When a tooth is broken, cracked, worn, or weakened by a large filling or root canal, a crown caps and protects what's left so you can bite and smile with confidence again. At Kentfield Dental in Marin County, Dr. Soroush Ghaffarpour ("Dr. G") designs all-ceramic porcelain crowns that are color-matched to your neighboring teeth and built to be durable, with the option to have many crowns designed, milled, and placed in a single visit right here in our Kentfield office. Continuing the 47-year legacy of founding dentist Dr. John Herschleb, we care for patients across Marin, from Greenbrae and Larkspur to Ross, San Anselmo, Mill Valley, and beyond.
What is a porcelain crown?
A crown is a custom-made cap that fits over the entire visible part of a tooth, restoring its shape, strength, and appearance when a filling is no longer enough to hold it together. Think of it as a tailored "helmet" for a vulnerable tooth: where a filling repairs a portion of a tooth, a crown wraps and reinforces the whole thing, which is why crowns are often the go-to fix for teeth that are badly broken, deeply cracked, heavily filled, or have just had a root canal.
Modern crowns at Kentfield Dental are made from advanced all-ceramic (porcelain) materials rather than the older metal-and-porcelain crowns that could leave a dark gray line at the gum. Today's ceramics, including high-strength zirconia and lithium disilicate, are tooth-colored all the way through, reflect light much the way natural enamel does, and are remarkably durable. The result is a restoration designed to be strong enough for everyday chewing while looking like the tooth was simply made whole again. With good care, a well-fitted ceramic crown commonly lasts 20 to 30 years, and Dr. G takes a conservative, aesthetics-first approach so we preserve as much of your healthy tooth as possible.
How we craft your crown in Kentfield
Dr. G takes an aesthetics-first, conservative approach: we remove only as much tooth structure as is needed, capture every detail digitally, and engineer each crown for both a precise fit and a natural look. There are no goopy impression trays here. Instead, we scan your teeth with a digital intraoral scanner, so the whole experience can be cleaner, faster, and more comfortable, which matters a great deal to our anxious patients.
For many teeth, we can complete your crown in one appointment using our in-house CEREC system. We scan with the Primescan 2, design your crown on screen, mill it from a solid ceramic block on the Primemill, and strengthen and glaze it in the SpeedFire furnace, then bond it in place the same day. For many cases that means no second visit, no weeks in a temporary crown, and no extra trip back to Marin from work or home. When a case calls for the artistry of a dental lab, say a front tooth where we're fine-tuning subtle layering and translucency, we'll craft it with a trusted ceramist using the same precise digital scan. Either way, you get a crown made to fit your tooth and blend with your smile. This in-house, while-you-wait capability is part of how we serve Marin patients from Greenbrae, Larkspur, Ross, and beyond.
- Same-day CEREC crowns designed, milled, and placed in one Kentfield visit using the Primescan 2 scanner, Primemill mill, and SpeedFire furnace
- Digital intraoral scanning (3Shape) instead of traditional molds, so no goopy impressions and less gagging
- Vatech Green X12 low-dose CBCT 3D imaging when a deeper look at roots or bone is helpful
- MouthWatch intraoral cameras so you can see exactly what we see, on screen
- Soft-tissue dental laser to gently shape gum tissue for a clean, precise crown margin when needed
Why patients choose us for this
Natural, lifelike appearance
All-ceramic crowns are tooth-colored throughout and catch light much like real enamel, color-matched to your neighboring teeth, with no dark metal line at the gumline.
Strength where you need it
Modern ceramics like zirconia are engineered to handle everyday biting and chewing, so a once-fragile tooth can go back to work.
Protects a vulnerable tooth
By wrapping the whole tooth, a crown helps hold a cracked or root-canal-treated tooth together and can reduce the risk of further fracture.
Same-day convenience
With in-house CEREC, many crowns can be finished in a single Kentfield visit, with no temporary crown and no second trip across Marin.
