Everything You Need to Know About a Dental Crown

What is a dental crown?

Sometimes with all the technical jargon floating around and patients becoming more aware of the processes and procedures involved in dentistry, it is easy to overlook the simplest and most important questions. When you have a need for restoration of any sort, the first question we should be answering is what your options are and describing them to you so you can make an educated decision. Dental crowns are a prosthetic devices attached to the top of your teeth. They are often called dental caps, or just caps for short because they encompass the entire top of your tooth or even replace the entire thing. When we find a tooth that is worn down severely, has damage that may or may not be repairable, or is in a situation where decay has taken its toll, we start looking at dental crowns as the solution. Without capping of the tooth, infections can often spread, exposing you to even more serious conditions, which is why having dental crowns is important.

What is a dental crown used for?

There are numerous uses for dental crowns. They are a very versatile tool that can be used in a range of situations to protect, enhance, and even replace your teeth. Most commonly, you will find that crowns are used on damaged teeth that have sustained some level of trauma. Where there is a break in a tooth that leaves a significant crack or chip, there arises the fear that the damage will spread or infection might set in. If the crack is too deep, we will not be able to fill it and save the tooth. If the chip has claimed too much of the tooth, there is a danger that the filling will not hold, which makes filling the tooth impractical. In cases like this, we would turn to dental crowns. Dental crowns would cover the entire damaged portion of the tooth and ensure that it functions properly. In addition to the repair work that is done with dental crowns, they can also be used as a replacement when the tooth is lost or has to be extracted. Crowns work perfectly with dental implants to give you an ideal replacement tooth. Because crowns are made out of realistic-looking materials, your new false tooth will look exactly like a natural one.

How is a dental crown attached or placed?

Dental crowns are placed over a period of two separate clinic visits. Dental crowns are not a temporary solution, as we will be shaving down a portion of your tooth enamel to make way for the crown. This also removes any decay or defects that might cause problems at a later date. We will then take detailed measurements and an imprint for the lab to build you a custom dental crown set. At the end of the first visit, you will leave with a temporary set of dental crowns, which we will replace with your permanent set once they return from the lab.