How to repair fractured porcelain crown with bonding after porcelain etching and silane primer

Photos on repair porcelain crown fracture and fix broken caps created in our General Dentistry office.

How to repair a porcelain crown, dental bonding porcelain
People frequently fracture the porcelain on their crowns. Many prefer to repair, instead of replace, the crown especially if it is attached to many other crowns. Porcelain cannot be reattached to the area where the metal is exposed so the only cosmetic bonding material can be used. The problem is that bonding cannot be glued to the exposed metal. Therefore one must drill away more of the porcelain away around the exposed metal (seen on the left) and bond an appropriate color to the entire area. The long term prognosis of this type of repair depends upon many factors.
Repair of fractured porcelain dental crown Fracture fix etch silane primer bond bonding
How to repair a porcelain fused to metal dental crown that had an open contact due to fractured porcelain. The open contact bothered the patient. The crown was prepared in a manner similar to that for a mesio-occlusal restoration. Dental bonding material was placed inside this preparation after porcelain etching and priming with silane.
repair of fractured porcelain crowns, fix dental cap, Post and Core, Patient Behavior Management
Emergency new patient seeking a porcelain dental crown repair. This woman believed the broken upper lateral crown could be quickly recemented. Many of the tooth crowns and root canals seen in the x-ray were recently completed by her current dentist with whom she had a good relationship.
I informed the patient that: 1) The crown appeared to completely seat on the post and core instead of solid tooth structure. 2) The prefabricated post preparation was short and was probably weak.
I did not want to take out the loose crown and then find that I also had a loose post and core in my hand. Proper care might indicate a new, longer cast post and core, possible crown lengthening, and a new crown. Crown lengthening surgery could likely affect the crown margins on all the other new anterior crowns.
Once you touch it, you own the problem. The dentist and patient need to agree in advance about what could happen, and what might then need to be done, if an “easy” repair turns out to be quite a big problem. This is both fair and appropriate for the patient and will save a lot of young dentists from having a major, unexpected problem. All things considered it was not worth getting started. The patient was appreciative of my assessment and was happy to return to her dentist for the repair.