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Impant Crown Being placed into dental model

Implant Crowns

What is an Implant Crown?

The Gold Standard of Tooth Replacement

If you’re missing one or several teeth dental, implants paired with implant crowns are the gold standard for modern tooth replacement. In this video, Dr. Arif Sumar, a prosthodontist at Vivid Specialized Dentistry, breaks down exactly what an implant crown is, the treatment sequence, who it's for, and why it’s one of the most trusted long-term solutions in restorative dentistry

Video Timestamps:

0:00 - What Is an Implant Crown?

0:24 - Who Is a Good Candidate for Implants?

0:52 - How Long Do Implant Crowns Last?

1:47 - Implant Crown vs. Traditional Bridge

2:15 - How Long Does it Take to Get an Implant Crown?

2:49 - The Implant Crown Timeline

3:33 - How Custom Implant Crowns Are Made

4:05 - Dentist or Prosthodontist for Implant Crowns?

4:29 - Why an In-House Labs Matters

4:26 - The Risks of Dental Tourism

6:03 - Implant Crowns at VIVID

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Implant Crown - Just the Crown
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What are Implant Crowns Made of?

At Vivid Specialized Dentistry we primarily use zirconia for implant crowns due to its exceptional strength, durability, and biocompatibility. To achieve the best aesthetic and functional results, our crowns are layered with both porcelain and zirconia—combining the resilience of zirconia with the natural translucency of porcelain for a lifelike appearance.

Zirconia is an excellent choice for crowns, particularly for posterior teeth, as it withstands significant chewing forces. Studies have shown that zirconia-based crowns are as durable as metal-based crowns, making them a long-lasting solution. Additionally, zirconia’s biocompatibility minimizes the risk of irritation or adverse reactions, making it a preferred material for patients with sensitivities.

While metal crowns are occasionally fabricated for molars, we rarely use them, as zirconia provides a superior balance of strength, aesthetics, and comfort. With Dr. Sumar’s precision-driven approach and in-house dental laboratory capabilities, every implant crown is custom-crafted to ensure the best possible fit and function.

Key Benefits of Implant Crowns

At Vivid Specialized Dentistry, Dr. Sumar takes a precision-driven approach to fabricating implant crowns. As a prosthodontist, he ensures each crown is custom-designed for optimal fit, durability, and aesthetics. With the support of an in-house dental lab, he creates natural-looking restorations that seamlessly blend with your smile.

  • Natural Look & Feel - Custom-made to match your natural teeth in shape and shade for a seamless smile.

  • Strong & Long-Lasting - Implant crowns are securely anchored to implants, offering exceptional stability and long-lasting function.

  • No Impact on Nearby Teeth - Implant crowns do not rely on neighboring teeth for support, preserving healthy tooth structure.

  • Improved Dental Function - Restore full function and appearance, allowing you to eat, speak, and smile with confidence.

  • Easy to Care For - With regular brushing, flossing, and hygiene visits, implant crowns are simple to maintain.

Maintaining Your Dental Crowns

Proper care and maintenance play a crucial role in ensuring the longevity of your implant crowns. With the right oral hygiene habits, your implant crowns can last as long as possible, maintaining their strength, appearance, and function.

Regular Dental Visits

Scheduling professional hygiene appointments every 3 to 6 months is essential for keeping your implant crowns in excellent condition. These cleanings allow us to carefully scale around your implants, removing plaque and tartar that can compromise the health of surrounding tissues. Our team also monitors the implant site, crown fit, and gum health at each visit to catch any issues early and ensure your implants remain strong, stable, and secure.

The Importance of a Night Guard

If you grind or clench your teeth, wearing a custom night guard is strongly recommended. Bruxism places excessive pressure on your natural teeth, restorations and dental implants, which can increase the risk of early failure. A well-fitted night guard helps distribute these forces more evenly, protecting your investment and supporting the long-term success of your dental implants.

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Implant Crowns in Edmonton

At Vivid Specialized Dentistry, we specialize in fabricating custom implant crowns in Edmonton to restore missing teeth with strength, precision, and aesthetics. Whether you're replacing a single tooth or completing a full implant restoration, implant crowns provide the visible and functional finish to your dental implant. Dr. Sumar—an experienced, board-certified prosthodontist—has over 13 years of experience restoring smiles with implant-supported crowns and uses only premium materials like monolithic zirconia or zirconia layered with porcelain to ensure optimal durability and aesthetics.

