Crowns

Crowns, also know as "Caps", are offed at the office of Dr. Bob Mays in Sparks, Nevada for the restoration of badly broken down, fractured or decayed teeth. These restorations can be indicated for front or back teeth. As a general guideline, if one half or more of the tooth structure is missing, then a crown may be indicated to restore the shape, function and esthetics of the tooth or multiple teeth. Crowns can be done in one of two ways, "direct" or "indirect". At the office of Dr. Bob Mays in Sparks, both techniques are used depending on the clinical situation, patient needs and requirements.

First, the conventional "indirect" crown technique is done over two or more appointments. This requires the use of a temporary crown to protect the tooth while the final restoration is made in a laboratory outside of the office. With this technique, all metal, porcelain and metal or all porcelain restorations can be fabricated. This fabrication process usually takes approximately two weeks. At that time, a return visit is necessary to place the final restoration.

Second, a newer "direct" crown technique uses CEREC CAD/CAM technology. A computer is used, in office, to design and fabricate your own unique crown in ONE appointment. These restorations are all porcelain and STRONGLY BONDED to the remaining tooth structure. Also, in the majority of cases, we can be more conservative with our restoration and be less invasive on your tooth, i.e. cut away less tooth structure. NO TEMPORARY is needed and NO SECOND VISIT is necessary. This also gives us the ability to restore teeth in different parts of the mouth in the same visit. This is a great advantage in today's "society" where time is so valuable and we are usually more conservative on the teeth.

Here at the office of Dr. Bob Mays in Sparks, we have been using this advanced crown fabrication technology since 2004. Like any technology, improvements are being made everyday to the hardware, software and materials. We strive to stay current with these advances. We would be happy to share this exciting technology with you.