Comfortable, mold-free process
Digital scanning replaces messy impression trays, which can make the appointment easier, especially for patients with a sensitive gag reflex or dental anxiety.
Built to last
With routine care and regular checkups, a well-fitted ceramic crown commonly lasts 20 to 30 years.
What to expect
Exam & digital planning
Dr. G evaluates the tooth, takes intraoral photos and any needed imaging, including low-dose CBCT for a 3D view when a root or the surrounding bone needs a closer look, and discusses whether a same-day or lab-crafted crown best suits your case.
Gentle preparation & digital scan
We comfortably shape the tooth to make room for the crown, then capture a precise digital scan with our intraoral scanner, with no impression trays or molds.
Design & mill (same-day option)
For CEREC cases, we design your crown on screen, mill it from a solid ceramic block on the Primemill, and strengthen and glaze it in the SpeedFire furnace, all in our Kentfield office while you wait.
Fit, bond & polish
We check the fit, bite, shade, and contacts, then bond the crown in place and polish it. For lab-crafted crowns, we place a temporary and bring you back to seat the final crown.
Follow-up & long-term care
We make sure your bite feels right and review simple care, including good brushing, flossing, and regular checkups, to help your crown last for many years.
Your comfort matters. Crowns are done with local anesthetic and digital scanning instead of goopy molds, which can make the visit easier for patients with a sensitive gag reflex or dental anxiety. Let us know if you're nervous and we'll take extra steps to help keep you comfortable.
Is a porcelain crown right for you?
A crown is often the most predictable way to save and strengthen a tooth that's too compromised for a simple filling. During your visit, Dr. G will examine the tooth, review digital images and, when helpful, a low-dose CBCT scan, and walk you through your options on screen so you can decide together. In some cases a more conservative restoration like a filling, bonding, or an inlay/onlay may be a better fit, and we'll always tell you when less is more. Marin patients appreciate that we take time to explain the why behind each recommendation before any treatment begins.
- You have a tooth that's badly broken, cracked, or fractured
- A large old filling is failing or there isn't enough healthy tooth left to hold one
- Your tooth recently had a root canal and needs full-coverage protection
- A tooth is worn down, misshapen, or noticeably discolored and you'd like it rebuilt
- You're replacing an old metal-based crown with a more natural, all-ceramic one
- You want a strong, long-lasting fix that blends in with the rest of your smile
Frequently asked questions
With good care, a well-fitted porcelain crown commonly lasts 20 to 30 years. Daily brushing and flossing, not using your teeth as tools, wearing a nightguard if you grind, and keeping up with regular checkups all help your crown last as long as possible.
Yes, many crowns can be completed in a single visit at Kentfield Dental using our in-house CEREC system. We scan, design, mill, and bond your ceramic crown the same day, so for most cases there's no temporary crown and no second appointment, which saves Marin patients an extra trip.
For most patients, all-ceramic crowns offer a more natural look than older metal or porcelain-fused-to-metal crowns, with no dark line at the gum. Today's ceramics like zirconia are also very strong, making them a great everyday choice, and Dr. G will recommend the material best suited to your specific tooth.
Most patients are comfortable throughout the appointment, which is done with local anesthetic to numb the area. Some mild sensitivity afterward is normal and usually settles within a few days; let us know if you're anxious and we'll take extra steps to help keep you at ease.
A same-day CEREC crown is designed, milled, and placed in our Kentfield office in one visit, while a lab crown is custom-crafted by a ceramist over a couple of weeks. Both can look and function beautifully; we often choose lab crowns for highly aesthetic front teeth and CEREC for the convenience of a single visit, and we'll help you decide.
In most cases yes, especially for back teeth. A root-canal-treated tooth can become brittle, so a full-coverage crown helps protect it from cracking and lets you chew normally again. Dr. G will let you know if your tooth needs one.
Crown fees vary with the tooth, materials, and whether any additional treatment is needed, so we provide a clear estimate after your exam. Kentfield Dental is a boutique, fee-for-service (out-of-network) practice, and our team is happy to review the details with you before any treatment begins.