Every implant crown is carefully crafted to look and feel just like your own natural teeth. We work closely with your oral surgeon or periodontist to ensure a seamless restoration process, from implant placement to final implant crown.

Why Choose Implant Crowns?

Implant crowns are designed to replicate the look, feel, and function of a natural tooth. Unlike traditional crowns, implant crowns are supported by a dental implant instead of a natural tooth, making them ideal for patients who are missing a tooth entirely. They offer exceptional stability, longevity, and aesthetic appeal, without compromising the surrounding teeth. For patients seeking a permanent, natural-looking solution to tooth loss, implant crowns deliver unmatched function and quality.

The Implant Crown Timeline

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I - With the help of our dental specialists, the tooth/teeth are extracted and the site is left to heal for a period of 3-6 months. Once your implant surgery has been scheduled, we fabricate a surgical guide.

I I - Implant surgery is performed requiring another 3-4 months of healing.

I I I - We take the final impression of the implant, this allows our in-house laboratory to start fabricating the definitive crown.

IV - After 2-3 weeks you will return to Vivid Specialized Dentistry for the insertion of the implant crown.

Precision-Crafted Implant Crowns with Our In-House Dental Laboratory

At Vivid Specialized Dentistry, our in-house dental laboratory allows us to create high-quality, custom implant crowns with unmatched precision and efficiency. Unlike clinics that rely on off-site laboratories, our proximity to the lab ensures real-time adjustments, guaranteeing a precise fit, natural aesthetics, and optimal function from start to finish.

Our skilled dental technicians work closely with Dr. Sumar, combining advanced technology with expert craftsmanship to design implant crowns that seamlessly blend with your smile. From perfecting the shade to fine-tuning the fit, every detail is customized in-house—reducing wait times and minimizing the need for multiple appointments. At Vivid Specialized Dentistry, we prioritize durability, aesthetics, and personalization, because every implant crown should look, feel, and function just like a natural tooth.

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Implant Crown Basics

the Fundamentals of IMPLANT Crowns

An implant crown is the visible tooth-like part that attaches to a dental implant. Unlike a traditional crown that covers a natural tooth, an implant crown is supported by a titanium implant fixture anchored in the jawbone. The three main parts are: the implant, which acts as the root; the abutment, which connects the implant to the crown; and the crown itself, which restores the look and function of your missing tooth.

Implant crowns are custom-designed for each patient, ensuring a precise fit and natural appearance. They allow you to speak, chew, and smile confidently, often feeling and functioning just like your real teeth.

Proper care includes brushing, flossing, and attending regular dental cleanings. These hygiene visits allow us to check the health of the implant and surrounding tissue, and to professionally scale around the implant crown. With good home care and routine checkups, implant crowns can provide a long-lasting solution for missing teeth.

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Placing Implant Crowns

When it comes to placing implant crowns, there are two main retention methods:

Cement-retained and Screw-retained

 

At Vivid Specialized Dentistry, Dr. Sumar utilizes screw-retained implant crowns for their fantastic retention, reliability, and long-term maintenance benefits. Unlike cemented crowns, screw-retained crowns can be easily removed if needed—allowing us to access the implant for cleaning, inspection, or adjustments without compromising the restoration.

 

This approach allows Dr. Sumar to remove your implant crown if needed for more comprehensive dental cleanings. 

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Why Choose Vivid Specialized Dentistry for Implant Crowns?

At Vivid Specialized Dentistry, we bring specialized expertise and precision to every stage of your implant crown treatment.

Specialized Care
As a prosthodontist, Dr. Arif Sumar focuses on the restoration and replacement of missing teeth, offering advanced expertise in implant-supported crowns. Whether you're replacing a single tooth or rebuilding your entire smile, Dr. Sumar’s meticulous and personalized approach ensures your implant crown fits, functions, and feels just right.

In-House Dental Laboratory
Our on-site dental lab allows us to manage the full process of creating your implant crown with exceptional control and quality. This means faster turnaround times, same-day adjustments when needed, and crowns that are fully customized for your bite and smile—all without outsourcing to a third-party lab.

Patient-Centered Approach
Your comfort, function, and aesthetics are our top priorities. We design each implant crown to integrate seamlessly with your natural teeth and support a healthy bite. By evaluating your full oral health—including bone levels, soft tissue contours, and jaw dynamics—we ensure your implant crown not only looks great but also performs reliably for years to come.

