What You Should Know About Dental Crowns
Dental crowns are tooth-shaped caps placed on top of your damaged teeth. They are used to help restore your teeth’s shape when dental fillings are not effective. Over time, our teeth tend to become damaged due to several reasons, like injuries, tooth decay, or frequent use. Dental crowns also help restore your tooth’s strength, appearance, size, and shape. The crown is carefully and firmly cemented into place on your damaged tooth to cover the visible portion of the tooth. In this article, we will tell you why you should have your dental crowns in Sugar Land.
What Are the Uses of Dental Crowns?
Over the years, dental crowns have been used for a wide array of medical reasons, such as:
· Holding a dental bridge in place
· Covering a tooth treated with a root canal
· Restoring a severely worn-down or broken tooth
· Covering a dental implant
· Supporting a tooth with a large dental filling
· Protecting a weak tooth from breaking apart, especially if its parts are cracked
· Covering severely discolored or misshapen teeth
What Materials are Dental Crowns Made Of?
Permanent dental crowns are usually made out of many different materials. Below are some of the common materials used in making dental crowns:
- All-resin: Dental crowns made out of resin are generally the most affordable type. However, they usually wear down over time and are less durable than porcelain-fused-to-metal dental crowns.
- Porcelain-fused-to-metal: This type of dental crown is designed to have a more natural tooth color, but sometimes the metal under the crown’s porcelain cap can see as a dark line. Another downside with this type of dental crown is that there is a likelihood of the crown’s porcelain part breaking or chipping off and wearing down the crown of teeth opposite to it. Porcelain-fused-to-metal dental crowns are the perfect choice for back or front teeth.
- Metal: Many metals can be used to make dental crowns, such as palladium, chromium, nicked, and gold. Metal dental crowns are usually preferred since they rarely break or chip, only require a small portion of your tooth to be removed, and are durable. The only downside with metal crowns is their metallic color.
- Pressed ceramic: Pressed ceramic dental crowns are characterized by a hard-inner core. These dental crowns are capped with porcelain, which helps provide an appealing natural color tooth match. They are also more durable than all-porcelain dental crowns.
- All-porcelain or all-ceramic. These types of dental crowns are considered a favorite due to their best natural tooth color match compared to any other type of crown. They are also an ideal choice if you have any metal allergies. All-porcelain crowns make the best choice for front teeth.
What Happens During a Dental Crown Procedure?
Dental crown procedures usually require two visits to the dentist. The damaged tooth that will receive the crown is first examined and prepared during your first visit. Once an x-ray of the tooth and the surrounding bone is taken, your dentist will perform a root canal treatment to check for injury to the tooth’s pulp, tooth decay, and risk of infection. The targeted tooth will be filed down across the sides and top to make space for the dental crown. After filing the tooth, putty or paste is used to make a copy of the tooth that is being fitted with the crown and then sent to a dental laboratory. Your dentist will provide you with a temporary dental crown as you wait on the permanent crown.
At Advanced Dentistry, led by general and cosmetic dentists Sanaz Rouhani, DDS, Varghese John, DMD, and a team of highly-skilled medical experts have provided the residents living in and around Texas with reliable dental treatment solutions. Get started today and book an appointment or call our offices today.
