A cracked, chipped, or heavily filled tooth only gets weaker with time, and left untreated, it can fracture further or need to be pulled altogether.
At Roman Dental in West Houston’s Energy Corridor, Dr. Roman Kotlarek restores damaged teeth with custom, metal-free dental crowns that can last up to 15 years, matched to the shape and color of your natural smile, from consultation through final fit.
Dental crowns can restore a tooth’s function, shape, color, and beauty. Cavities, trauma, clenching, grinding, and large silver fillings often result in broken, chipped, discolored, or cracked teeth. A dental crown or porcelain veneer is a strong and durable restoration.
At Roman Dental, Dr. Roman Kotlarek, a diplomate of the American Board of Aesthetic Dentistry, provides patients with beautiful dental crowns.
Roman Dental has restored damaged teeth for West Houston patients since 1999, combining high-quality materials, one-on-one care from Dr. Kotlarek, and straightforward insurance coordination into every crown placed at the Energy Corridor office.
Roman Dental uses zirconia and all-ceramic crowns that match your natural tooth color and hold up to daily biting force without the grey line traditional metal crowns can leave at the gumline.
Dr. Kotlarek handles each crown from impression to final fit himself, so patients see one provider throughout treatment instead of being referred out to a specialist.
Roman Dental accepts PPO insurance and provides a written cost estimate before treatment begins, so patients know what they owe going in.
A benefit of Porcelain fused to metal crowns is rigid strength. However, dentists are required to make room for the layer of metal by removing more tooth structure than is required with other types of crowns. Porcelain fused to metal dental crowns are not considered the most aesthetic; it can have an opaque appearance called the “headlight effect” when used on the front teeth.
The non-precious metal is grey in color and may create darkness where the gum and crown meet. These crowns tend to be very “bright” due to the opaque porcelain used to hide the color of the underlying metal.
A dental crown is a custom-made cap that covers a damaged tooth to restore its strength, shape, and appearance, preventing further cracking or the need for extraction.
Roman Dental places crowns for West Houston patients whose teeth have been weakened by large fillings, deep cavities, root canal treatment, or years of grinding, and pairs crowns with implants or bridges for patients pursuing a full smile makeover.
Roman Dental offers three types of dental crowns, each suited to a different balance of strength, appearance, and cost: all-ceramic, porcelain fused to metal, and full metal. Dr. Kotlarek recommends the material based on which tooth needs the crown and what the patient prioritizes most.
All-ceramic crowns are metal-free restorations made from zirconia or porcelain, chosen when a natural, tooth-colored appearance matters most, such as on front teeth. Because they contain no metal, they avoid the grey line that can show at the gumline over time and reduce the risk of a metal allergy reaction.
Porcelain-fused-to-metal (PFM) crowns combine a metal substructure with a porcelain outer layer, giving them the strength of metal with a tooth-colored surface. They hold up well on molars that take heavy bite force, though the metal base can show as a thin grey line at the gumline over time and occasionally trigger a reaction in patients with metal sensitivities.
Full metal crowns, usually made from a gold alloy, require removing the least amount of healthy tooth structure of any crown type and rarely chip or fracture. Roman Dental typically recommends them for back molars, where strength matters more than appearance.
A dental crown protects a damaged tooth from further breakdown while restoring the look and function it had before the damage occurred, and Roman Dental’s crowns typically last 10 to 15 years for West Houston patients. A crown also offers several other benefits:
Roman Dental welcomes new and current patients for dental crown consultations in West Houston, with same-week appointments and PPO insurance accepted.
A crown is a custom-made cap that fits over a damaged tooth to restore its shape, strength, and appearance. Roman Dental places crowns for West Houston patients using zirconia, porcelain, metal, or a combination, depending on which tooth needs repair.
A crown is usually needed when a tooth is too decayed, chipped, or misshapen for a filling to repair predictably. It restores the tooth’s strength, function, and appearance in a single, long-lasting restoration.
A filling can repair a tooth in many cases, but once decay or a chip removes more than half the tooth’s structure, a filling risks cracking the remaining tooth under normal biting force. Roman Dental recommends a crown once the damage is extensive enough that a filling wouldn’t hold up long-term.
A tooth needs a crown after root canal treatment because removing its blood supply and nerve tissue leaves it more brittle and prone to fracture. Roman Dental places a crown shortly after root canal therapy to protect the tooth from breaking under everyday biting force.
A grey or black line at the gumline appears when a crown’s inner metal layer becomes visible as the gum recedes slightly over time. Many crowns are built with a porcelain outer layer over a metal core, and that metal shows through once the gum pulls back.
Yes, the black line at the edge of a crown can be corrected by replacing it with a metal-free option. Once the metal-based crown is swapped out, the discoloration goes away completely.
Yes, choosing a crown with a tooth-colored, metal-free inner layer, such as zirconia, prevents a black line from forming at the gumline. Roman Dental offers all-ceramic zirconia crowns for patients who want them on front teeth.
Roman Dental recommends a gold crown when a tooth needs maximum strength with the least amount of healthy tooth removed, since gold can be shaped thinner than porcelain without breaking. Porcelain alternatives need extra thickness to match that strength, which means removing more of the natural tooth.
Sensitivity after crown placement is common and is not usually a sign of a problem. It typically fades within 1 to 4 days as the tooth and surrounding gum tissue adjust to the new crown.
Yes, a thin, tooth-colored zirconia crown is available even for short teeth that once required gold for strength. Roman Dental can evaluate whether zirconia provides enough strength for a specific short tooth during a consultation.
Dental crowns typically last 10 to 15 years or longer, depending on the material used, oral hygiene, and habits like grinding. Zirconia and full metal crowns tend to hold up longer than porcelain-fused-to-metal crowns.
A crown itself cannot get a cavity, since it’s made from porcelain, zirconia, or metal rather than natural tooth structure. The tooth underneath the crown can still decay, especially at the margin where the crown meets the gum.
Yes, once a crown is fully set and adjusted, patients can eat normally. Roman Dental recommends avoiding very hard or sticky foods for the first few days after placement while the crown settles.
Porcelain and ceramic crowns resist staining better than natural teeth, though they aren’t completely stain-proof. Coffee, tea, and red wine can still dull a crown’s shine over time, the same way they affect natural enamel.
A crown that falls off needs same-day attention from Roman Dental, even if the tooth underneath isn’t painful yet. The exposed tooth can become sensitive or damaged the longer it goes without a crown protecting it.
Monday - Thursday: 8am - 5pm
Friday: 8am - 2pm
Monday - Thursday: 8am - 5pm
Friday: 8am - 2pm
14535 Memorial Dr, Houston, TX 77079
Monday - Thursday: 8am - 5pm
Friday: 8am - 2pm
