will say that CEREC is not the best option if you're needing an anterior tooth replaced. Dentists are busy enough as it is, ALL of my dentist clients have CEREC but don't use it because they dont have time and also because they crowns they make NEVER look as good as the work I provide them with. If CEREC was so great then dentists wouldn't need lab technicians such as myself

What the dentist told you about CAD/CAM creating porcelain teeth that do not look natural is COMPLETELY FALSE. Emax (aka ceramic) is excellent for anterior teeth but so is PFZ (porcelain fused to zirconia). Both can be highly aesthetic.
FCZ (full contour zirconia) is more for posterior teeth. But still, can be made to look natural it just depends on how skilled the lab technician is.

Emax is the closest looking to natural teeth however, it is extremely weak. There are new advanced materials that offer both translucency and strength.