Dental Crowns

A dental crown becomes necessary due to a weakened tooth because of decay or fracture. It can also be used for cosmetic purposes. A dental crown is placed by first grinding away the tooth so that it is smaller.

A crown or cap is then placed over the tooth and secured. If you are missing one or more teeth, your family dentist may suggest the use of a fixed bridge and dental crowns. Since the gap left by a missing tooth can cause the remaining teeth to shift or move, it is important for your oral health to replace the missing tooth or teeth, and fixed bridges are one of the solutions for doing so.

A dental crown is an excellent way to extend the life of a tooth that has been weakened by decay or fracture. It is also useful for strengthening a tooth that has received root canal therapy as that tooth will gradually become brittle. When a crown covers that tooth, it is protected from fracturing.

To place a crown, your dental crowns and bridges, your dentist must first reduce the size of your existing tooth so the crown will fit into the available space. A porcelain crown is then manufactured in a color that will match your other teeth. It will be molded into the exact right shape to fit with your other teeth. This crown is then fit over the prepared tooth and cemented securely into place.

With the new porcelain materials available, crowns look more than your natural teeth than ever before, even possessing a similar translucence to natural tooth material. With care, they can last for many decades.

Crowns serve a cosmetic purpose as well. When a smile has been damaged by severe decay or injury, crowns placed over visible teeth are an excellent way to preserve the teeth and present a greatly improved appearance.

What are the capabilities of crowns?

Crown and bridgework is a very reliable solution for major dental problems caused through accidents, diseases or wear and tear. Major problems can usually be corrected using these techniques. Material used in these repairs is either high-grade porcelain or porcelain bonded to gold. A higher strength of the porcelain and gold materials is recommended to treat the most serious of dental problems. Where accidental damage has occurred, resulting in lost teeth, or where teeth have broken away through excessive wear, or as the result of old fillings breaking, dental crowns and/or dental bridges can be used as a long-term solution.

Many people have unexplained pain from filled back teeth, which is usually due to hairline cracks in the chewing part of the tooth. Placing crowns on these teeth relieves the pain and allows a return of full dental function for these teeth. In front teeth, older fillings can both weaken the teeth and cause “appearance” problems due to staining or chipping. Porcelain crowns and bridges are suitable in cases where porcelain veneers are not. In teeth with root canal fillings, crowns can prevent breakage.