What is a Dental Crown Exactly?
If you’ve ever been in the market for a tooth replacement, you may have come across the option for a dental crown. Commonly used as a durable procedure for patients with damaged or missing teeth, final dental crowns are an excellent option to restore the functionally and appearance of your teeth, without the hassle of removable components.
Dental Crown Overview
Dental crowns are permanent prosthetic teeth that are bonded to the remains of a natural tooth or attached to a dental implant for patients missing teeth. Crowns are not designed to be removable such as dentures and other devices. This allows them to function more like natural teeth, including when it comes to cleaning.
Functioning of Dental Crowns
A dental crown completely covers (or caps) a tooth damaged by trauma or decay to protect it from further harm. Crowns are also used with dental implant procedures, attached to the screw by an abutment for secure and final hold.
Crowns are often made of porcelain and ceramic. These materials are ideal as they are easily colored to match your existing teeth while containing durable properties comparable to those found in natural teeth.
Reasons for Getting a Dental Crowns
If you are struggling with any of the following situations, your dentist may recommend a dental crown for your restorative procedure:
- Missing a tooth/teeth and are interested in dental implants
- Need additional protection over a large filling in the teeth
- Have fractured or broken teeth
- Have oddly shaped tooth/teeth creating an uneven smile
- Have severe discoloration in teeth affecting the aesthetics of your smile
Creating a Dental Crown
Dental crowns are created in different ways depending on the treatment needed. If you are receiving a dental crown to cap a damaged tooth, enough of the tooth must be removed for the crown to fit over before it can be bonded into place. Your dentist will make an impression of the tooth to be capped for the lab to create a secure replacement. Using porcelain or ceramic to shape the crown, the device will then be matched to the shape and size of the surrounding teeth for an even smile.
If you are a patient who requires a crown to protect a dental implant, your dentist will either take an impression of the tooth before extraction or make a close fit based on the remaining teeth in your mouth if the tooth has already been lost. A temporary crown may be constructed to ensure the fit and look of the crown is correct before making a final replacement crown for the implant.
Lifetime of a Dental Crown
With proper care and daily oral hygiene, your crown can finally remain in place for years. However, functioning similar to natural teeth, there are certain circumstances causing crowns to chip, break, or come loose. To prevent your crown from damage, adjusting your diet to avoid hard foods, ice, or sticky foods can lengthen the life expectancy of your crown and other remaining teeth in your mouth.
Dental crowns have provided patients with a final solution to tooth restoration for decades. By making daily oral hygiene a priority in your schedule, your dental crown can help improve the appearance and functioning of your mouth for even more decades to come.
Baer Dental Designs is your home for Dental Crowns and other general/cosmetic dental needs today. Learn more about Baer Dental Dental Crowns.
What is a typically dental crown procedure like? Learn More.