My point is that if the crown (with its white covering) is too hard to chip
or wear,,,,,,,,,, and the patient has *parafunction*,,, that the stress has
to be relieved somewhere.  The average crown prep leaves tiny slivers of
dentin under the crown which are easy to shear off.  End result, the tooth
breaks off at the gingival crest.  A metal post will transmit that force
deep into the root where the cross-section is very narrow and often break
the root.

If the crown is wearing down, you at least have something to work with and
restore once you get the parafunction under control.  If the crown breaks
off at the gingival crest, you are often discussing a reverse core with pins
or post (which is good for 1-3 years only) or an implant (or bridge).

    Ya.  How long before that thin little high-gold coping gets perfed as well?

Steve

Well, when the gold coping is exposed in less than 2 years,
I think that's a little excessive.

;-(
D

What is wrong with porcelain wear under heavy occlusal forces?  Would you
prefer catastrophic fracture at the gingival crest?

    Wow--not fractured?

Steve

Porcelain wear under occlusal forces.

They fit well and looked good.  They just didn't hold up
over time.

Steve

    Sorry to hear of your bad experience.  I haven't used them, and the
marketing seems to imply superior fit and strength when compared to
all-ceramics.  Otherwise, why use them?  How did they fail?

Steve

Maybe I did something wrong, but I doubt it.

The Captek crowns and bridges that I have done have *not* given
the durability and longevity of conventional porcelain fused
to noble metal.

Looking good for 'a while' doesn't cut it for me.

D

My dentist recommended that I get a captek crown + bridge. It will
cost me $2,000 after insurance. The alternative is to have a silver/
metal cown/bridge for $1,200. Is captek worth the extra $800? The
bridge is for a molar that is hardly seen when i smile.