Restorative dentistry has evolved a great deal over the years, thanks to the development of new techniques and materials. Using precision and artistry, your skilled dentist now has the ability to repair cavities and even larger dental problems without negatively affecting your smile. Using beautiful porcelain material, Dr. Bruyere designs crowns so authentic that our patients from Longview and surrounding areas can barely tell the difference between restorations and natural teeth.

What is porcelain?

Porcelain has become a leading material for dental restorations such as crowns, bridges, and more for a number of reasons. Besides being extremely versatile, ceramists are able to achieve the highest degree of beauty and functionality with this material. Porcelain has been used by humans for thousands of years. In its earliest uses, porcelain would make up dishes, bowls, vases, and other fragile treasures. Due to its reputation as a delicate material, porcelain may seem a very unlikely choice for dental work. Modern technique in manufacturing, however, has made dental porcelain as durable as it is beautiful.

Dental porcelain, art imitating life

When we view teeth, we tend to perceive them as one-dimensional as far as color is concerned. We may think that teeth are opaque and only one shade. On closer examination, however, we see that there are multiple facets to each tooth. Our teeth have a soft center, which is a chamber filled with pulp tissue, blood vessels, and nerves. Surrounding the core of a tooth is dentin, a harder material with tiny pores. The outer portion of the tooth, the enamel, is what protects the softer inner structures from damage. 

Tooth enamel is actually translucent. It only looks opaque because it is backed by dentin and other tissues. The translucency of enamel adds depth and a nice sheen. Enamel is also a variety of shades of white. Near the root, the shade of white tends to be somewhat darker than what is seen at the tip, where translucency is greater. 

Restorations used to look like opaque, stark white, manufactured teeth, but those designed with porcelain mimic natural characteristics so closely that most people cannot tell the difference. 

A restored smile does not have to look artificial. With porcelain crowns and restorations, your dentist can recreate your natural smile. Contact our office at (903) 708-6116 to benefit from modern dental techniques and materials.

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