Dental Crowns

Teeth naturally begin to lose their quality and appearance as we age. They become more susceptible to problems like decay, cracks, and discoloration. Dental crowns can help. If you feel like your smile isn’t what it once was, contact Elite Dental Arts.  Dr. Nick M. Mobilia provides these dental crown services.

Crowns can be made of zirconia, porcelain, porcelain fused to metal, or full gold. It is recommended that your crown be a porcelain fused crown or zirconia, as these look and feel the most natural. They can also be customized to match the coloring of your other teeth.

 

The entire process will take 2 appointments. At the first appointment, your tooth will be trimmed, reconfigured for reshaping and a mold will be taken of your newly shaped tooth. This mold or impression is what will be used to create your crown. We will send the impression off to a dental laboratory. It takes between 2-3 weeks for the crown to be made. You will be given a temporary crown until then.

 

At your final appointment, dental cement or bonding material will be used to set the crown onto your tooth. Crowns are durable and can last between 10-15 years. Make sure to care for it as you would any of your other teeth. The better you take care of your crown, the longer it will last.

 

If you are in need of a dental crown or dental work, contact Elite Dental Arts. We are located in New York, NY. To schedule an appointment with Dr. Nick M. Mobilia, visit our website or call 212-681-0939.

Smoking and Pulpitis

Smoking creates all sorts of oral health and aesthetic problems. That’s probably not news to you, but we at Elite Dental Arts in Midtown are interested in new research that shows smoking has other dental effects that were not previously understood. One of those effects is the suppression of the immune system in dental pulp, which could put patients at risk for recurring toothaches.

Dental pulp is highly sensitive and can become inflamed in response to injuries or infections. When tissue is inflamed, it becomes more permeable to antimicrobial peptides. These tiny acids latch onto invading bacteria and kill them, making them a crucial part of the immune system. But new research has shown that smokers lack antimicrobial peptides in their pulp, meaning that infections are able to last longer and are harder to treat. If left untreated long enough, a pulp infection could develop into a facial abscess and cause sepsis.

Root canals are the standard treatment for pulp infections, but there’s a possibility that some bacteria could be overlooked and cause the infection to return. An infected tooth may ultimately have to be pulled and replaced with an implant or partial denture. Although we provide high-quality prosthetics at Elite Dental Arts, we hope our patients will take this research as additional inspiration to avoid smoking.

Nick M. Mobilia, DDS
ELITE DENTAL ARTS
9 East 45th Street, 6th Floor
New York, NY 10017

 

Inlays and Onlays

We’re proud to have restored hundreds of patients’ teeth at Elite Dental Arts in Midtown. Although we provide everything from implants to dentures, sometimes, all that’s needed is a partial crown. Those situations usually occur when enough of a tooth is damaged to necessitate something larger than a filling, but there’s still usable crown material.

The molars and premolars have multiple pointy bits, called cusps, separated by indentations. When the indentations are not sealed, they can easily become a trap for food, leading to decay. Once the decay has been drilled away, there may be a significant area in need of restoration. If a partial crown is called for, we’ll make an impression of the mouth that the prosthesis will be designed from. The patient will wear an artificial crown in the meantime. Once the prosthesis is complete, they will return for a follow-up appointment at which time it will be cemented in.

When a partial crown can be placed into an indentation, it is called an inlay. When it also covers at least one of the cusps, it is called an onlay. Inlays and onlays need to be brushed just like normal teeth or else decay will resume, but when properly cared for they can last for over a decade. Since our office heavily emphasizes aesthetics, the partial crowns we use will match the color of the patient’s teeth.

Nick M. Mobilia, DDS
ELITE DENTAL ARTS
9 East 45th Street, 6th Floor
New York, NY 10017

 

Types of Teeth

Teeth serve specialized functions and are vulnerable to specific problems. In order for patients to make the best oral health decisions, they should have a sense of what kind of mouth is normal and healthy, which is why we of Elite Dental Arts are providing a guide to different kinds of teeth.

Teeth have crowns, which are the part visible above the gum line, and roots. Crowns come in different shapes and teeth have different numbers of roots based on how strong they need to be. The teeth in front of the mouth only have one root each. They include, per jaw, two pairs of incisors and one pair of canines, also known as cuspids. The incisors are flat and crucial for forming speech. The canines are pointy and used for piercing. These teeth receive the most cosmetic care.

The premolars, of which adults grow two pairs per jaw, also have one root each. They have wide crowns with multiple cusps and are used for chewing. Molars, of which there are three pairs, including the wisdom teeth, are even wider and more creviced. Lower molars have two roots to anchor them securely in the jaw. Upper molars have three roots. Without extractions, adults typically have thirty-two teeth in total.

To learn more about Invisalign and all the services we provide at our practice, visit Elite Dental Arts for more information. To schedule an appointment with Dr. Nick Mobilia of Elite Dental Arts here in New York, NY, call our office at 212-681-0939. 

Nick M. Mobilia, DDS
ELITE DENTAL ARTS
9 East 45th Street, 6th Floor
New York, NY 10017

 

How Do Dental Bridges Work?

A bridge may be recommended if you are missing one or more teeth. Gaps left by missing teeth eventually cause the remaining teeth to rotate or shift into the empty spaces, resulting in a bad bite. Bridges span the space where the teeth are missing and are cemented to the natural teeth or implants surrounding the empty space. Our doctors at Elite Dental Arts will fit you with a temporary bridge while we wait for the lab to craft your permanent one. This will protect the abutments and the exposed gum areas and look more appealing than having a missing tooth.

A bridge is made up of two or more crowns for the teeth on either side of the gap – these two or more anchoring teeth are called abutment teeth – and a false tooth in between. These false teeth are called pontics and can be made from gold, alloys, porcelain, or a combination of these materials to ensure they are strong and durable.  Dental bridges are supported by natural teeth or implants.

If you have missing teeth and are considering dental bridges, schedule a consultation with our doctors to discuss your options. To learn more about dental bridges and other services provided at our office, visit www.elitedentalarts.com for more information. To schedule an appointment with one of our doctors at Elite Dental Arts in New York, NY, call 212-681-0939.

Nick M. Mobilia, DDS
ELITE  DENTAL ARTS
9 East 45th Street, 6th Floor
New York, NY 10017
(212) 681-0939
drmobilia@EliteDentalArts.com
BE SURE TO CONNECT WITH ELITE DENTAL ARTS