What Is a Lava Crown, and What Are Its Benefits?

LAVA crowns are one of the available tools in dentistry today, built from a very special material – LAVA Zirconia. Produced by the 3M, LAVA crowns are aesthetically superior, durable, and natural-looking options for any patients needing a crown.

When to Choose LAVA Crowns?

Superior properties of LAVA crowns recommend this product in cosmetic surgery, but in cosmetic dentistry, experts will typically recommend their use in the following scenarios:

• Discolored and stained teeth – LAVA crowns guarantee no discoloration nor need for repeated whitening.
• Crooked teeth – No doubt, crooked teeth are one of the worst esthetic fallacies. LAVA crowns fit perfectly and mimic other healthy teeth, making an impeccable choice in these situations.
• Root canal treated teeth – If you had a root canal treatment, you’ll notice that hollow teeth are weaker than they were. With LAVA crowns on top, you will again have the strength you had with your natural teeth.
• Fractured teeth – Chipped and fractured teeth can be restored to their original state with LAVA crowns, improving not only the physical appearance but their strength as well.

How Are LAVA Crowns Prepared?

One great additional benefit of LAVA crowns is the way they are prepared and administered – you can complete everything in a single visit to your dentist!

Tooth preparation – Firstly, the dentist prepares the teeth for the crown by trimming a very thin layer from the teeth, which the crown’s thickness will compensate.

Digital impression – A digital impression of your teeth will be fed into the computer. The dentist will then work on the digital reading, based on the suggestion the computer gives, and design a crown most suitable for you. The finalized shape is saved in the form of CAD (computer-aided design) and fed into the CAM (computer-aided manufacture). The LAVA crown is then produced in the milling machine.

Checking and fitting – Finally, the dentist checks the quality. If all requirements are met, the crown is cemented into place. On occasion, the dentist can fit the crown temporarily and then fit the prosthesis permanently during your next appointment.

Benefits of LAVA Crowns

When your dentist suggests the use of LAVA as a solution, the crown material guarantees that you will get a perfectly balanced natural look. LAVA Zirconia is a translucent material, making these crowns match your teeth naturally, which is why this is the best material for teeth restoration.

LAVA crowns are completely ceramic, without the metal added into the compound. Additionally, and more importantly, LAVA Zirconia is extremely durable and resilient to cracking and chipping.

The CAD/CAM system in your dentist’s office guarantees fast and precise processing of high quality, as well as a quick fitting in a single trip. While you wait, the milling machine will produce LAVA crowns in no time.

LAVA crowns help in conserving tooth structure in various scenarios. Because of the strength of the material, LAVA crowns can be made thinner and less tooth structure gets removed for the fitting. While comfortably sitting on top of your teeth, it will preserve their structure and integrity, all the while resisting any further damage from food and chewing.

The LAVA system can be used for the fabrication of dental inlays, onlays, and overlays as well, not only for all-ceramic crowns. If you would like to learn more, or if you think you’re a perfect candidate for LAVA crowns, schedule your appointment and let us tell you all about LAVA crowns, and how to choose the best solution for you.