New first time crowns? Are there alternative procedures that make sense? 

 

Are all of the new first time crowns done today still as necessary in light of new materials and the durability and successful track record in the use of chair-side composites and other materials?

 

The evidence for this premise has also been based on over 35 years of using these well-proven composite-bonding procedures (white filling materials) on teeth that previously would have been prepared immediately for crowns.  This evolved as an in-between cleanup step of removing the decay and a more aggressive removal of additional bacterial contamination inside of teeth. Surprisingly over decades of treatments 85-90% of these oversized white fillings proved to be very durable and functional for decade’s themselves.