What is the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the word “porcelain”? Maybe you envision porcelain china dishes, or antique porcelain dolls. But here’s something that may come as a surprise to you: dental porcelain is one of the most common materials used in a variety of modern dental procedures. Unlike the fragile porcelain used in china or old dolls, dental porcelain is actually remarkably strong and durable. This type of porcelain — which is typically made from a combination of raw materials that include quartz, kaolin, and feldspar – holds up remarkably well for several years. That’s just one reason why it is so often the material of choice in modern dental procedures. Here are some of the other reasons:
- Porcelain can be made to perfectly match the color of your natural teeth or – as is often the case when porcelain is used for cosmetic dentistry applications like veneers – a much whiter, more attractive shade than your natural teeth.
- Porcelain can be used to resolve many different dental issues. In fact, porcelain dental material can be used to correct a wide variety of dental problems, including fixing the shape of one or more teeth; repairing cracked or chipped teeth; filling in gaps between teeth; or whitening teeth that can’t be treated by traditional whitening methods (as is sometimes the case when the enamel layer of the tooth is damaged and the yellowish dentin layer is exposed).
- Porcelain dental material lasts for many years. In fact, depending on how it’s cared for, dental porcelain can last from 7 to 20 years!
- Porcelain is versatile, which is why it’s used for a variety of dental restorations, such as crowns, bridges, implants and veneers.
- Porcelain is strong. As we mentioned before, dental porcelain is extremely strong and durable. In fact, porcelain is typically just as strong as your natural teeth. That’s not to say that it can’t be damaged. In just the same way that you can crack or chip a tooth, you can also do damage to dental porcelain. But if you’re careful and take good care of your porcelain dental work, it will hold up for many years.
If you need to have some type of dental restoration or are considering having a cosmetic procedure such as veneers, talk to your dentist about what dental materials are available to choose from.
He or she can give you more information about dental porcelain and help you to decide whether or not it’s the right choice for you.
