Do You Need A Dental Crown?
You may think you've never seen a dental crown, but chances are someone you know is sporting one or more crowns without you even knowing it. A dental crown is just one of the many dental treatments available today to restore (or replace) damaged dentition. Dental crowns, also referred to as caps, "crown" or "cap" your tooth. In other words, a dental crown is a hollow replica of your original tooth that is bonded over your remaining tooth structure. A crown can be used to strengthen, protect, and improve the appearance of the original tooth. Do you need a dental crown?
Uses For Dental Crowns
Dental crowns are a popular and useful dental treatment for many circumstances including:
- To restore a tooth to its normal shape and size
- To cover discolored or oddly shaped teeth
- To protect, strengthen, and restore, a chipped, broken, cracked, or weakened tooth
- To attach bridges to remaining teeth
- To cover dental implants
- To strengthen and restore a tooth with a large filling or excessive decay
- To protect and strengthen a tooth after a root canal
How Crowns Are Placed
Crown treatment consists of two major steps:
Tooth preparation: During your first dental visit for crown treatment, the damaged tooth will be prepared by removing some of the outer tooth structure to accommodate the size of the crown. Next, an impression will be taken of the prepared tooth and sent to a dental lab. The crown will be fashioned at the lab, usually from porcelain, to simulate the natural color and shape of the original tooth.
Placement: When the crown is ready, you will return to your dentist for placement, during which your dentist will check the crown for fit and comfort before permanently bonding it to your tooth.