Dental Crowns in Kensington, MD
Custom-crafted dental crowns in Kensington by Dr. Marlin, prosthodontist. On-site laboratory, 40+ years experience. Natural appearance, lasting durability.
Kensington residents appreciate durability and quality that remains functional over time. When a tooth requires restoration, a dental crown represents both the protection of that tooth and the commitment to long-term dental health. A well-designed crown from a prosthodontist with an on-site laboratory ensures that the restoration not only looks natural but also performs correctly for decades.
Dr. Gerald Marlin at Elite Prosthetic Dentistry, located 15 minutes from Kensington at 4400 Jenifer Street NW in Friendship Heights, has been crafting durable, esthetic crowns for over 40 years. Each crown is designed and fabricated with the understanding that appearance and strength must work together.
Why Crowns Matter in Prosthodontic Dentistry
A dental crown is a restoration that fully covers a damaged or weakened tooth, restoring its strength, protection, and appearance. While a general dentist can place crowns, a prosthodontist approaches crown design with specialized knowledge of how teeth should function together, how materials perform over time, and how a crown should integrate with surrounding natural teeth.
Prosthodontic training includes detailed study of dental ceramics, material properties, tooth preparation principles, and the biomechanical aspects of restoration design. This background ensures that every crown our team at Elite Prosthetic Dentistry places is fabricated to protect the remaining tooth structure, support proper bite mechanics, and maintain its appearance for decades.
When a Crown is Recommended
Kensington patients typically need a crown in several situations. A tooth with a very large filling that is failing or has new decay around the filling margins often requires a crown to provide complete protection. A tooth that has undergone root canal treatment is more brittle and benefits from the strength and complete protection that a crown provides. A tooth with structural damage from trauma, fracture, or severe decay requires a crown to save it from extraction. A tooth with an older restoration that is now outdated benefits from replacement with a modern crown.
In each case, the decision to place a crown is made because it offers the best long-term prognosis for that tooth.
Crown Restoration Services
Anterior Crowns: Pressed Lithium Disilicate
For front teeth, appearance is paramount. our prosthodontic team uses pressed lithium disilicate, a premium ceramic material that offers exceptional translucency and natural light reflection. This material allows the crown to mimic the subtle color gradations and light behavior of natural tooth enamel.
Preparation is performed with precision to preserve as much natural tooth structure as possible. The on-site laboratory allows Elite Prosthetic Dentistry to work with his ceramist to ensure that the shade, translucency, and contour match your natural teeth exactly.
Posterior Crowns: Zirconia
For back teeth that bear heavy chewing force, zirconia provides maximum durability and strength. Zirconia crowns are extremely resistant to fracture and are an excellent choice for patients with heavy bite force or a history of grinding.
Modern zirconia has been refined to offer excellent esthetics in addition to durability, making it suitable for visible posterior teeth as well as those out of view.
High-Esthetic Cases: Layered Ceramics
For the most demanding esthetic situations, Elite Prosthetic Dentistry uses layered ceramic restorations that combine the strength of a zirconia core with the natural translucency and color gradation of feldspathic porcelain. These restorations offer the best of both worlds: durability and natural appearance.
The On-Site Laboratory Advantage
The quality of a crown depends entirely on the laboratory where it is fabricated. This is why the in-house laboratory at Elite Prosthetic Dentistry is a crucial differentiator.
When Elite Prosthetic Dentistry prepares your tooth and takes impressions, those impressions are delivered immediately to the laboratory technician. The ceramist reviews the preparation, understands the clinical requirements, and begins fabricating your crown. Shade selection happens in person, under multiple lighting conditions, with you present to ensure perfect color matching.
If refinement is needed, the ceramist makes the adjustment during your follow-up appointment. This direct communication between clinician and laboratory technician produces crowns with a quality of natural appearance and precise fit that outsourced laboratory work cannot achieve.
Crown Preparation and Design
Tooth Preparation
Elite Prosthetic Dentistry prepares your tooth with precision, removing only the amount of tooth structure necessary to accommodate the crown material while preserving as much natural tooth as possible. The preparation is shaped to support the crown and provide a proper foundation for the ceramic.
Impression and Shade Selection
An impression is taken of the prepared tooth. Dr. Marlin and the laboratory technician discuss the preparation characteristics, and the ceramist begins designing the crown. Shade selection is done in person, comparing shade guides to your natural tooth color under multiple lighting conditions.
Temporary Crown
A temporary crown protects your prepared tooth while the permanent crown is being fabricated. The temporary is comfortable and allows normal function.
Delivery and Adjustment
When the permanent crown is ready, you return for delivery. Elite Prosthetic Dentistry adjusts the crown for perfect fit, verifies that your bite is comfortable, and ensures that the color and contour meet your expectations. The crown is then cemented in place.
Crown Longevity and Care
A crown from our specialty-trained team’s on-site laboratory typically lasts 15 to 20+ years with proper care. Longevity depends on several factors: the quality of tooth preparation, the precision of fabrication, the material selected, your home care routine, and your bite habits.
To maximize crown longevity, brush twice daily with a soft-bristled toothbrush, floss daily, avoid chewing on hard objects like ice or hard candy, and see Elite Prosthetic Dentistry for regular checkups. If you grind your teeth at night, a nightguard is recommended to protect your crowns and other restorations.
Replacing Older Crowns
Many Kensington patients have older crowns that are showing signs of age. These may have dark lines at the gum where metal shows through, may no longer match the color of adjacent teeth, or may have become loose or chipped. Modern crowns fabricated with current materials offer dramatic improvements.