At Vivid Specialized Dentistry, we’re here to rebuild more than just your smile—we’re here to restore your confidence with expert care and crowns that stand the test of time.

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How Long Do Implant Crowns Last?

Implant crowns are designed to be a long-term solution for missing teeth—often lasting between 10 to 20 years or more with proper care. In many cases, they can last even longer. The longevity of your implant crown depends on several factors, including the quality of the materials used, the precision of the fit, your oral hygiene habits, and regular dental maintenance.

At Vivid Specialized Dentistry, we use high-quality materials and custom design each crown to match your bite and smile, ensuring both strength and aesthetics. Because implant crowns do not rely on natural tooth roots, they’re less prone to decay, but that doesn’t mean they’re maintenance-free. Just like natural teeth, they require routine cleanings and checkups to stay in top condition.

With regular brushing, flossing, and professional hygiene visits every 3 to 6 months, your implant crown can remain functional and beautiful for many years to come. We also recommend nightguards for patients who clench or grind their teeth, as this protects both your crown and implant investment.

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How Much Do Implant Crowns Cost?

The cost of an implant crown varies depending on your individual needs and the specifics of your treatment. Factors such as the number of crowns needed, the materials used, the location of the implant, and any additional procedures required (such as soft tissue shaping or bone grafting) can all influence the final cost.

At Vivid Specialized Dentistry, we take a personalized approach to every case. Rather than offering flat rates, we focus on creating a treatment plan that reflects your unique situation and long-term goals. Whether you’re replacing a single tooth or multiple teeth, Dr. Sumar will carefully assess your case and walk you through all available options, including a transparent breakdown of expected costs.

We encourage you to book a consultation so we can evaluate your oral health, review your options, and provide you with a clear, customized treatment plan. Our goal is to help you achieve a confident, functional smile with implant crowns that are built to last.

Frequently Asked Questions about Dental Crowns

  • Yes! Natural-looking results are what we’re known for at Vivid Specialized Dentistry. Our crowns are crafted with a layering technique using zirconia and porcelain, materials chosen for their strength and lifelike translucency. Each crown is hand-shaded by our in-house dental technicians to match the subtle tones and textures of your natural teeth, ensuring a seamless blend.

    Because we oversee the process from start to finish, we can make same-day adjustments to fine-tune color, shape, and fit, right here in our on-site lab. Many patients also choose to whiten their natural teeth with Zoom Whitening prior to treatment so that their new crown matches a brighter, refreshed smile. The result? Implant crowns that not only restore your bite but enhance your entire smile with a natural, confident look.

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  • Yes! You can eat normally with implant crowns.

     

    Implant crowns function just like natural teeth, allowing you to eat most foods comfortably. However, just like with real teeth, it's important to be mindful of certain foods that can put excess stress on your crowns - popcorn kernels, beef jerky, and anything that requires excessive tearing should be approached with caution.

     

    Avoid using your front teeth for shearing tough foods, and with proper care, your crowns will serve you well for years to come.

  • The procedure is designed for patient comfort. A local anesthetic is used to ensure a pain-free experience during preparation and placement.

     

    Any post-procedure discomfort is mild and can be managed with Tylenol or ibuprofen, though many patients don’t require medication.

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    The lifespan of an implant crown depends on your oral hygiene and care. With proper daily brushing, flossing, and regular dental cleanings, dental implants can last anywhere from 10 to 20 years.

    One major advantage of implant crowns over dental bridges is that if an issue arises, a single crown can be repaired or replaced without affecting the surrounding teeth—offering a more flexible and long-term solution.

  • While no medical procedure can be guaranteed due to biological factors, we are committed to delivering the best possible results. Our team specializes in prosthodontics and crowns, ensuring that your restoration is done right the first time.

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  • The cost of an implant crown varies depending on the material and provider. At Vivid Specialized Dentistry, we specialize in implant crowns and provide high-quality, custom-designed restorations with the help of our in-house dental lab.

     

    Many insurance plans partially cover implant crown procedures, and we are happy to submit a predetermination to your insurance provider.

  • Thinking of going overseas for dental implants to save money?

     

    Implants aren't one-size-fits-all, and when done without proper planning, your "cheap" dental work abroad can end up costing far more to fix than it would have to do properly the first time. Protect your health, your time, and your wallet.

     

    If you're considering dental tourism we recommend reading our blog on dental tourism here.

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