Emax Crowns Lava Zirconia Crowns & Bridges

Emax crowns and Zirconia Lava Crowns Veneers and Bridges

Dr Anthony Mobasser is an expert dental crowns, and have successfully placed over ten thousand various crowns such as zirconia, Emax, Brux-zir, pfm, pfg, empress or all porcelain feldspathic crowns which are still functioning for his celebrity clients after 20 years. So the bad news is that you need a crown. However the good news is that you can have different ceramic crown or a porcelain bridge that are very durable, strong, and can mimics your tooth color, chroma, hue, value and translucency needed. Porcelain crowns can now be made extremely strong so there is rarely any breakage and at the same time can look great.

Your dentist expertise is the determining factor in which type of crown will look the best and last the longest!

Zirconia crowns are twice harder than Emax crowns, but the Emax crowns are prettier than zirconia crowns, and to top all this off, the leucite reinforced crowns are even prettier than Emax crowns BUT they are weaker than Emax crowns. That is where the knowledge and the expertise of the dentist comes to play, into which crown best will suit your needs and wants!

cosmetic dentists los angeles
Before picture, worn out and sensitive teeth, leaking bacteria
cosmetic dentists los angeles
After picture, of back teeth with emax porcelain crowns

Zerconia Veneers vs Emax Veneers?

As of today, Zerconia veneers are not recommended, since the bond of zerconia to the tooth structure is not as predictable, compared to E max porcelain veneers. Zerconia is bright white, and many patient desire “Hollywood White Smile”. They can achieve that if the restorations are crowns. Most patients are way better off to get veneers vs crowns, since more precious tooth structure is salvaged.

The E max veneers can get close to giving you very white smile, but not as white as zirconia, in which often times might look fake looking, and some individuals want that! but again zirconia veneers are not as predictable as to how long it will stay on your teeth.

As of today, The use of zirconia porcelain is mostly on porcelain bridges, and zirconia crowns, E max bridges does not support a wide span of missing teeth, to fabricate a bridge under heavy biting forces. The cosmetic dentist must not leave the final decision of which material to be used, up to the lab technician or the ceramist. Zirconia vs Emax have their own pros and cons, and their limitations. The experienced cosmetic dentist must evaluate the underlying color, and the heavy biting forces, prior to prescribing Emax or zirconia porcelain. As far as the best cosmetic porcelain feldspathic porcelain is the gold standard, which gives the best look, and the most natural look, however feldspathic porcelain is not as strong as E Max ( lithium disilicate) porcelain, nor Zirconia or Lava.

Emax crowns ,  Emax bridges or Emax inlay onlays

They have gained popularity due to bio compatibility, beauty and strength. These crowns or limited bridges are made of lithium disilicate, in which the crown fabrication can be done after wax up by the dental technician. Due to durability and strength of the Emax, the biggest advantage is that less tooth structure is removed from the tooth, and the porcelain is fracture-resistant. Per Dr. Mobasser Emax crowns have improved conservative dentistry (minimally invasive) however they are NOT indicated for all crowns.

Emax ceramic crowns are actually considered to be a ceramic metal, they are much more translucent than lava, or zerconia, so aesthetically they can look better, however Dr Mobasser does not recommend these crowns if you have a dark colored tooth, since the darker color of the tooth can show thru. Dr Mobasser recommends this type of dental crowns if your teeth are not dark, and do not have a metal post, (usually due to a root canal tooth), or titanium post, usually after dental implant.

Emax crowns can be a good choice for short front teeth, or an over prepared tooth, that the crown keeps falling off, since it can be bonded to your tooth just like porcelain veneer bond and become one with your tooth.
Due to strength of the material it can be harsh to the opposing teeth, meaning it can cause wear and tear, especially if the patient is a bruxer or grinder. Emax crowns need to be bonded to the tooth structure, therefore it is more technique-sensitive, and the cost is more than conventional (porcelain fused to metal) crowns. However, the strength and esthetics are incomparable. Regular Porcelain crowns are stronger than natural tooth structure causing wear on the opposing natural dentition. Emax crowns can be as much as 3 to 5 times stronger than regular porcelain crowns.

Zirconia, Lava Crown , or Zirconia Bridges

They are extremely strong, and they are considered to be ceramic metal also, they can be milled, and shaped. As a cosmetic dentist and a dental crown specialist, Dr Mobasser does not recommend them for front teeth, since they are opaque, with no translucency. They will be a great choice to block out dark tooth underneath the crown, or a metallic cast post due to root canal therapy. They are not recommended with worn out, short teeth. Zirconia crowns can be cemented by the dentist, however if the tooth is short, it is best not to use zirconia crowns, but rather a dental crown that can be bonded to the tooth.

Lava or Zirconia crowns and bridges

They are made of zirconium oxide. Very strong as compared to regular porcelain, they are of course bio compatible, and they are fabricated via the aid of computer-generated machine CAD/CAM. Lava crowns are durable and long-lasting, yet are not indicated for all types of bridges; as of to date, the limitation is up to 4 units. They are extremely difficult to remove if there is any reason for redoing the bridge or the crown, and can not bond well with the underlying tooth, however they are cemented on the tooth. The treating dentist must discuss the pros and cons of these types of crowns or bridges to the patient, especially if the patient is not having full mouth reconstruction done. dental bridges can definitely wear down the opposing dentition, and occlusal guard or night guards are usually strongly recommended.

Lava crowns vs porcelain crowns vs Emax crowns

So how does the patient know which to use? Per Dr Mobasser the key determining factors are:
1- How many teeth need the treatment – is it full mouth reconstruction or a few crowns?
2- Does the patient clench or grind? Are there frequent fractures of crowns or teeth?
3- Complete evaluation and bite analysis is a must.
4- Are the opposing teeth crowns ? natural teeth?
5- Is esthetics a factor, or strength ? or both ?
6- Is the opposing space requiring the crown limited?

An expert dentist must take to the consideration the length of each tooth requiring crown or bridge restoration prior to preparation, for longevity, also take into consideration, not the strength only but also the cosmetic needs of the patient! Generally zirconia requires less removal of tooth structure vs E-max porcelain, however Zirconia is not as pretty as E-max.

A complete evaluation via intra oral photos, x-rays, bite analysis, impressions and study casts is a must, to determine which crown best fits the individual’s mouth to resemble beauty, and mimic the form and function needed.