Replacing an older crown is similar to placing a new crown: the old crown is carefully removed, the underlying tooth is evaluated and prepared, and a new crown is fabricated. The new restoration is designed with current materials and techniques to look natural and last for decades.
Treatment Timeline
Most crown treatment is completed in two appointments over one to three weeks. At your first appointment, the tooth is prepared, impressions are taken, and a temporary crown is placed. Elite Prosthetic Dentistry works with the on-site laboratory to fabricate your permanent crown during the following days. You return for the second appointment to have the permanent crown delivered, adjusted, and cemented.
In select cases where our prosthodontic team determines that additional time is beneficial for planning or where multiple crowns are being placed, treatment may be scheduled over a longer timeline.
Investment in Tooth Protection
A custom crown from Dr. Marlin represents a premium investment in protecting a damaged tooth. Kensington patients consistently find that the durability and natural appearance of a prosthodontist’s crown justifies the investment. We provide detailed cost estimates before treatment begins and offer financing options for multiple crowns or comprehensive cases.
Related Resources
- Learn more about custom dental crown services
- What Makes a Natural-Looking Crown
- Explore porcelain veneers
- View all locations we serve
- Browse patient success stories
- Patient education resources
- Read patient success stories
- Read patient reviews
- Browse smile results
- Learn more: what makes a natural-looking crown
- Am I a candidate?
Getting Here from Kensington
Our office at 4400 Jenifer Street NW is approximately 15 minutes from Kensington via Connecticut Avenue NW through Chevy Chase. The Friendship Heights Metro station on the Red Line is adjacent to our building. Street parking and a nearby public garage are available.
Schedule Your Consultation or call (202) 244-2101.
Frequently Asked Questions
When do I need a dental crown in Kensington?
A crown is recommended when a tooth has structural damage from decay, a previous large filling, trauma, or root canal treatment. A crown fully covers and protects the remaining tooth structure while restoring appearance and function.
How long do crowns from Dr. Marlin's laboratory last?
With proper care, crowns fabricated by our on-site laboratory typically last 15 to 20+ years. Longevity depends on material selection, preparation quality, the precision of fabrication, and your home care and bite habits.
What materials are used for crowns at Elite Prosthetic Dentistry?
Dr. Marlin selects from pressed lithium disilicate for anterior teeth requiring maximum translucency, zirconia for posterior teeth requiring maximum durability, and layered ceramics for the most demanding esthetic situations. Each material is chosen to match your specific clinical and esthetic needs.
Will my crown look natural?
Yes. Crowns fabricated by our on-site laboratory are designed to match your natural tooth color, translucency, and contours. Shade selection happens in person under calibrated lighting, with you present for direct comparison to surrounding teeth.
How many appointments does crown treatment require?
Typically, crown treatment requires two appointments. At the first appointment, Dr. Marlin prepares the tooth and takes impressions. The crown is fabricated in our on-site laboratory. At the second appointment, the completed crown is adjusted and cemented in place. The timeline is usually one to two weeks.
Related Patient Success Stories
Explore similar patient success stories demonstrating our expertise in advanced prosthetic dentistry.
Temporary Crowns Restore Patient's Smile in Just One Day with an Immediate Smile Makeover
A patient from Potomac, Maryland, came to Elite Prosthetic Dentistry with the chief complaint of pain from a failing dental implant and its significant impact on her appearance.
Multi-Faceted Treatment for Patient Unhappy With Her Artificial-Looking Crowns, Teeth and Gums
Many patients come to Elite Prosthetic Dentistry unhappy with the appearance of their smile. However, this particular patient presented with multiple interconnected problems that together created a smile she found deeply unsatisfying.
Salvaging Ms. N’s Severely Broken-Down Upper and Lower Teeth from Gum and Bone Disease
Many people in the U.S. suffer from extensive periodontal disease characterized by significant bone loss and shrinkage of the gum tissue. This condition can begin at a very young age and worsen quickly due to hereditary factors and lack of early diagnosis by their dentist.
A Smile Transformation in Just Four Months: A Patient’s Dental Crown Restoration for a TV Series
A patient with dental crowns that were in poor shape was going to appear on a streaming video series on a major TV network that was scheduled to begin filming soon. Our patient, John, an author about to embark on a book tour, was anxious as his teeth were not up to his standards to appear on television.
Replacing a Discolored Front Tooth with a Precision Placed Implant
Some of the most challenging restorations occur when fabricating an anterior crown to fit on an implant. Not only does one have the difficulty of matching the single front tooth to the other ones in the high visibility zone, but the dentist must also ensure the position of the underlying implant is precise through accurate preplanning and placement.
Patient Was Dissatisfied With Her 'Gummy' Smile
Excessive gingival tissue, commonly referred to as a "gummy smile," can significantly impact the appearance of a person's smile and their self-confidence. When someone smiles and a large amount of gum tissue is visible above the teeth, it can create the perception that the teeth are too small or short, even when they are actually normal size.
Our Services in Kensington
Beyond Dental Crowns, Kensington patients rely on Dr. Gerald Marlin for a full range of advanced dental care.
More services available in Kensington:
Dental Crowns Near Kensington
Dr. Gerald Marlin also provides dental crowns services for patients in these neighboring communities.
Getting Here from Kensington
Elite Prosthetic Dentistry is conveniently located near Kensington, MD.
Drive south on Connecticut Avenue NW through Chevy Chase to our Friendship Heights office near the DC-Maryland border.
Address:
4400 Jenifer Street NW, Suite 220
Washington, DC 20015
Phone: (202) 244-2101
Schedule ConsultationSchedule Your Consultation from Kensington
Kensington residents trust Dr. Gerald Marlin for precision dental care. With 3,900+ implants placed and 40+ years of experience, your smile is in expert hands.